Songtradr: Music In TV Ads More Likely To Appeal To Men
Although research shows women make more purchasing decisions, top TV ads on average feature music more likely to appeal to men
Popular TV ads are more likely to license music that appeals to men instead of women, according to a new study from Songtradr.
AI sonic analysis technology from Songtradr examined the top 50 TV ads with licensed songs this year (by household TV ad impressions), and found the average music selection skewed toward music that men are more likely to prefer.
Among the songs in those top 50 ads, the average favorability rating for men was 52%, versus 48% for women. For the songs that scored more favorably for women, less than half had a score of 75% or higher (meaning most were not overwhelmingly favorable). Meanwhile, 70% of favorable songs for men scored 75% or higher – indicating more ads leaned heavily into music that overwhelmingly appealed to men.
The study makes the case that many TV ad campaigns are still out of step with household purchasing trends in the United States.
In 2019, women controlled or influenced 85% of U.S. consumer spending – a number that has not dropped in the years since. Such a stark contrast would indicate that advertisers should be focused on appealing to women first and foremost. Yet from a music licensing perspective, brands are not aligned accordingly.
There are, of course, exceptions. Taco Bell, Chevrolet and Ram Trucks all licensed multiple songs more likely to be favored by women over men. For Chevrolet, music from artists like Sam Tinnesz and Cale Dodds scored 90% favorability for women. Taco Bell used tracks from artists like White Reaper and Bludnymph, which had 75% favorability or higher for women.
Industries that were less likely to choose music that appealed to women included insurance, casual dining, and quick-serve restaurants. Several of the retail brands (online and physical stores alike) included in the study also chose music with much higher favorability scores for men.
Picking the right music can often be the deciding factor between the success or failure of million-dollar ad campaigns. Whether they realize it or not, many brands are ignoring the purchasing power of women with their music choices. Music has far too great an impact to be left to chance, giving brands who make data-informed music choices a significant advantage.
Contact Songtradr today to learn more about how music decision-making impacts brands.
