Music has been part of the in-store experience for decades but until the early 90’s little attention was given to what was played in store and the effect of music on the in-store experience, with staff putting on their favourite CD or local radio station and hoping for the best. Smart marketers soon realised that music was every bit as important as design, layout, lighting and staff in delivering a satisfying customer experience. After all, music can summon a wide range of emotions, as well as instantly connect us with a very particular time and place in our lives. For this reason, marketers are increasingly using music in the commercial environment to make their offering stand out and to harness the emotive powers of music to accentuate their brand.
There is a great deal of buzz around algorithms which have undoubtedly revolutionised the way we consume music, serving up a customised selection of tracks specifically tailored to individual’s tastes. But your customers, our listeners are individuals and the human touch is still essential to ensure that the music resonates with a diverse audience of people with distinct tastes and preferences. Screening of music is also essential to ensure that offensive content that will result in your customer disengaging from your brand never receives airtime in your outlets
Music schedulers play a crucial role in defining the music strategy with careful consideration given to understanding the brands target audience and the customer journey because what works on a Saturday morning may fall flat on a Tuesday afternoon. A great example of how a music strategy can add spice to a brand is Nando’s. Adsat was tasked with creating a bespoke sound for Nando’s to capture their fiery heritage and create a unique dining experience in their restaurants, the result was Afro-Luso a mix of Latin, Portuguese and African music. The mix was so successful it has been rolled out to Nando’s’ restaurants across the globe.
When creating an in-store audio service, careful attention needs to be given to creating a playlist of music that is unique, supports brand values and enhances and supports marketing objectives. Each brand has its own sound and capturing that in a playlist is the true magic of in-store radio.
You have a captive audience not a captured audience. Music selection is critical to creating an environment that will bring your customers back every time.
