Music in advertising is, as Wikipedia puts it, the most common technique for aiding memorability and product recall, and it's exactly why certain songs get permanently linked to certain products. Hear the MTN jingle anywhere and you know it's MTN before a word is spoken. That's brand personalisation doing its job, and it's what gets an ad the right impressions with the right audience.
Make It Catchy
Knowing the target audience is what lets a score personalise the message, since there's always an emotional intention behind picture and sound together. Some ads stay memorable years later purely because of what's playing underneath, and that's no accident; the human brain memorises repeated sound. Linda M. Scott's Understanding Jingles and Needledrop argues music bonds a customer to a product without full cognitive involvement, which is exactly why the wrong music, for the wrong audience, can undercut an otherwise strong ad.
Is It Relatable?
The more relatable and entertaining an ad is, the faster it travels, especially in a digital feed. Music is a key part of that arousal, which is why trending tracks show up in ads so often, or why licensing a known artist can convert a viewer into a buyer (though rights clearance for that route rarely comes cheap). Original composition is the more accessible alternative, tuned specifically to the brief.
What's the Story?
Not every ad needs an extravagant score. A broad, inclusive audience can carry something entertaining and big; a narrower, corporate audience calls for something simple, concise, and a little understated, whether that's a subtle bed or a catchy lyrical hook (lyrics tied to rhythm are a fast way to land a message inside a fifteen-second spot). A new offer or subscription needs to be enticing and catchy. An educational spot needs to be subtle and connecting. Either way, music doesn't have to literally match the message, it works more like seasoning: quietly shaping the emotion and pushing toward the call to action.
Treat an ad like a meal: how well it's prepped determines how well it lands, and the score is doing more of that work than most people give it credit for.
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