JAR Inside the Research Podcast
This podcast gives listeners a look at the latest research articles published in the Journal of Advertising Research. Listen to authors describe their work and what motivated it, explore challenges they faced in the research process, and describe what they'd like to researched next.
JAR Inside the Research Podcast
How Music Tempo Influences Consumer Preferences for Advertising with Different Regulatory Focuses
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In this episode, Shuyu Lei (Nankai University) joins us for a conversation led by Shan Jian (PhD Candidate, Nankai University) to discuss her Journal of Advertising Research article, “How Music Tempo Influences Consumer Preferences for Advertising with Different Regulatory Focuses: Shopping in Jumping Tempo,” coauthored with Qi Wu (Nankai University) and Jiangang Du (Nankai University).
Shuyu and Shan unpack when fast versus slow background music helps video ads perform better. Using a large-scale analysis of 26,025 video ads plus three experiments, the research shows a clear interaction: fast-tempo (vs. slow-tempo) music increases purchase intentions for promotion-focused ads, while tempo has no meaningful effect for prevention-focused ads.
They also discuss why the effect emerges, focusing on time pressure and the decision-making strategies consumers adopt. The practical takeaway is that tempo is not a universal “make it upbeat” lever. It works best when it fits the ad’s motivational framing, especially when the message is about gains, advancement, and positive outcomes.
Read the full paper here:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00218499.2025.2464277
To keep up to date on the latest JAR news sign up for our newsletter:
https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/mtD04QN
And follow us on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/82528291/admin/