Sonic Branding is an underestimated and misunderstood super power that every brand should be utilizing.
Sonic branding is something marketers are aware of. However, they may not know how to utilize it to its full potential.
Sonic branding in the past
It’s not that the world of marketing never used sonic branding in the past. It’s that the world of marketing never understood it in all its nuances. Sonic branding specifically has been overlooked and put to the side, I think, in part because it’s never been properly defined.
What is sonic branding?
The strategic and custom built sound within a brand’s identity.
Strategic and custom built are the two most important elements to this definition. It is also why I think sonic branding is so rarely used or executed correctly.
Sonic branding is not choosing your favorite Taylor Swift song for your latest campaign. That’s sound in marketing in general.
Sonic branding is taking the time to research, strategize, create, and execute new sound and music that will become synonymous with the brand.
Sonic branding isn’t about piggy-backing off of something already popularized. It is about creating inspired sound that represents the brand itself.
How sound is used today
The majority of the world uses sound currently as icing on the cake. Most everyone sees it as instrumental and important, but it is still most generally added on at the end.
Current sound strategy is ‘how does the music fit into the brand’ instead of ‘what music sounds like the brand.’
Using music as icing isn’t necessarily bad or ineffective, however, it is important to know the difference. When sound isn’t strategically designed, the music’s possibilities are limited.
What companies are missing with sonic branding
Sonic branding is so much more than anyone, including those like me, could even imagine.
Here are some ways to create sonic branding possibilities in your marketing:
Don’t call it music, call it sound.
Sound has a farther reach than music. When you open up sonic branding to sound instead of just music, you will find a never ending amount of touch points and usages for your branded sound. Never ending possibilities equals vast reach possibilities with your consumer. Possibilities that your competitors most likely haven’t even explored or thought of yet.
Don’t let your personal preference’s get in the way.
Choosing branded sound is not about you liking one sound better than another. The point is, what sounds more like the brand itself. It’s hard to step away like that, but ultimately, that’s how your brand sound becomes successful and how it develops a personality of its own.
Don’t call it a jingle.
We are tempted to use the word jingle because we’ve all grown up with that word. But a jingle, although fun and extremely catchy and effective, is not sonic branding. A jingle is for a campaign or another one-off project. Potentially they can become a sonic logo or an element of branding but its initial intention has a limited time objective. Calling it a jingle also limits it to music instead of sound which, as I spoke earlier about, limits where it could go and what it can ultimately do.
Don’t make it icing.
Although your marketing and branding may already be in place, your sound strategy should operate alongside existing and new brand strategy.
Sound strategy IS brand strategy. It should be treated with as much care and attention as your visual strategy and beyond.
How can your brand find their sound
Because this idea of finding a brand sound is so new and radical, I tell my clients to start backwards. What does your brand not sound like? We usually all have a sense of what we don’t like before we know what we do like.
For example, “our brand is pretty calm so it would never sound like a hair band”. With that one ‘haircut’ you’ve begun your journey into sound strategy.
After you have decided what you don’t sound like, the next thing is to acknowledge what natural sounds attribute themselves to the brand.
For example, say your brand is an outdoor brand. Some natural sounds that I always associate with outdoor brands are birds singing and snapping twigs; maybe a waterfall or a crackling fire.
Building a bank of natural sounds to layer with your created sounds and music will build context and perspective.
Practicing these two exercises will no doubt get you excited to dig further. Once you’re ready, I’d love to help. Sound strategy and sonic branding is what I know and create. Give me a call and we can continue to develop your perfectly branded sound together.
