Intentional | Audio Identity Blog

By Noel Franus

Following up on our recent conversation about audio identity, audio branding and a call for clear language on all this, I’m going to provide a three-tiered look at how to audio branding works — what it means, who’s doing it and what they get for doing it.

The goals: to shine a clear light on the opportunities we face as brand-groups and agencies; and to enable an intelligent, ongoing conversation on this subject. Without further ado…

Audio branding of a promotional bent aims to connect existing dots — to brand the sound, usually with a sonic logo or brand-identifier of some sort, everywhere the company communicates.

For example, if you’re advertising via traditional or experiential means; if you’re connecting with customers in events or retail spaces; or even if your company has a 1-800 line, you’re already communicating with music, sound or voice. In the ideal state, each of those touchpoints is an opportunity leveraged, rather than an opportunity ignored. And the brand sound used in each touchpoint communication is a unique, consistent differentiator.

EXAMPLES

1. N-B-C chimes. Need we say more?

2. Intel’s memorable tones. They’ve been ubiquitous in PC advertising. Unfortunately, though, this hasn’t extended much beyond the tv or radio commercial.

3. Harley-Davidson’s calibrated hog-tone. It’s a nontraditional audio mnemonic that’s almost instantly recognizable; the product literally speaks for itself as it rolls down the road. No media required.

Actionable audio branding makes the most of psychoacoustics — linking sound to the brain — to affect our view of the world. When thoughtfully orchestrated, it positively affects the things, places and people we like; the products we buy; and the brands we believe in. If not carefully orchestrated, unfettered sound equates to (you guessed it) noise pollution.

Actionable audio branding can (and should) provide a long view into building customer loyalty and make the world a better place (egads); intelligent, behavioral-based audio branding is critical to improving the experience that we have with everyday products and environments — from computers to cell phones, from cameras to (yes) airports.

EXAMPLES

1. Muzak’s model is based on getting people to linger longer in retail establishments. When they linger, they spend more. And when they linger and feel especially sophisticated, the tab increases. Forget the elevators, this is serious business.

2. The London Underground (train system) “Mind the Gap” warning keeps people aware and alive as trains approach and people board. Not only has “Mind the Gap” become a household term, but the sound has also spawned an incredibly popular retail franchise.

3. Mobiles and ringtones. The audio palette of your phone’s operating system serves to inform; it sounds off as audio feedback for the buttons you push – you know it’s working because you hear the sounds. That’s actionable. Now throw in custom ringtones: this teenager-driven $600-million industry (with no signs of slowing) makes the mobile, like, ultra-actionable.

Few companies understand the nuances of what makes consumers tick. Those that do know how to tap into peoples’ deep connection to music, sound and voice in ways that other companies might not have anticipated are those that are at the forefront of innovational audio branding. They’re betting the farm on audio, letting it drive their brand strategy, shift their business strategy or both.

EXAMPLES

1. Apple and the iPod. Ten years ago, Apple was a computer company on the ropes. Today, they’re a lifestyle company, a household name, a category-maker and a market-leader. How’d they do it? They understood and leveraged our passion for music. And became the first iconic brand for the 21st century.

2. Starbucks and Hear Music. That’s not a CD for sale at the counter, to go along with your latte and mints — it’s cultural cache. Starbucks understands that our feelings about music can be calibrated to match brand perceptions. It’s a profitable ingredient in the larger mix that is the continuing evolution of how we think and feel about Starbucks. Through its music, Starbucks has found a relevant way to extend its brand into satellite radio and (you guessed it) iTunes music store. So much for coffee.

WRAPPING IT UP

This should give you a sense of what’s brewing in the land of audio branding, and how you can leverage this thinking, these examples, and your own ideas into a promotional, actionable or innovational programs.

Good luck and send me those plus-deltas…do let me know what you think. Add a comment below or ping me at noel at intentional audio dot com.