Sonic Branding - What is it and Should I Invest in It?

By: Vinayak Ahuja

I brought up the topic of Sonic Branding yesterday when I talked a little about Branded Entertainment. Sonic Branding is the use of sound to reinforce brand identity and something you've definitely come across: Nokia, McDonalds, and Intel are just a few of the brands that have incorporated specific sounds to identify their products with.

Audio is one of the strongest forms of recall in the brain; before a child is given birth, it’s believed that infants learn to listen in the womb in order to record familiar voices, sounds, and aspects of prosodic language. There’s even further evidence that indicates certain sounds and chords having a direct impact on the way we feel regardless of culture and upbringing (I wrote a paper in college). It’s no doubt that sonic branding is a very powerful concept that should be considered when branding or re-branding your business or product.

But, when a brand becomes auditory, it needs to be attached and reintroduced regularly in order to maintain its effectiveness. Unlike a picture or a logo, sound isn’t passive it’s piercing. No matter what the situation, you have to take a level physical action to avoid sound that could never compare to simply moving your head or shifting your eyes. That sound is there and it can get annoying.

Everyone’s familiar with Nokia‘s signature ringtone, for example. Unfortunately, I’ve never experienced the ringtone as anything else other than what it is on a nokia cellphone, and there’re some GREAT ads for Nokia out there. As a result, this repetitive, unavoidable sound has become a deterrent for many people in the US. A sound that just disturbs your everyday life - that’s not the way I’d like to market my product.

McDonalds, on the other hand, has done a great job reinventing their annoying sound to meet almost every demographic and audience imaginable (chicken dance is one of my favorites). Their sound may be just as annoying when first heard, but its been reintroduced enough to where I can appreciate it. I’ve come to associate it with one, or a few, looks and images that I like, and when I hear it, that’s what I think of.

Market research analysts at Leicester University found that ads with music that fit the brand are 96% more likely to be recalled by consumers and 24% more likely to drive consumers to purchase the product (statistics at the end of this video). The key word here is “fit”. Sound, as it becomes more complex and distinct, becomes more subjective. So yes, audio branding is a great way to boost recall and improve sales, but it needs to be approached with deep thought and consideration to when, where, and how it’s being dressed when representing your brand. Just something you may want to consider before investing your dollar.