We live in the world of brands and products. Every single day we are exposed to branding of some sort. Cleverly designed billboards, ad breaks in TV, radio ads before the news bulletin, adverts inside magazines, YouTube ads, Facebook ads, Google ads. I could go on and on and on. The point is – there is absolutely no escape. Unless you live in the middle of Amazon jungle and have no access to the internet – whether you like it or not – branding is shoved in your face. Every. Single. Day.
Audio Branding Around Us
In general branding can be divided into visual and verbal experience for the end user. Audio brand is the one that cannot be seen but only heard. Radio ads, podcast jingles are all a good example here. But not a sole one.
Did you know that companies such as Mercedes and Audi design the sounds inside their cars to be “on brand”? The way the door shuts and opens, clicks inside the vehicle and so much more. This is audio branding of 21st century my friends.
Is the “pop” when you open the can of coke a coincidence? Not so much. Other good examples include sounds and clicks of household devices – vacuum cleaners, microwaves, fridges. Sounds your phone makes, toys, games. I could go on and on. The point is – audio branding is so deeply engraved in our day to day lives that we more often than not – simply not even notice it.
What is Sonic Branding?
Sonic branding is part of audio branding I have explained above. However, it takes us a little deeper into the brain conditioning, habit forming and recognition of a brand in audible format.
Human body can hear faster than it can taste, smell or feel. It takes approx. 0.025 sec for a sound to reach your ear and your brain starts to process it instantly. We also automatically start associating sounds with certain events. This is part of habit forming process our brains do for us on a day to day basis. When the bell rings at school – we know it’s time for a break. When the phone rings – we know it’s the phone ringing – we don’t need to think of it each time. It’s the same with other sounds that serve less of a practical purpose and more of a marketing hack.
Sonic branding aims to introduce us to a very short combination of notes (usually just 2 or 3 notes!) and associate them with a specific brand or event. It can portray emotions, events, mood and feeling in a matter of seconds. This is the reason why it plays such crucial role in the branding world we are a part of.
Examples of Sonic Branding
The most recognizable, thought through examples of sonic brand identities we have been exposed to often span for decades. Below are some of our favorite examples:
Avon
Coca Cola
Master Card
Nokia
LG
Sonic Branding for Your Podcast
Do you think that sonic branding like this is only worthy a big brand? You could not be further from the truth! Radio stations around the world have been utilizing this knowledge of audio for generations. If you are thinking of standing out, creating far more than just an intro – sonic branding is the answer. If that’s something you would like to discuss – contact our audio specialist team and lets discuss ways in which we can help you create memorable and impactful sonic branding.
