Political ad music strikes a flat key

In the pre-election haze of federal campaign promises and attack ads, a seemingly invisible factor is being used to influence Canadians: music.

“It seems natural or inevitable and that’s where it can be most harmful because we’re not aware that it’s going on.”

Whether it is upbeat, classic, sombre or downright silly, music is being used to sway the perception of voters, says James Deaville, a Carleton music professor.

Deaville, who has been studying music and perception for a decade, calls music a weapon of mass deception because it’s actively used to alter perceptions without voters realizing it.

Playing over the controversial “Ignatieff America” ad released by the Conservative government in January is a catchy, almost lighthearted, piano tune. While the music seems harmless, when it is combined with pointed statistics and matte black and white video clips, it ultimately ridicules Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff and labels him unpatriotic, Deaville says. In another attack ad called “NDP Ambition” a grave violin plays sombrely in the background.

When music attacks

Although music seems natural and inevitable in television commercials, it is hardly that — it is chosen strategically with the intention of taking legitimacy away from political opponents, Deaville says.

“That’s where it can be most harmful because we’re not aware that it’s going on,” he says. 

Although music has been used as a marketing tool for centuries, Deaville says there’s a difference between selling one brand of tissue over another and marketing political parties.

“We should be aware that it’s there,” he says. “We can develop ways of resisting it if we know it’s having an effect on us.”

Sombre music can inspire sympathetic feelings.

Political beliefs as marketable products

Music alone won’t make or break an opinion, says Jack Bensimon, president of Bensimon-Byrne advertising agency. He says music is only one of many elements that support the general thrust of the message.

Bensimon, who has previously worked on federal Liberal campaigns, says music can underscore a candidate as a family person, a down-to-business leader or a policy-maker. He says the latest Conservative ads use music that is consistent with their message: Canadians should be wary of Ignatieff.

“They’ve used music that conveys a sense of foreboding and urgency about the danger he presents,” he says.

Ominous music can create feelings of uncertainty.

Attack ads are all out of tune

Jon Pammett, a Carleton political science professor who specializes in survey research, doesn’t believe the music is a tool of manipulation. If parties are considered a product and voters the consumers, he says political advertising is the ideal way to draw distinctions between parties.

There seems to be a tune for every mood — a militant beat translates into authority and a set of sombre strings in a minor key inspires sadness and failure. However, sometimes the attack ads hit the wrong note altogether.

Pammett says not all publicity is good publicity. He says he did not actively seek out the latest Conservative ads released in the non-election campaign and has yet to see them on television. It needn’t matter; he says the ads sparked so much media buzz that he’s heard all about them.

He says the ads are increasingly mean-spirited and studies indicate voters, particularly youth, are turned off when political leaders engage in behaviour they don’t approve of — whether that’s by skewing statistics or putting down an opponent over the melancholic droll of strings. 

“They get turned off the whole political sphere,” Pammett says. “What’s good is involving people in a spirit of community cooperation; this is all going in the wrong direction."

Heavy rock music can make the viewer feel uncomfortable.

Mood manipulator

Without any commentary, music can remove neutrality from an image, depending on the flavour of music accompanying the political ad, says Russell Buchanan, a creative writer for Atlanta’s Gari Media Group. Patriotism calls for a military beat, silliness begs for cartoon music, while lush orchestral strings are fit for a visionary, he says.

While music probably won't influence voters who have already made up their minds, he says it can have long-lasting effects on those who are on the fence.

"It’s not far-fetched to think that a conditioned response could eventually be created,” Buchanan says, “causing the voter to associate the uneasy feeling caused by the ominous music track with the politician himself.”

Whether the ads are having a positive or negative effect, the next time readers see a political ad they should listen very closely to the background, not the foreground; music is one silent trigger that can stealthily shape how you respond to federal politics.

All videos were modified from their original format. All music provided by Kevin MacLeod.