3 sound branding principles you should never forget
Think about a brand, any brand. You can visualize it, right? But can you hear it?
When working with a brand, most marketers will take into account the classic brand assets: logos, typography, voice, taglines, color palettes etc. But in today's world, it is important to treat sound with the same care, as it can play a significant role in helping you differentiate a product or service, boost recall, create a preference and ultimately increase sales.
When working with audio branding there are 3 fundamental principles you need to keep in mind.
1. You have a sonic identity, even if you're not managing it
Think about your company assets. What music do you choose for your social media videos? What music is playing during corporate events? What music is used for the customer service line?
If you've never though about that...well, you are wasting branding opportunities. From the visual perspective, your brand gets more recognizable every time people see its logo, its colors, its payoff over and over again. Also, the logo will always follow the same standards, whether it's on a Digital Out-Home or on a newspaper. The same happens for fonts and colors. So why should it be different for sounds?
Creating a consistent, flexible and recognizable audio universe is possible. Like visual branding, there is a path to follow in order to develop it professionally.
2. Creating a jingle is not sound branding
Repeat after me: "Audio branding is not just jingles or sound logos". Easy, right?
The problem here is that too often marketers or consultants only focus on individual jingles, limiting the opportunities and benefits they can take from sound branding. Jingles are - of course - part of audio assets, as well as sound logos. But they're not enough, as sound branding is a much more complex system. Like visual assets, brand sounds and music should be used strategically across the entire brand experience. Ideally, sounds should be capable of recalling the brand and the feelings associated with the brand as soon as the user hears them.
Source image: amp sound branding
3. A powerful universal language
One thing is for sure: music is a universal language, which is also capable of carrying universal meaning. It doesn't matter where you are from, if a music feels happy or sad you can tell. For brands, especially those that operate in multiple countries, this represents a great opportunity.
Music transcends cultural and linguistic boundaries to bring people together. Regardless of where someone is from, they can still appreciate the emotional and aesthetic qualities of music, whether it is classical, jazz, pop, or folk. The universal appeal of music lies in its ability to convey emotions and ideas through sound, rhythm, and melody. Music has the power to evoke joy, sadness or nostalgia. As a result, it has been used to bring people together for centuries, promoting cross-cultural understanding and breaking down barriers between different communities.
By leveraging the universal language of music, brands can effectively communicate their brand message and build a loyal customer base that shares their values and identity. However, it is important for brands to be thoughtful in their use of music and ensure that it aligns with their brand's values and identity to avoid any negative associations or cultural appropriation.
In an omnichannel, audio-enabled and interconnected marketing environment you need to ask yourself: "Can people identify my brand with their eyes closed?"
If no, stay tuned and do not miss new articles to learn how to build a strong sonic identity!