What is sonic branding?

Everyday we experience many messages from products, services, and brands. A lot of time, money and, effort is put into branding trying to get noticed. The core values of a brand are translated into: a corporate identity with logos, colors and fonts; how the products look and feel, packaging, names, slogans, and advertising texts etc. These are all visual outputs. 

During the branding process, hardly any attention is paid to audio. Few people seem to understand the power of sound and music. It only takes about 0.146 seconds for people to respond to sound. We automatically experience an emotional response when we hear certain melodies.

Strengthen your brand identity

Sonic branding is the sound of a brand. It’s the use of sound to reinforce brand identity. Sound has an enormous emotional and exclusive value that fits the brand just as much as it’s visual counterpart such as a logo (often even more). Sonic branding is about building a relationship between brand and target audience. 

What are the benefits of having a sonic branding?

More attention
With the enormous amount of information that you have to process nowadays, attention is the most scarce resource. Adding sound to reinforce your brand identity can help you get more attention from your target audience.

Sound triggers emotion
Sound triggers emotions better than images. Try watching a horror movie without the sound and you won’t feel anxious. On the other hand, just listening to horror music (without picture) can frighten you.

Improved brand recall

According to studies, listening to music / sound improves the audience’s verbal memory, resulting in a better brand recall. Not only do you want your customers to know your business, but you also want them to remember it. According to studies, listening to sound or a piece of music can activate the memory portion of your customer’s brain, leading to better brand recall. Intel® has understood this well.

Sonic Logo

Tips for developing a sonic logo

Take sound and music serious
Sound and music are often seen as optional. Since you’re reading this, you’re already taking it seriously. High five!

Keep it simple
Taking a look back in time you’ll find some great examples of sonic branding throughout history; the Twentieth Century Fox’s audio logo or MGM’s lion roar. One thing the best sonic identities have in common is that they’re not songs or jingles with catchy lyrics – they’re tones that customers can recognize instantly.

Create something unique
Your goal as a brand should be to differentiate yourself from your competition. Choose a sound that will help emphasize your position in the market and remind customers of how unique you are.

Ready for the future?
The rise of smart speakers and the search for and through audio means consumers are more confident in audio to help them navigate the world around them. If you’re not part of the audio revolution, you could end up lagging behind as a brand.

I would love to help developing that unforgettable sound!