Audio Branding is an interesting thing. Whether you know it or not audio branding has become part of your life through commercials and adversing campaigns.
Wikipedia says this about Audio Branding:
Sound branding (also known as audio branding, sonic branding, acoustic branding or sonic mnemonics) is the use of sound to reinforce brand identity. Sound branding is increasingly becoming a vehicle for conveying a memorable message to targeted consumers, taking advantage of the powerful memory sense of sound.
Think of jingles like Travelocity.com where the URL is sung, Kit Kat’s – give me a break, give me a break, and Almond Joy & Mounds’ – Almond Joy’s got nuts, Mounds don’t. The last two are so popular these days and have been used so long, that both Kit Kat and Almond Joy have dropped the words. I caught my wife singing the almond joy song and when asking how this got in her head she said the last commercial sang the song. When I rewound the DVR, the commercial in no place sung the words at all. It was only the song sans-words.
The point is this – adding sensory items to your branding is powerful stuff and can help bring people to the brand or totally turn them off from the brand.
Here is an example. In 2000 or 2001 Volkswagen did a commercial for the Cabrio see below ad.
This commercial spoke to me. Not only because sometimes it is better to be with a close group of friends listening to quality music (than dealing with the unpredictable loud chaos of a big gathering or party), but also because this song was the perfect fit for this thought and just really catchy. Now this was pre-Shazam days. You know when you had to actually work hard to find out where a song came from, if you did not all ready know the song/band.
Anyhow, after hours and hours of research maybe a few weeks or a month later I found out this song was Pink Moon by Nick Drake. That day I went to the music shop and bought not only the song (pre-itunes), but a 5 disc collection, because this was all that was available in the Nick Drake collection at this time. $50+ dollars to buy one great song with a hope that I would get a lot more with this gamble. Of course I love all Nick’s work now.
Let’s fast-forward to 2010. I am now listening to Nick Drake for years and love that he is still pretty obscure. Then AT&T of all companies decides to use another Nick Drake Song, see video below.
Sadly though every time this commercial comes on… I cringe. You see AT&T provides very poor service in my opinion. I once had them shut down my business DSL because they didn’t like getting so many calls to service my account (due to their poor quality service and location, not user error). Although, I use them for my cell phone, I would drop them in a heartbeat for another provider if you could get iPhone service through someone else.
So because of the poor service I have had for years and years with AT&T, it really irks me that they have used such a good song. You see in my mind this quality song does not match their service offerings. Honestly a better fit would be some Weird Al song. This would be fitting because although Weird Al is a musician, he does it riding the back of others. Seems fitting for AT&T.
So this example is not meant to be a forum to bitch about AT&T’s poor service, but more to show the power of sound and audio branding.
Nick Drake has a certain level of quality in my mind. AT&T does too, but they are not on the same level so this is a mixed message in my mind and why I become irritated every time this commercial plays.
It is important to find the right brand fit for your audio branding. This means understanding your audience and how they will feel about the song or jingle you use. Remember do what is best for them, not you.
What are your thoughts or audio branding? Do you have any similar experiences with audio branding? Share your ideas and thoughts below in the comment section of this article.
Excellent article. Love the samples, too.
Excellent article. Love the samples, too.
Thanks Tony! Glad you liked the article. Do you work in the music or audio branding industry or are you just interested in this topic?
Do you have personal experiences with audio branding?
Thanks Tony! Glad you liked the article. Do you work in the music or audio branding industry or are you just interested in this topic?
Do you have personal experiences with audio branding?
Thanks for this blog Dale and raising some very important issues. Sound branding is a complex science and goes beyond choosing at track that the creative team for a brand thinks supports their one off visual narrative. It is absolutely about understanding how the values of the music match the values of the brand. The essence of the sound of a brand goes beyond one genre/artist/ song/a sonic logo. Brands investing in really understanding their sound DNA find that that they know just how music works for them whatever the visual or context. Check out Honda or M&S-; brilliant concepts, different executions over a period of time. Because then it becomes sound branding, a way of identifying the brand from just what you hear.
Thanks for this blog Dale and raising some very important issues. Sound branding is a complex science and goes beyond choosing at track that the creative team for a brand thinks supports their one off visual narrative. It is absolutely about understanding how the values of the music match the values of the brand. The essence of the sound of a brand goes beyond one genre/artist/ song/a sonic logo. Brands investing in really understanding their sound DNA find that that they know just how music works for them whatever the visual or context. Check out Honda or M&S-; brilliant concepts, different executions over a period of time. Because then it becomes sound branding, a way of identifying the brand from just what you hear.
This is why music is such a minefield for brands: so much depends on our personal associations, which can’t be predicted from demographics. Any brand choosing to associate itself with commercial music should use a professional audio branding consultant to go right back to the brand values and personality, understand the brand experience in the real world, incorporate tge campaign and where relevant the individual TVC’s objectives, and then pick the right music.
Of course brand music is only one expression of a brand in sound. A comprehensive approach will also include aspects like brand voice, telephone sound ad soundscapes in physical and virtual spaces.
This is why music is such a minefield for brands: so much depends on our personal associations, which can’t be predicted from demographics. Any brand choosing to associate itself with commercial music should use a professional audio branding consultant to go right back to the brand values and personality, understand the brand experience in the real world, incorporate tge campaign and where relevant the individual TVC’s objectives, and then pick the right music.
Of course brand music is only one expression of a brand in sound. A comprehensive approach will also include aspects like brand voice, telephone sound ad soundscapes in physical and virtual spaces.
Ruth, your very welcome and I am glad you found some useful points in this article. I think you are absolutely correct with your thoughts. Part of the situation in my mind is AT&T; should have a budget big enough to create their own audio brand. One some levels picking a song from an artist works – Apple iTunes comes to mind because they use cutting edge songs and then also sell them to the end user. At&t; on the other hand should maybe look into developing their own songs/music so that as you mentioned, over time they start to build an audio brand just as they would for their print or online brand.
Thanks for sharing you thoughts Ruth!
Ruth, your very welcome and I am glad you found some useful points in this article. I think you are absolutely correct with your thoughts. Part of the situation in my mind is AT&T; should have a budget big enough to create their own audio brand. One some levels picking a song from an artist works – Apple iTunes comes to mind because they use cutting edge songs and then also sell them to the end user. At&t; on the other hand should maybe look into developing their own songs/music so that as you mentioned, over time they start to build an audio brand just as they would for their print or online brand.
Thanks for sharing you thoughts Ruth!
Julian,
Thanks for your comments. Yes as I mentioned earlier this can be a minefield. Again maybe staying away from popular music is not the best solution. I do agree hiring the right professionals makes all the difference.
I like the other points you bring up about the other areas of audio branding within each organization. The key in my mind is everywhere a customer or prospect is going to interact with your brand, things need to be thought out and planned for and not left to chance.
Thanks again for sharing this great ideas.
Julian,
Thanks for your comments. Yes as I mentioned earlier this can be a minefield. Again maybe staying away from popular music is not the best solution. I do agree hiring the right professionals makes all the difference.
I like the other points you bring up about the other areas of audio branding within each organization. The key in my mind is everywhere a customer or prospect is going to interact with your brand, things need to be thought out and planned for and not left to chance.
Thanks again for sharing this great ideas.
From where I sit, almost every brand I encounter is engaged in some form of audio branding. Sadly, most don’t even realize it. And worse, many are making audio choices that actually work against the brand.
To that point, your post offers a great example on the danger of “shared equity” when it comes to brand associations – on both sides of the fence.
I would echo the comments from Ruth and Julian: strategy is key to effective audio branding. It’s both art and science. Unfortunately, as “brand theory” has developed, attention to the importance of aligning all the cross-modal expressions of a brand’s identity has lagged behind in most of the marketing approaches offered by advertising agencies.
Technology enables brands to take advantage of new ways of expressing their sonic identity. The access to audio content available for use by brands is more open than ever. With more possibilities, there comes more need for an understanding of how to navigate the landscape.
From where I sit, almost every brand I encounter is engaged in some form of audio branding. Sadly, most don’t even realize it. And worse, many are making audio choices that actually work against the brand.
To that point, your post offers a great example on the danger of “shared equity” when it comes to brand associations – on both sides of the fence.
I would echo the comments from Ruth and Julian: strategy is key to effective audio branding. It’s both art and science. Unfortunately, as “brand theory” has developed, attention to the importance of aligning all the cross-modal expressions of a brand’s identity has lagged behind in most of the marketing approaches offered by advertising agencies.
Technology enables brands to take advantage of new ways of expressing their sonic identity. The access to audio content available for use by brands is more open than ever. With more possibilities, there comes more need for an understanding of how to navigate the landscape.
Steve,
Sadly, as with any branding, the areas you do not take seriously always become the weak link. I know audio and video branding are a weak point for us and this is why at this point we do very little of it. It is good to know your limitations. The funny thing though is the more software and social media become either free or easier to use, the more and more we will see awful use of these tools and inconsistencies in these areas.
On the upside of all this, over time this stuff will mature and companies will eventually start to see the importance of being consistent in all areas.
Thanks for sharing Steve. You brought up some great points!
Steve,
Sadly, as with any branding, the areas you do not take seriously always become the weak link. I know audio and video branding are a weak point for us and this is why at this point we do very little of it. It is good to know your limitations. The funny thing though is the more software and social media become either free or easier to use, the more and more we will see awful use of these tools and inconsistencies in these areas.
On the upside of all this, over time this stuff will mature and companies will eventually start to see the importance of being consistent in all areas.
Thanks for sharing Steve. You brought up some great points!