Intentional | Audio Identity Blog

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