Sounds Like Respect. The Impact of Background Music on the Acceptance of Gay Men in Audio-Visual Advertising.

ABSTRACT: Companies increasingly seek to use gay protagonists in audio-visual commercials to attract a new affluent target group. There is also growing demand for the diversity present in society to be reflected in media formats such as advertising. Studies have shown, however, that heterosexual consumers (especially men), who may be part of the company's loyal consumer base, tend to react negatively to gay-themed advertising campaigns. Searching for an instrument to mitigate this unwanted effect, the present study investigated whether carefully selected background music can shape the perceived gender of gay male advertising protagonists. In a 2 × 2 between-subjects online experiment (musical connotation × gender of the participant), 218 heterosexual participants watched a commercial promoting engag

SUBMITTER: Herget AK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8100044 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature