SONIC BRANDING
Sonic Branding
The Benefits of Sonic Branding and
Audio UX for your Brand
Sonic brands (a/k/a audio brands) are sound identities that get inside the consumer's mind and trigger emotion and brand recognition and recall.
The audio logo is the heart of the sonic brand—its “Audio DNA.” It's a signature piece of sound normally played at the end of a commercial that is easy for the average consumer to remember (think NBC, Intel, Nokia). They can be built into custom-produced musical "idents" (short pieces of music that can be combined with voiceover and sound effects) and jingles, as well.
But, we're not limited to application only in commercials. There are many other marketing and advertising assets into which the sonic brand and musical ident can and should be incorporated.
A hybrid of sound design, original music and creative orchestration, well-developed sonic brands and musical idents harnesses the incredible power of music and sound to evoke an emotional response and help us recall what we have seen or read. What this means for advertisers is that it increases cross-platform brand recognition and differentiation.
Watch our explainer video to learn about the power of
sonic branding and audio user experience
Why You Need Sonic Branding
We humans hear infinitely more than we see, and we remember what we hear better than we remember what we see. In fact, we remember what we hear 10 times better.
We also better remember what we see when we see it in conjunction with memorable sounds. Sound has the ability to engage us in ways that visuals and words alone cannot.
That’s the essence of sonic branding—to engage consumers in a way that cannot be accomplished solely through images and messaging. It's reason why sound is one of the ways in which we help our clients build a 360-degree brand UX strategy.
How We Create Outstanding Sonic Brands & Audio UX
ChromeOrange Media views sonic branding as part of a 360-degree brand and marketing communications strategy. Music truly is the universal language, so it is to your brand's competitive advantage to incorporate a sonic brand and an audio UX into your brand campaign.
To create an outstanding sonic brand and audio UX, we first conduct a comprehensive brand audit. Then, our creative team focuses on the ideation of unique sound and audio assets designed to complement the client's corporate vision and marketing/brand strategy, with an emphasis on brand identity, awareness, differentiation, and consumer UX and engagement.
In other words, sonic branding isn't about picking a few notes to string together and then calling it a “sonic brand.” At ChromeOrange Media, sonic branding is very personal process that revolves around the emotion and the core values of the brand — the experience it must deliver to the target consumer. Then, we use innovation and imagination to create audio assets that will ignite that emotion. In doing so, we help your brand make every consumer touchpoint an emotional touchpoint (ETP).
Sonic Brand Touchpoints
Common customer touchpoints that can be transformed into ETP’s via implementation of sound, sonic branding, musical idents and an audio UX include:
• Telephone, on-hold/IVR and voice messaging
• Radio & Television advertising
• Internet advertising
• In-store broadcasts
• In product experiences (think tap-and-pay)
• Production area (music for staff and ambient noise)
• On the Web (podcasts, YouTube, website, blog)
• Training and sales videos
• Explainer videos
• Events (conferences, seminars and product launches)
And that's just a few. Everywhere your customers and employees come in contact with your brand is a golden opportunity for you to deliver an indelible audio UX.
Scalability & Application in Sonic Branding
Well-developed sonic brands are scalable — they can be easily revised, repurposed, adapted and expanded ad infinitum.
A sonic brand must be capable of creating emotional touchpoints across all marketing channels and to intensify consumer brand interaction with the brand. Website mouse-overs and animations, broadcast messages, mobile devices and apps, social media, call on hold... the possibilities for application are truly endless.
The goal is for the sonic brand to become an indispensable part of your brand vision, identity, strategy and communications.
An optimally-developed sonic brand can make your brand as recognizable as a hit song.
And sometimes, we actually make "hit records" for brands that incorporate the brand's sonic logo. Variations on the theme (musical idents) can also be created to suit a variety of corporate applications: trade shows, new product roll-outs, annual company conventions, quarterly earnings calls, and more.
Music, Sound, Audio: The "Universal Language"
Our modern, Internet-driven world is border agnostic. Whether you’re in the United States, Great Britain, South America, Africa or Australia (or anywhere else in this world for that matter), if you’re a consumer with access to modern communications, you are certain to share commonly-recognizable sonic brands with your international counterparts.
Sound and music speak a universal language that can instantaneously carry your brand message around the globe in a way that is uniquely understood. No words are required, so language barriers don't exist.
Music truly is the "universal language."
The Bottom Line
The Impact of Sonic Branding and Audio Brand Strategy
Studies have shown that relevant sounds and musical cues have the power to influence consumers. According to CampaignLive, music that fits the brand can increase brand recognition and recall by as much as 96 percent.
Moreover, consumers are 24 percent more likely to buy a product with music that they recall, like, and understand.
But we’re not just talking about a radio jingle or an Intel-style mnemonic. Sonic branding and audio UX require a strategic and holistic approach to sound across every touchpoint at which consumers and company stakeholders interact with your brand. An comprehensive audio brand strategy must be woven into your company culture and your strategic planning.
Our sonic branding team knows that, over time, our work will ultimately be judged by how well the sonic assets we create achieve the bottom line for our clients. Our years of experience in the fields of music, audio, marketing, branding, and media enable us to draw on best practices that produce these measurable returns.
