When the Jingle isn't Human: How AI-Generated vs. Human Composed Sonic Branding Shapes Consumer Response

Authors

• Zecong Ma, St. Mary's University
• Hong-Hee Lee, St. Mary's University
• Danielle Rangel

Files

Digital Publisher

Digital Commons at St. Mary's University

Publication Date

Spring 2026

Keywords

Artificial Intelligence, Branding, Audio, AI-composed jingles

Description

Sonic branding elements—such as sound logos and jingles—shape brand meaning by communicating cues that consumers process quickly and often implicitly (e.g., through affect, fit, and memory). Recent evidence suggests that even specific musical choices (like instrumentation in a sound logo) can shift perceived brand personality traits (e.g., sophistication, ruggedness), indicating that audio can function as a powerful identity signal rather than mere “background.” At the same time, generative AI is rapidly lowering the cost and increasing the speed of producing branded music, making AI-composed jingles a realistic and scalable tool for marketers. Yet consumer responses to AI-generated creative work are theoretically ambiguous. On one hand, AI may trigger skepticism or “algorithm aversion,” producing lower trust or warmth relative to human creators. On the other hand, in advertising contexts where the music’s role is instrumental (supporting mood and fit), consumers may rely more on congruence than on the creator, potentially attenuating authorship effects.

Format

PDF

Size

1 poster

City

San Antonio, Texas

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.