Incongruent background music - the effect on ad evaluation and brand recall

This is a study that aimed to explore the effect of incongruent background music on ad evaluation and brand recall in a high- and low need for cognition group. For this purpose a 2 (need for cognition: low vs. high) x 4 (background music: severe incongruent vs. mild incongruent vs. congruent vs. no music) experimental design was set up. The sample consisted of 166 students who were appointed to a need for cognition group on basis of standardized questions and to a music group randomly. In an online questionnaire respondents were asked to watch a video that showed an advertisement against child prostitution. After watching this video they answered questions regarding ad evaluation and brand recall. The outcome is that incongruent background music has a favourable advantage over congruent background music. In the low need for cognition group severe incongruent background music showed a strong interaction effect on ad evaluation. When in this need for cognition group severe incongruent background music was played participants evaluated the ad more positively than with other background music. A tendency for a main effect of need for cognition on ad evaluation and brand recall can be found as well