Lightening Effects on Hedonic Consumption in a Music Concert

It is the weekend, or holidays what is better to do than going to a music concert. Just for fun, to watch your favorite band playing or just to discover new styles or bands.

But what would make of this experience something unforgettable?

Hirshman and Holbrook (1983) have introduced the expression of “Hedonic Consumption” this kind of consumption is the expression of high level of satisfaction, emotional arousal and imagination. Thus, in our research we have decided to explore the effect of light shows associated to a musical performance (or in other terms; the visual effects in a musical show) on the hedonic experience lived by spectators. What we have discovered through several interviews about people experienced “Jean Michel Jarre” Music show in the “International Festival of Carthage” and the “IMANY” Music show in the “Jazz in Carthage by Ooredoo Festival” both held in Tunisia in 2013, was as following.

The quality of a music concert is perceived in its whole as Hirshman and Hilbrook mentioned it in 1983. But still, lightening effects can enhance the Hedonic Consumption characteristics:

Jean Michel Jarre in Carthage (2013)

Imany in Jazz à Carthage (2013)

·   When lights effects are creative, in coherence with the music and can be surprising in certain levels of the show. Spectators would feel more pleasure than in the case of random lightening effects.

·    On an emotional level, the more visual effects are intense the more people feel excitement.

· Lightening effects would activate for some spectator fantastic imagery, this is called multisensory images and are activated when the consumer remembers past actions or just like the case of “Jean Michel Jarre” concert, some people imagined that Aliens were watching them.

But in association to the visual show, it is imperative that the sound quality should be at a high level.