Who doesn’t like a beautiful song reverberating around them?
The power of audio is so consuming. In fact, if you personally ask me, I’m more enamored by how audio can fly more sparks than any other form of branding. Not to say that visual branding is low-key, but harnessing what music can do to the ‘phygital’ appeal of a brand in the market cannot be put down.
Before we get to what sonic branding means, let’s also understand why people are talking so much more about it.
Our sensory experiences ring the most beautiful symphony when all the senses are present in one beautiful moment.
Think about a place where you felt yourself, yet consumed by the collective experience of music. Perhaps when you were sipping your brewed coffee, breezing through certain apps or podcasts and you heard a quintessential sound to that piece of audio?
Do you know what’s my favourite piece of music true to the brand I love? It is my Ziva Meditation 15-day course, when every morning I woke up to that initial music that calmed me, stirred my consciousness, and made me feel more present and grateful for each day. The best part? This piece of Ziva’s soulful music lingered in my mind for the whole day – and even now I still feel that music fresh in my conscious.
The new findings have been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveal that dopamine — a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in our cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functioning — plays a direct role in the reward experience induced by music.
So now, let’s cast a view on this beautiful term called Sonic branding.
Per Deloitte, Sonic branding, sometimes called audio branding, sound branding, or acoustic branding, is the practice of using auditory elements to brand your product or service.
While fancy logos, colors, and packaging can excite us about what’s new in a brand, the speed of sound is felt faster than all the other forms of sensorial experiences.
Music transcends cultural biases, the intricate emotional nature of people, and flamboyant physical appeals of people, places, and things and brings forth creative ways of understanding the people behind the brands.
Sonic branding is the art and science of how music can change minds and deepen emotions in our hearts.
Humans are emotional beings, no matter how much rationality creates a facade over a period of time. And, sonic branding helps us to be remembered for our uniqueness and spiritual existence.
Brands can shape and alter mindsets by the sheer power of sonic branding. One that is true to their deepest values, emotions and mission. Sonic branding goes deeper than the best speeches we give, the company town halls we host, or the board meetings where we so eloquently cite our business pitch.
Now, pair all these meetings with that beautiful sonic precursor – your audience will remember you on the most fundamental level of your brand’s truth. Slowly, unlayering the soul of your brand, where they can hear the sound of you and all that makes you, you.
The next thing you know?
Your brand is more powerful, durable, and memorable.
Photo by Leo Wieling on Unsplash
