Intentional | Audio Identity Blog

We’ve updated our “Demystifying Sonic Branding and Identity” presentation to a more user-friendly format — this includes annotations. No voice narrator needed.

For what it’s worth: the feedback I’ve been hearing so far is that audiences appreciate that this is not a tutorial — it’s not about how to ‘do’ sonic identity, step by step. Egads, that would be a chore.

Rather, we’re happy to step back and introduce the concept as a broad one, applicable to brands. We’re happy to seed the idea and let you determine exactly how to better leverage music and sound for powerful customer experiences.

Inspired? Pass it on. Criticism? Let us know. Encouraged? Get in touch. Thanks. Oh, and one last tip: view in ‘full-screen’ mode for better readability.

– Noel Franus

Razorfish’s new site is getting some attention — not for its flashy interface or killer content….but because of its use of sound.

I rarely write about “sound on the web” because most of the conversation on this topic is relegated to “should we or shouldn’t we?” Frankly, I think that’s a pedestrian concern — you design the experience with all appropriate tools, whatever they are, to drive engagement. (If your only tool is a hammer then everything looks like a nail.)

The website isn’t a movie on the web (which is where we find most music and sound online). Nor is it a traditional text+graphics website with audio slapped on as an afterthought. (See my earlier note on American Express.)

Rather, sound is leveraged as an inherent part of the experience — with ambient texture and tiered navigation cues — and it brings a new sense of life to that box you’re staring at right now.

It is, after all, just a website. But it’s also a job well done in a medium that’s left a mess of sonic detritus in its wake. Tip o’ the headphones to Razorfish.

– Noel Franus

I’ve been busy over at Twitter with personal and Sonic ID tweets. I fear things are getting too cozy in the land of 140-characters or less.

To address this, I’m putting the wraps on two full-feature articles in the very near future, with a focus on the following:

1) Music and sound as a platform for building long-term equity — yes we’re talking that evasive issue of dollars and sense. Who’s cashing in, who isn’t, and what can the rest of us learn? Stay tuned.

2) Music doesn’t lie. in today’s challenging economic climate brands need to convey uniqueness, truth and trust, not more generically upbeat me-too-ness. I’ll be exploring the difference and dishing up a healthy serving of how-to’s.

Ping me if you’d like to see an advance copy of these surefire audio branding and sonic identity classics: noel dot franus at sonicid dot com.

– Noel Franus

Portland sound artist and creative catalyst Tim DuRoche has pointed me to a citywide sonic placemaking experience now underway in Marfa, Texas.

“With site-specific works activating various locations across town, and with the collaboration of the community, The Marfa Sessions aims to amplify the varied set of physical and metaphoric characteristics that define Marfa – its geopolitical position, local identity, myths, as well as its significant relationship to 20th Century Minimalism and Land Art.”

Looks great on paper—would love to hear how it sounds. Hey West Texans, let’s hear from you.

– Noel Franus

Photo by craig1black

Update from the shameless plug department: we at Sonic ID are formally expanding our offerings to include product sonification.

Yes, we still design brand-based sound for media and physical environments, but no audio branding system or sonic identity system is effective without strong guidance for the sound of a brand’s products and services. The brand experience is where business happens—that’s where we need to be for our clients.

Why the change? The market demands it. We’re already working with people who have interesting problems to solve, we just need to call it out in a formal sense.

(And…speaking personally, that’s always more interesting than brand-based ringtones. Not that there’s anything wrong with those, wink wink.)

– Noel Franus

Photo by Clemson.

American Express recently launched an iconic brand sound. It’s a notable step forward for AmEx and for the practice of sonic branding and identity / audio identity / sound branding. When one of the world’s most trusted brands tosses a pebble in the water, you check out the ripple.

Here’s my first take on AmEx and its opportunity—assuming they expand their sonic identity beyond the web. For what it’s worth: this isn’t a discussion about what it sounds like, but rather what it means as a brand tool.

1. Ubiquity means opportunity. There are few nooks and crannies where AmEx does not have a consumer, business to business, travel, platinum, silver, gold, partner card offering for you. And they’re not shy about pitching those offerings. In 2007, AmEx spent more than $1 billion on US advertising.

That’s a lot of moments covering the communications-and-customer-experience spectrum. And countless opportunities to amplify trust and prestige—two well known AmEx brand strengths—in a way that hasn’t been done in its 158 years of business.

2. It’s an ear up on the competition. Should the brand’s touchpoints work to reinforce one another with sound, they’ll carve out a sense of differentiation and consistency that their competitors in the finance space currently lack. (What is the sound of Capital One, Visa, MasterCard or Discover? Trick question.)

We as humans can’t help but assign emotional value, good or bad, to a particular brand, and deep-seeded mindshare pays off when we make product choices, adjust stock portfolios and spread word of mouth about a company.

3. Signals are better than noise. As the folks at CoreBrand point out, loading up AmEx’s web page with a greeting sound is definitely both a challenge and an opportunity. Graphics, connection speed, code, copy and in this case sound each affect our larger perception of the customer experience. AmEx’s page-load isn’t the quickest. Slow load time + sonic identifier = disconnected moment.

On that note, I’ve heard from more than a few friends that United’s rejuvenated use of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue—one of the hallmarks of effective sonic branding because of its global appeal and compositional flexibility—is now working against the brand for them as it simply echoes United’s poor customer experience. Anecdotal, but believable.

AmEx (and everyone else for that matter) must keep their eye on the ball and design online and offline interactions that are rooted in a holistic process, not the temptations of featuritis. Sometimes this means tempering the wow factor until it’s fully integrated into the design process.

On the other hand, it’s a start. And that’s a plus. Without a doubt, I have faith — you don’t build one of the planet’s top brands by horsing around. I’m looking forward to hearing the future of American Express.

– Noel Franus