Correspondence: Yongjun Sung, The University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station A1200, Austin, TX 78712-0116, USA. E-mail: yjsung@mail.utexas.edu

¹is an assistant professor of Marketing at The University of Akron, Akron, OH, USA and did his PhD at the University of Georgia.

²is an assistant professor of Advertising at The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA and did his PhD at the University of Georgia.

Received 24 November 2008; Revised 24 November 2008; Published online 22 May 2009.

Abstract

Two exploratory studies were conducted regarding the extent of and attitudes towards brands in popular songs. A longitudinal analysis of 3476 top 10 songs from 1955 to 2002 reveals an increase in brand mentions over the five decades, with a noticeable spike beginning in 1995, and the dominance of automotive, alcohol, and fashion brands. A survey of consumers indicates that respondents perceive music placements less positively than film placements, yet not negatively overall. Furthermore, they consider hip-hop/rap as the most appropriate music genre for brand placement, followed by pop and country. Implications and directions for research on this under-studied area are provided.