The Persuasive role of Visual and Musical paridgms

The Persuasive Role of Visual and Musical Paradigms: It’s really about the brain isn’t it?

A definition of a paradigm offered by the American Heritage College Dictionary (4^{th edition, 2007, 2004, 2002, p.1008.)} says that a paradigm is a set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitute a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them. The triad of visual images, words and music form a powerful coalition that creates the paradigm and mental model that advertisers have used to talk to us about a given product or service, since the early part of the twentieth century. In advertising, media and ad agency executives, have come to realize there really is a lot of science in the art of persuasion. They understand that an emotional reaction is better than a logical one. The science part of this paradigm is all about the brain. Visual images and music present to the brain a formidable duo. They can momentarily alter reality and distract from critical thinking. As Media Psychologist David Giles noted; the stronger the emotional appeal, the greater the persuasion and therefore less incentive to observe critically (Giles, 2003;Westen, 2007).

Dr. Jean –Pierre Isbouts , professor of Media Psychology at Fielding Graduate University noted; that “visual interpretation happens when light enters the eye, is transformed into electric current, passes through the nervous system and is processed in the brain”. Likewise, sound, which is the central component to music is also processed in the brain. Sound consists of traveling waves and given a certain reverberation of those waves enters our ears and is uniquely processed in the brain as well. Dr. Daniel J Levitan’s book “This is your Brain; the Science of a Human Obsession” (2006.p25), discusses how music crosses the intersection of psychology and neurology which is now called neuroscience. Dr. Levitan a rocker turned neuroscientist, explores the persuasive connections we make in our brain with music and the effect it has on our moods from a neurological perspective. His research opens the door to discuss questions relating to facts such as if men and women speak at different pitch levels or tonality, could that be a reason for certain advertised brands to use a man’s voice versus using a woman’s. We keep coming back to the science of this phenomena and the brain.

Renowned musician, writer, composer and humanitarian Quincy Jones who has recovered from brain seizures he suffered back in 1974 recently remarked in an interview with Ebony magazine (March 2010; p.57), “ music is the only thing that affects both sides of the brain simultaneously, it engages the emotion and the intellect. I think water and music will be the last things to leave this planet.” Its hard to argue with “Q” as he is affectionately called by his friends, but if there is a significant emotional response to a visual and or a musical impulse, the more likely you will be in no position to make a logical decision. The messages the brain receives act on the persuasive information it receives whether it be musical or visual which begs the question it is about the brain isn’t it??