The Ethos and Pathos of ostinato patterns in Nigerian advertising music

Abstract

Ostinato patterns are becoming more prominent in Nigerian advertising music because of their ability to produce musical coherence, recall, and retention. Contemporary Nigerian advertisers captured these characteristics of ostinato to create musical appeal and persuasive characters in their advertisements. This study analysed the ethos and pathos of the ostinato patterns employed in the musical advertising in Nigeria. It highlighted various patterns employed and discussed their functions in the selected advertising music. The study employed analytical approach and selected ten musical adverts for analysis. The study hinged on Aristotle Rhetoric theory of persuasion. The findings of the study revealed that the use of ostinato patterns in the selected musical advertisements was pervasive. Advertisers used these ostinato patterns to depict ethos and pathos in an attempt to persuade listeners to patronize their products and services. The advertisers creatively used the ostinato patterns to grab the audiences’ attention and elicit participation, resulting in musical appeal. This study concluded that using ostinato patterns improves recall and retention of the main content of the advertisement, and therefore increase patronage of the products and services.