Page 92 - AC-3-2

Arts & Communication Music and sound in Greek TV commercials

mark a brand or product. Sound effects and music create instrumental compositions. The notion that music exists
2
unique identities for ads, directing the viewer’s attention as a pure, independent construct devoid of external
toward the product. Thus, musical accompaniment not meaning implies that it is unrelated to everyday life and,
only serves esthetic purposes but also reinforces the consequently, is considered “above” it. However, this view
advertising message and persuades the audience to act. fails to acknowledge the integral communicative nature

Furthermore, the market – whether international or of music and its deep-rooted connection to cultural and
local – shapes consumer norms by promoting specific social contexts, refuting any theory of autonomy and self-
1
advertising models, musical choices, and directorial sufficiency. The concept of music as an autonomous art
th
approaches. This study delves into the elements that form likely emerged in the 19 century, a period marked
shape advertising, focusing on the interplay between by a significant shift in music’s societal role as composers
visual and auditory components. Building on a well- were gradually liberated from the constraints of aristocratic
3
structured theoretical foundation, this study examines patronage, religious function, and textual dependence.
the role of music and audio in commercials and their For the first time in history, musical composition and
effectiveness in delivering the message. The analysis performance arose primarily from an intrinsic desire for
applies the frameworks of scholars such as Michel Chion, creative expression, rather than being driven by external
3
Claudia Gorbman, Nicholas Cook, and Tagg to investigate demands or bound by “authoritative” constraints.
the elements of audio and music in advertising. To gain Although this newfound independence allowed for greater
a comprehensive understanding of the role of music in artistic freedom, it also promoted the misconception that
commercial and semantic promotion, the study explores music was an entirely self-contained entity.
how music influences both the process and outcome of Nevertheless, the need for independence is defined and
advertising toward consumers. experienced by the subject, not the object. Thus, the concept
This study offers a musicological analysis of audiovisual of absolute music remains a powerful historical illusion.
material in Greek television advertisements, examining Over the years, musicologists and ethnomusicologists
how these components relate to the product, branding, have argued that the structures, practices, and concepts
and overall objective of the ad. Specifically, it analyzes of music are culturally determined and their meaning can
television advertisements for food and beverages aired in be understood only through study within specific cultural
4
Greece between 2015 and 2020. The material was sourced contexts. Accepting the cultural dimension of music
from the official YouTube platform, and the findings have acknowledge the human contribution to it and highlights
the potential to inform future advertising strategies and the importance of the sounds, attitudes, values, and
5
practices. These insights are crucial for understanding behaviors associated with it. Concepts alone do not drive
consumer patterns, influences, behaviors, and the impact music; behavior, whether musical or otherwise, is directly
of sound on human nature. By presenting this information, related to culture as a result of the respective cultural
the study aims to inform readers of these trends and raise environment and should thus be evaluated according to
awareness of their potential implications. the social context.
Music’s power as a communicative medium and its
2. Music and meaning: Cultural symbols profound influence on society is further evidenced by
and interpretations its intrinsic connection to cultural change. As cultures

To understand how sound and music communicate transform, their musical expressions undergo parallel
advertising messages, we must first examine whether alterations, reflecting and often driving societal shifts. As
music inherently possesses this capability. One of the a meaningful part of the social structure, music adapts
fundamental questions that have been engaging scholars in to change and is redefined through an adjustable process
sound studies in recent decades is whether music can serve called “reinterpretation,” a process where old concepts
as a carrier of messages and meanings. This philosophical are applied to new elements or where new values modify
question has given rise to two opposing currents of the cultural significance of older forms. This process
thought. The first perspective views music as an absolute involves blending elements from two or more cultures, as
art, whereas the second perspective views it as a product of exemplified by African American music during the First
social actions, interactions, and activities. World War. 5

The first standpoint posits that music is a self-contained Therefore, an important factor in studying the
entity, expressing nothing beyond its own intrinsic nature of music is its communicative properties.
qualities. This view emerged from Western institutional Unlike speech, which relies on linguistic content, the
1
musical esthetics and asserts the superiority of purely communicative dimension of music is based on musical

Volume 3 Issue 2 (2025) 2 doi: 10.36922/ac.4374