Neuroacoustics: A systematic review and predictive framework of neuromarketing for consumer behavior
Keywords:
Neuroacoustics; Neuromarketing; Music; Sonic Branding; Consumer BehaviorAbstract
Objective. To synthesize recent evidence on how acoustic stimuli (music and sonic logos) shape neurophysiological responses and consumer behavior, and to propose a predictive neuromarketing framework for sound-based branding. Design/Methodology/Approach. A systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA model with experimental and quasi-experimental studies published between 2020 and 2025 in four databases. Eleven peer-reviewed studies met inclusion criteria, examining EEG, electrodermal activity, and behavioral outcomes following exposure to marketing-related auditory stimuli. Results/Discussion. Findings indicate that acoustic features such as tempo, timbre, and congruence significantly modulate emotional arousal, attention, brand perceptions, and behavioral intentions. Neurophysiological measures, particularly neural synchrony and frontal alpha asymmetry, emerged as robust predictors of engagement and preference. However, methodological heterogeneity and limited ecological validity constrain generalizability. Conclusions. Sound operates as an active neurocognitive driver of consumer responses, supporting a stimulus-organism-response framework for sonic branding. Contribution/Originality/Value. This review integrates neuroscience and marketing evidence to advance a Neuroacoustics conceptual model, offering actionable insights for strategically designing predictive audio-branding experiences.
Downloads
References
Aaker, J. L. (1997). Dimensions of brand personality. Journal of Marketing Research, 34(3), 347-356. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224379703400304
Ahlbom, C.-P., Roggeveen, A. L., Grewal, D. y Nordfält, J. (2023). Understanding How Music Influences Shopping on Weekdays and Weekends. Journal of Marketing Research, 60(5), 987-1007. https://doi.org/10.1177/00222437221150930
Ausin-Azofra, J. M., Bigné Alcañiz, J. E., Marín-Morales, J., Guixeres, J. y Alcañiz, M. (2021). The background music-content congruence of TV advertisements: A neurophysiological study. European Research on Management and Business Economics, 27(2), 100154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iedeen.2021.100154
Biswas, D., Lund, K. y Szocs, C. (2019). Sounds like a healthy retail atmospheric strategy: Effects of ambient music and background noise on food sales. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 47(1), 37-55. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-018-0583-8
Brakus, J. J., Schmitt, B. H. y Zarantonello, L. (2009). Brand Experience: What is It? How is it Measured? Does it Affect Loyalty? Journal of Marketing, 73(3), 52-68. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.73.3.052
Byrne, A., Bonfiglio, E., Rigby, C. y Edelstyn, N. (2022). A systematic review of the prediction of consumer preference using EEG measures and machine-learning in neuromarketing research. Brain informatics, 9(1), 27. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40708-022-00175-3
Dmochowski, J. P., Bezdek, M. A., Abelson, B. P., Johnson, J. S., Schumacher, E. H. y Parra, L. C. (2014). Audience preferences are predicted by temporal reliability of neural processing. Nature Communications, 5, 4567. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms5567
Droit-Volet, S., Ramos, D., Bueno, J. L. y Bigand, E. (2013). Music, emotion, and time perception: the influence of subjective emotional valence and arousal?. Frontiers in psychology, 4, 417. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00417
Ekman, P. y Friesen, W. V. (1978). Facial Action Coding System (FACS) [Database record]. APA PsycTests. https://doi.org/10.1037/t27734-000
Fernández-Company, J. F., García-Rodríguez, M. y Gamella González, D. J. (2024). Mood regulation through music in adolescence. [Regulación del estado de ánimo a través de la música en la adolescencia]. European Public & Social Innovation Review, 9, 01-18. https://doi.org/10.31637/epsir-2024-1363
Freitas, C., Fernández-Company, J. F., Pita, M. F. y García-Rodríguez, M. (2022). Music therapy for adolescents with psychiatric disorders: An overview. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 27(3), 895-910. https://doi.org/10.1177/13591045221079161
García-Rodríguez, M., Alvarado, J. M., Fernández-Company, J. F., Jiménez, V. y Ivanova-Iotova, A. (2023). Music and facial emotion recognition and its relationship with alexithymia. Psychology of Music, 51(1), 259-273. https://doi.org/10.1177/03057356221091311
Geuens, M., Weijters, B. y De Wulf, K. (2009). A new measure of brand personality. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 26(2), 97-107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2008.12.002
Higgins, J. P. T., Savović, J., Page, M. J., Elbers, R. G. y Sterne, J. A. C. (2019, octubre). Chapter 8: Assessing risk of bias in a randomized trial. En J. P. T. Higgins, J. Thomas, J. Chandler, M. Cumpston, T. Li, M. J. Page, y V. A. Welch (Eds.), Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions (versión 6.5). Cochrane. Recuperado de: https://www.cochrane.org/authors/handbooks-and-manuals/handbook/current/chapter-08
Hsu, L. y Chen, Y. (2020). Music and wine tasting: An experimental neuromarketing study. British Food Journal, 122(8), 2725-2737. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-06-2019-0434
Kemp, E., Cho, Y. N., Bui, M. y Kintzer, A. (2023a). Music to the ears: the role of sonic branding in advertising. International Journal of Advertising, 43(6), 1039-1059. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2023.2273645
Kemp, E., Kopp, S. W. y Bui, M. (2023b). Healthcare brands sound off: Evaluating the influence of sonic branding in shaping consumer perceptions. International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing, 17(2), 175-190. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPHM-10-2022-0093
Khondakar, M. F. K., Sarowar, M. H., Chowdhury, M. H., Majumder, S., Hossain, M. A., Dewan, M. A. A. y Hossain, Q. D. (2024). A systematic review on EEG-based neuromarketing: Recent trends and analyzing techniques. Brain Informatics, 11, 17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40708-024-00229-8
Krishna, A. (2012). An integrative review of sensory marketing: Engaging the senses to affect perception, judgment and behavior. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 22(3), 332-351. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2011.08.003
Leeuwis, N., Pistone, D., Flick, N. y van Bommel, T. (2021). A sound prediction: EEG-based neural synchrony predicts online music streams. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 672980. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.672980
Malcman, M., Azar, O. H., Shavit, T. y Rosenboim, M. (2024). How does background music affect dining duration, tips and bill amounts in restaurants? A field experiment. Behavioral Sciences, 14(12). https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14121188
Mas, L., Bolls, P., Rodero, E., Barreda-Ángeles, M. y Churchill, A. (2021). The impact of the sonic logo’s acoustic features on orienting responses, emotions and brand personality transmission. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 30(5), 753-767. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-05-2019-2370
Mathiesen, S. L., Mielby, L. A., Byrne, D. V. y Wang, Q. J. (2020). Music to eat by: A systematic investigation of the relative importance of tempo and articulation on eating time. Appetite, 155, 104801. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2020.104801
Melzner, J. y Raghubir, P. (2023). The Sound of Music: The Effect of Timbral Sound Quality in Audio Logos on Brand Personality Perception. Journal of Marketing Research, 60(5), 932-949. https://doi.org/10.1177/00222437221135188
Nicolaci, F. (2023/2024). Neuromarketing: come le emozioni condizionano il processo decisionale del consumatore (Tesi magistrale, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Dipartimento di Studi per l’Economia e l’Impresa). Unitel.
North, A. C., Hargreaves, D. J. y McKendrick, J. (2016). The influence of in-store music on wine selections. Journal of Applied Psychology, 84(2), 271-276. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.84.2.271
Omeroglu, F. B., Li, Y., Zaloom, V., Curry, J. y Marquez, A. (2025). The effects of music mood and binaural beats on academic advertising. Physiology & behavior, 288, 114720. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2024.114720
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S., McGuinness, L. A., … Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 372, 71. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71
Plassmann, H., Ramsøy, T. Z. y Milosavljevic, M. (2012). Branding the brain: A critical review and outlook. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 22(1), 18-36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2011.11.010
Prasad, M. (2024). Introduction to the GRADE tool for rating certainty in evidence and recommendations. Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health, 25, 101484. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cegh.2023.101484
Salimpoor, V. N., van den Bosch, I., Kovacevic, N., McIntosh, A. R., Dagher, A. y Zatorre, R. J. (2013). Interactions between the nucleus accumbens and auditory cortices predict music reward value. Science, 340(6129), 216-219. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1231059
Scott, S. P., Sheinin, D. y Labrecque, L. I. (2022). Small sounds, big impact: Sonic logos and their effect on consumer attitudes, emotions, brands and advertising placement. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 31(8), 1313-1327. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-06-2021-3507
Skolastika, F., Daud, I., Afifah, N. y Juniwati. (2025). The effect of sensory marketing and audio branding on repurchase intention mediated by brand experience. Ilomata International Journal of Management, 6(2), 763-780. https://doi.org/10.61194/ijjm.v6i2.1524
Techawachirakul, M., Pathak, A., Motoki, K. y Calvert, G. A. (2023). Influencing brand personality with sonic logos: The role of musical timbre. Journal of Business Research, 164, 114169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.114169
van Diepen, R. M., Boksem, M. A. S. y Smidts, A. (2025). Reliability of EEG metrics for assessing video advertisements. Journal of Advertising, 54(4), 506-526. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2024.2418109
Wazir, M. I. y Wazir, O. (2015). Effects of sonic logo on brand recognition of the advertised brand. City University Research Journal, 5(2), 327-337. https://www.cusit.edu.pk/curj/Journals/Journal/July%202015/11.pdf
Williams, P. y Aaker, J. L. (2002). Can mixed emotions peacefully coexist? Journal of Consumer Research, 28(4), 636-649. https://doi.org/10.1086/338206
Zotova, E. y Pakhalov, A. (2020). The role of sound in brand perception: A mixed-methodology approach. En Proceedings of the European Marketing Academy, 11th Regional Conference (Article 84815). http://proceedings.emac-online.org/pdfs/R2020-84815.pdf
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 José Fernando Fernández Company, María García-Rodríguez

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.




