Sonic Branding: Why Leverage Sound for Your Business
From radio jingles to your laptops ‘power on’ sound, it’s likely you’re no stranger to the idea of sonic branding. This branding method plays a huge part in the promotional game for organizations, but what exactly is it? Sonic Branding, also referred to as audio branding, sound branding or acoustic branding, is the use of auditory elements to brand your product or service. Just as organizations use colors, words and shapes to visually display their brand, they also use sound.
In a world surrounded by visuals, businesses have been leveraging sound for decades.
The Intel bong. The “ba da ba ba ba” from McDonald’s. The infamous Mac startup chime. In a world surrounded by visuals, businesses have been leveraging sound for decades. Some however, haven’t tapped into the world of sound until recently. Take Mastercard, for example. After spending almost two decades establishing their (now iconic) logo and brand identity, the credit card company has pushed its branding even further by creating a sonic logo.
One month after Mastercard’s transition to a symbol brand, the company announced the release of their new melodic “transaction sound” that will play across different devices and mediums when users check out or interact with the brand. Why would they do this? As today’s ever-growing digital world continues to progress and the number of screenless, voice activated shopping devices increase, Mastercard needed a way for consumers to recognize their brand beyond just an iconic, visual logo.
The credit card company leveraged sound to enhance their brand image and strengthen market presence across all types of media. They even created different arrangements of the melody to better connect with consumers across the globe. Whether it be physical, digital or voice environments, Mastercard can engage with customers in ways they haven’t been able to before. This in turn will ultimately help increase brand recognition and provide a more distinct, memorable identity moving forward.
Elevate Your Brand with a Unique Sound that Sticks
If you are wanting to enhance brand identity and better connect with consumers like Mastercard, you might want to consider implementing sound into your next marketing strategy. The strategic use of sound can play a pivotal role in communicating your brand to consumers and has several valuable benefits.
Differentiates Product/Service
With an endless number of brands at our disposal, it’s important for businesses to stand out from the competition. One way to do that is through the use of sound. With various arrangement possibilities, creating sounds consumers can associate your product with will help differentiate your brand tremendously. Sound brings uniqueness to your offer, and that’s important for brand recognition and loyalty.
Creates a Memorable Identity
If there is one thing that inhibits brand success, it’s being forgotten. In today’s highly-competitive markets, it’s important for businesses to establish a memorable brand identity that sticks out from the rest. A simple way to do that is through sound. According to the Harvard Business Review, the strategic use of sound plays a pivotal role in “enhancing recall, creating preference and building trust.” All of which are crucial for creating a distinct, memorable identity.
Establishes an Emotional Connection
One of the most intriguing notions about sonic branding is its power to elicit emotions. Whether you want consumers to feel excited, sad, happy or simply desperate in need for your product, audio has the power to impact emotions in ways visual elements can’t. Sound also transcends language and culture, which is especially important for broadening consumer reach.
“ULTIMATELY, LEVERAGING SOUND WILL STRENGTHEN THE CONNECTION BETWEEN CONSUMERS AND YOUR PRODUCT, AND THAT’S IMPORTANT IN TERMS OF BUSINESS GROWTH.”
Whether you are wanting to influence consumer’s decisions, enhance brand recognition, or make an impactful impression on people’s memories, utilizing audio in your next branding strategy is a good way to go. Sound has the power to expand your brand in new, exciting ways consumers can relate to. Ultimately, leveraging sound will strengthen the connection between consumers and your product, and that’s important in terms of business growth.