Background Music in Retail Spaces: Can it make you a loyal customer?

I know there are a lot of Mango fans out there. A lot of women are fond of Mango’s fashions and accessories. But based on my visit to Mango as one of the locations for my paper on music in retail spaces, I found that the music they play in their stores plays an integral role, in keeping you ladies in there longer, and keep you coming back for another taste of trendy, young, chic enjoyable atmosphere. I was unable to cover the account of my study of the Mango fashion store in my paper, so I hereby spill the study of the use of background music in one of Doha’s popular fashion stores.

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When I went to Mango with my sociological intentions in mind, the store was not having a sale (sadly). Their final promotion ended over 3 weeks ago. And being a frequent visitor to the store, I realized that the music they played during sales varied in pace and volume from that played when they were not having a sale. There was definitely an added effect from the background music. The fast paced, loud music created the feeling of rush and anxiety, that “shop till you drop” sensation. It invoked feelings that urges you to hurry and grab as many merchandise as you can lay your hands on. People were loud and the music even louder, immersing shoppers in a “hungry for more” vibe, unbeatable prices that must be taken advantage of while they last. It was almost as though the music narrated the chaotic rapid random movement of clients in and out and within the shop, distracting us from the mess, and pulling our focus to one thing and one thing only: to shop, and to shop as much as you can. The music heightened the enthusiasm, and stamina in shoppers to keep digging through heaps of clothes, and grab whatever even if it wasn’t their size, because you don’t want to regret it later, when it has all run out. Moreover, the music stimulated my subconscious keeping me “into” what I was doing – shopping.



However, when I visited Mango just a few days ago, the ambience created by the music was not at all the image I described above. The mess and chaos was gone, the heaps of unfolded clothing transformed back into neatly, spotless, immaculate small piles of eye-catching fashions, and delicately hung dresses, skirts, and shirts on glistening racks. And the music echoed this fashion sophistication. Mango’s slogan, found on their catalogues and website reads: “Fashion for the young urban woman”.



And the music definitely compliments this statement as well as their arrangement of clothing and fashion styles. The type of music didn’t change much, they were still pop songs, a variety of remixes, techno music and popular hits, but the volume was marginally reduced, and the pace of the song played reasonably slower than what I had experienced about a month ago during the winter sale. The music played invoked this sense of “young” “trendy” and “urban” complimenting their products and creating an attractive environment for their target audience. I felt comfortable in their store, the music adding to the enjoyment factor, and kept me entertained as I browsed through the items on display. The beats varied from slow to faster, from warm to hip and cool and modern keeping my senses from getting bored. It kept me in this “urban” environment, making feel as though I were part of this preppy, trendy lifestyle, elegant while still youthful and casual. Positive emotions harvest positive experiences, and positive experiences harvest more visits, and more visits render more purchases and ultimately this is a business, and increased consumption is what they are after.



The critical theory best fits the analysis of my experience of background music in Mango. The pace, type, choice of music was used to fit the brand, market it, sell you a “lifestyle’ and pleasant experience, to keep you buying more of their products, and keep you entertained while you’re doing so that you’ll come back for more. The use of background to distract us from anything else but shopping relates to the critical theory’s main concept about the culture industries transforming us into mindless, materialistic, consumers, providing us with entertainment designed to distract us from other important dimensions of our lives.



There are organizations that help shops find the right music for their shops, restaurants and other retail spaces, and create the perfect match that is best for their marketing strategy to help increase sales. Shops are now paying more attention to the background music they play, as studies proved their effectiveness in increasing sales and customer loyalty.



Though I‘d hate to think I’m being manipulated by industries, evidence does suggest that background music in retail spaces is just another tool for enhancing the shopping experience making it memorable and enjoyable, so that we can all enjoy shopping, and if we do, we’ll probably consume more and more, which according to the critical theory is the focal point of the machinations of culture industries.

Disney's "stereotyped" land!

If you’ve watched any of Disney's classical animated movies then you probably haven’t noticed some of the misleading elements that appear within some characters.

If you’ve watched any of Disney's classical animated movies then you probably haven’t noticed some of the misleading elements that appear within some characters.

Disney corporation is one of the seven enormous companies that have a wide control over the mass media today. These cultural industries reproduce social inequality by reinforcing stereotypes in countless images for the mass market. So, as silly and childish these Disney characters may be, some of their descriptions could be listed under racism or social inequality. Examples of these inequalities and racism are shown in Disney's most famous movies such as; Aladdin, The little Mermaid, Pocahontas and Peter Pan.

When I was young, after watching Pocahontas and Peter Pan, I assumed that there was a gang called the Red Indians. The image that was drawn in my mind about those people was similar to the image of pirates. It wasn’t until I’ve studied them in history that I found out that Red Indians are native Americans, but the style which the movie portrait them in made it hard for me to think of them as civilized people.

However, native American or Red Indian characters were not the only ones accused of showing a racist image among Disney's cartoons. Aladdin is mainly taken from the Arabian Nights famous stories, but nothing in those stories mentioned that Arabs cut off your ear if they don’t like your face! Thats what the theme song of Aladdin says. As well as the represented image of the Arabian cities which was reintroduced in the movie Transformers. This stereotyped image that the Middle East is a piece of desert occupied by barbaric people is very common in most of the movies made by big corporations.

Its obvious that some of Disney’s characters portray different races and cultures in a negative way. Though these types of shows and movies are perceived as innocent entertainment products, they are successfully absorbed by children; making their knowledge of these real-life characters nothing but the negative stereotyped image they have portrayed.

This could be explained through the critical approach to popular culture, as it proves that radio and movies are no longer considered art, they are just business  made into an ideology to justify the rubbish they produce.

Waste Not Want... More?

It is not surprising that I no longer have room in my closets, drawers, and other wardrobe space. I have the constant urge to shop, always desiring new, trendy “latest season’s” fashions. My room is cluttered with a superfluous collection of clothes, accessories, shoes, bags and other newly purchased items that still have their tags on. I am consistently buying new items of clothing, despite the complete and utter absence of necessity. As the photos suggest, I am indeed subject to a social order known as consumerism.



Looking at consumerism through a sociological lens, Grazian mentions that consumerism creates a cultural hegemony that is part of popular culture as a process of social control. Media and culture industries combined, foster these systematic false needs in consumers for them to want to buy new goods and in larger amounts.

While Grazian mentions the average adult in America buys 48 pieces of clothing items a year, the numbers may be even higher in this society.
Some people here go shopping every weekend, may be even everyday. Do we need to shop that often? And do we really need the items we purchase?
Why do ladies anticipate the latest fashions, trendiest looks, and ‘hot’ off the runway apparel? Who created this constant feeling of enthusiasm and rejuvenating excitement for these cultural products? Why do sales and promotions “easily represent what feels like a missed opportunity for fulfillment” and why does every purchase bring “with it a kind of relief however ephemeral”, (Grazian, p.61).



Grazian points out, it may have a lot to do with the culture industries that mass produce them, as well as the mass media in general that advertises these products.
An eye-opening project called “The Story of Stuff” offers an extensive critical study on the consumerist American society, and the effects of consumerism on the environment and its impact on society as a whole.
We’ve all heard the phrases “Must-haves” and “Must buys” and “Must” whatever it is to make us buy something. Are any of these deemed “Must purchases” really essential?
Well, even if they aren’t, we’re buying them!
According to the video below, in the U.S people are subjected to around 3,000 advertisements a day, which is compared to 50 years ago, more than people in America saw in a lifetime.





So what are the mass media and Ads really doing?
They’re basically telling us our hair’s wrong, our clothes are ugly, our skin is blotchy, our phone’s useless and our lifestyles need makeovers. They make us unsatisfied with ourselves. Then after feeling dissatisfied, we move to these products in order to fill that emptiness, that bubble of dissatisfaction that is created. This is what Grazian calls a “capitalist industry with exploitive motives”. We’re all part of one massive business. It’s all about making money ladies and gentlemen. Not satisfying real needs like creativity, happiness and freedom.
Mass media and mass marketing is the key. Generally people want to identify with a group and marketing sells lifestyle choices. They use the same tactics as religion. If you don’t do A, you won’t get B. Most people don’t have the courage to be unique. Cleverly, the people that market mass-produced “cultural products”, clothing and accessories etc. entice people by telling them if you wear this item it will set you apart and they will gain status when really the consumer pays to be a walking billboard.
It’s obvious if you look around that the clothing presents a sort of false ideal because most people wear things that aren’t necessarily flattering to their figures. You cannot look like Angelina Jolie by wearing the same clothes. Now the consumer goes a step further into body modification - and mass media then advertises plastic surgery.



So they tell you to get your plastic card, and buy more plastic stuff to set yourself apart. Stuff mass-produced, manufactured in third-world nations for a rate of a dime-a-dozen.
But the crafty schemes of culture industries, are not entirely dominating the masses. Even though my closets are crammed (maybe not to such an extreme) a light always shines when cultural innovation, and creativity, and real art does emerge despite the manipulative strategies of culture industries producing what we call “popular culture”.