Thread: Designed to irritate

Hi,

If i'm not mistaken there is a type of advertising intentionally designed to irritate the potential customer (especially radio listener or TV viewer).
The advertisement is designed to 'get under one's skin' thus establishing the message in one's mind.

Do some Pop Music manufacturer's knowingly employ the same tactic??

It seems highly likely, but then virtually all advertising irritates me personally.

And so does most of what passes for music these days.

Originally Posted by pedronaut

Hi,

If i'm not mistaken there is a type of advertising intentionally designed to irritate the potential customer (especially radio listener or TV viewer).
The advertisement is designed to 'get under one's skin' thus establishing the message in one's mind.

Do some Pop Music manufacturer's knowingly employ the same tactic??

A friend of mine took music in college. He once explained to me something about certain arrangements are just more amiable to a wider range of people. For instance, ever hear of 4:4 timing? The idea, as I understand is that people in general are predisposed to certain tastes - now of course there is variation and a lot more factors play into it (if the music industry had it down to a science, all their bands would be succesful, which isn't the case). That's why a song you don't particularly like can easily get stuck in your head. Not because you hate it, but because it's catchy ie: it has amiable qualities that you are predisposed to find agreeable, even if you hate the song itself.

That's what I got out of thinking in depth about what my friend told me, and that's also just my thoughts on the subject.

Meter (music) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Here is a secondary example.. Take a look at the origins section for Jazz, notice that it incorporates European aspects of music, yet look what African aspects are mimicked.. African Speech Pattern, Traditional Music Scales..

Jazz - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Take a look at the similarities between Rap and the Griots.

Rapping - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thanks for your comments,

I think there is a sadistic element to it. Like watching a good horror movie for the pleasure of being unnerved.