565 / 658
563
Saturday, November 12
1 1 : 0 0 – 1 2 : 3 0
RAR05
Narratives and Discourse
PP 622
Music on, Surroundings off. Situative Escapism on Public Transportation via Listening to Music
S. Mallek
1
, A. Derksen
1
, B. Lieb
1
, S. Kohler
1
1
Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Department of Communication, Münster, Germany
It's tuesday evening on a cold day in November and you have to go on a 40-minute train ride home fromwork.The conductor announced a delay and the ride
turns into a claustrophobes´ nightmare when the seat next to you is taken by a colossal, fish roll eating neighbour. In such a situation you only wish to be
somewhere else. But often it is not possible to avoid such situations. To decrease the experienced discomfort, people often use headphones and portable
music devices to escape. From Uses and Gratifications research this concept of avoiding reality is known as Escapism. The scientific understanding of es‑
capism deviates strongly (Katz/Foulkes 1962: 380f.; Pearlin 1959; Kerrigan et al. 2014: 118). This study emphasizes the current situation of the recipients
as the crucial factor for escapism, who not only escape from general life problems, but also from situations causing discomfort. Due to its strong acoustic
stimuli music could be a key instrument of escapist media-use. Consequently, the research question states: To what extend is music on portable devices
deliberately used to escape reality? This study used a qualitative-explorative approach by questioning passengers listening to music on the train. Ahead
of the actual interview, a model combining the situational factors with a theoretical framework of escapism and mood management (see appendix) was
developed. Following the assumption that people rearrange their surroundings by listening to music, the model questions whether mood management
can be successful. Based on the model and the research question, the central hypothesis of this study was: The more unpleasant the passenger experiences
the situation on the train, the stronger becomes the need to escape the reality and thus the probability of escapist music reception. Consequently, indirect
questions, fictional scenarios and an accurate observation of the current situation were meant to allow conclusions on escapist reasons for music reception.
Due to mostly uncrowded train compartments, the present situation was not perceived uncomfortable by any of the passengers questioned. Nevertheless,
data evaluation showed that the interviewees use music as an escape-tool in situations they experience as unpleasant as well as in situations they anticipate
to become uncomfortable. This adds to the finding that situations experienced as uncomfortable are primarily caused by fellow passengers and second‑
arily by external factors like delays. It became clear that the interviewees desired more privacy and hoped to achieve this by using headphones. The most
frequently mentioned motives for music reception on a train were the reduction of noise and conversations of others as well as decreasing the possibility
of being spoken to. Regarding the research question, music plays an important role in escaping unpleasant situations, at least referring to train rides. We
would like to present these results because they deliver new insights on escapism and the importance of situative factors in music reception. Moreover, it
could be discussed, whether the results of this study could apply to other situations and how effective the escape can be.
PP 623
The Branded Entertainment in Spanish Radio: Creating New Experiences for Listeners-Consumers
B. Monclus
1
, M. Gutiérrez
1
, J.M. Martí
1
, X. Ribes
1
1
Autonomous University of Barcelona, Audiovisual Communication, Bellaterra, Spain
The new digital environment has shown up the loss of effectiveness and efficiency in traditional advertising (De Aguilera & Baños, 2016) and the need to
develop new strategies to integrate advertising messages in traditional media. It is in this context where the so-called branded entertainment emerges.
It is a non-intrusive advertising formula for the audience and an effective method of communication for all brands. The branded entertainment is a type
of branded content (Pulizzi, 2011; Duncan, 2013), which is defined as the content created by and around a brand; be that informative, educational or en‑
tertaining. Traditionally, in Spanish radio, the name of an advertising brand has been inserted in the broadcasting discourse, in magazine shows and sport
broadcast. However, branded content implies the association of a product’s brand or service to a radio brand leading up to the production of a broadcasting
content, which brings both values together. In the current digital environment, this formula helps the use of broadcasting content in different media and
platforms. For publicized brands, branded entertainment works as a more fluid and stronger connection with the audience; in as far it looks for offering
satisfying experiences for listeners. At the same time, this strategy gives strength to the bond between the brand and its consumers, thus enhancing brand
awareness in shorter and longer term (Lehu, 2007, 2009; Zhang, 20100). The aim of this paper is to analyze the phenomenon of the branded entertainment
in Spanish radio nowadays. The study hereby conducted has been focused in three different cases with the aim of determining which are the differentiating
issues and which are the values brought in both the broadcasting and advertising brand. The analyzed actions of branded entertainment are: • Yu: Do not
miss anything is a multi platform project that was created together with 40 Principales, the audience leader Spanish music radio station, with the mobile
phone brand Vodafone.The project is sustained through a cross-media distribution. • A place named world is a multimedia project that comes from the con‑
vergence between Europa FM, Canal Plus (currently broadcast in the TV channel La Sexta) and the beer brand San Miguel. • Oh My Lol Son Estrella Galicia is
a content which origin is to be found in the convergence with the Spanish talk radio Cadena SER, the satirical journal EL Mundo Today and the beer brand
Estrella Galicia. The qualitative methodology applied to conduct this research, developed by the Radio Observatory of Catalonia (GRISS-UAB), combines
the case study research method and the in-depth interviewwith content directors with both in radio stations and advertising agencies. From the study con‑
ducted, firstly it can be observed that the products coming from the brand symbiosis are generally created from the programmatic genre like entertainment
and music. Secondly, broadcasting content falls within the cross-media projects distributed in different platforms and media. The interest of this research is
focused on the scope of content, which transforms and brings new elements in, far beyond the use of radio language.