Nicolai Jørgensgaard Graakjær

Dance in the store: on the use and production of music in Abercrombie & Fitch

This article aims to contribute to the understanding of the functions of music in stores and similar semi-public settings through a critical discourse analysis of the music in Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F). This is an important field of study, which can arguably only grow in significance. Semi-public commercial places are increasingly struggling to create a strong and appealing image or brand. A range of challenges facing the retail sector lay down the premises for such a struggle: a retail market ever more competitive, parity products en masse, increased sales via the Internet, time-pressured consumers and, currently, declining sales. For creating and preserving a strong brand, music can play a decisive role in combination with other supplementary aspects of store design such as scents, interior and décor. The article examines the following questions which are concerned with the aesthesis or perception of music rather than with its production or construction (itspoïesis): What are the defining structural and semiotic characteristics of the in-store music in A&F? In what way does the music combine with other semiotic resources on display in the store? How might the semiotic resources affect experiences and interactions among consumers and store assistants? Inspired by Norman Faircloughs model for critical discourse analysis and based on exploratory and open-ended observations in A&F stores in London and Copenhagen during 2011, the article begins with a text analysis and then proceeds to relevant dimensions of processing analysis and social analysis. In particular, three functions of the music in A&F are discussed: an ‘architectural function’, a ‘psychobiological function’ and a ‘knowledge activation function’.

Sounds of Web Advertising

Media professionals today are facing numerous changes within mass media that will continue to impact the creation and delivery of persuasive messages. The Handbook of Research on Digital Media and Advertising: User Generated Content Consumption bridges the gap between professional and academic perceptions of advertising in new media environments through defining the evolution of consumerism within the context of media change. Containing findings from international experts, this Handbook of Research provides coverage of practical issues related to consumer power shifts, economic issues related to media exposure, and definitions to understand the dynamics involved with consumerism.

Analyzing Music in Advertising : Television Commercials and Consumer Choice

1. Introduction Part I: Contextual Perspectives 2. Transtextuality: Preexisting and Original Music 3. Marketing: Music and Products 4. Settings: Television, Web, and Stores Part II: Cotextual Perspectives 5. Musical Signification 6. Musical Structures 7. Musical Functions 8. Conclusion

Cross-media communication in advertising: exploring multimodal connections between television commercials and websites

The aim of this article is to advance current understandings of cross-media communication in advertising. The study is based on a sample of 80 television commercials and their announced websites, and the article is inspired by recent studies of cross-media advertising effectiveness as well as semiotic perspectives on multimodal analysis. The authors present three dimensions to be considered when examining multimodal connections between television commercials and websites: announcements, participants and address strategy. These dimensions are brought together in an analytical framework that can serve as inspiration for further research on cross-media communication in advertising and possibly in other types of communication.

Non-musical sound branding – a conceptualization and research overview

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to advance the understanding of sound branding by developing a new conceptual framework and providing an overview of the research literature on non-musical sound. Design/methodology/approach Using four mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive types of non-musical sound, the paper assesses and synthesizes 99 significant studies across various scholarly fields. Findings The overview reveals two areas in which more research may be warranted, that is, non-musical atmospherics and non-musical sonic logos. Moreover, future sound-branding research should examine in further detail the potentials of developed versus annexed object sounds, and mediated versus unmediated brand sounds. Research limitations/implications The paper provides important insights into critical issues that suggest directions for further research on non-musical sound branding. Practical implications The paper identifies an unexploited terrain of possibilities for the use of sound in marketing and branding. Originality/value The paper identifies a subfield within sound-branding research that has received little attention despite its inevitability and potential significance.

The Bonding of a Band and a Brand: On Music Placement in Television Commercials from a Text Analytical Perspective

This article presents a four-part text analytical approach to the examination of music placement in television commercials. The approach is developed through a case analysis of a commercial for Apples iPad featuring the song “There Goes My Love” by the Blue Van. The analysis illustrates how a seemingly “happy marriage” between a band and a brand can be characterized by a power imbalance that arguably manifests at the level of text structure.