Unlocking the Secret to Sonic Success

Why Many Music and Sound Strategies Are Missing the Mark.

It’s no secret that music and sound have the power to evoke emotions, trigger memories, and create lasting impressions and in the world of marketing and advertising, this power has not gone unnoticed with more and more brands leveraging music and sound to create their sonic identities. Sonic branding has clearly become more popular in recent years, but how do you, as a brand, create something that really stands out and creates lasting engagement?

The Importance of Music and Sound

Using music and sound effectively is about creating a unique tone of voice that represents a brand and engages its audience. They are powerful tools that will differentiate brands from their competitors and create strong emotional connections with consumers. Effective sonic branding will always enhance brand recognition and recall, increase brand loyalty, and drive sales; 20% of young adults are more inclined to choose or buy a product from a brand with a sonic identity compared to those without and sonic brand cues have been found to improve the likelihood of brand attention by 8.53 times, making them the most effective asset a brand can invest in.

However, what we can (and should) do more of is understanding the listening behaviour and musical preferences of a brand’s target audience, something that can create an invaluable picture of a listener’s personality and something we now have incredible insight into since the digitisation of music listening and the majority of consumers being active on social media. TikTok for example discovered that 68% of its users remember a brand better when they feature songs that they like in their videos and research by Kantar revealed a 63 point increase in the average feel-good factor between those who enjoyed the music in an ad and those who didn’t.

Sonic branding and music strategies are tools that must be considered equally as carefully as a visual rebranding, but simply creating a catchy jingle or song that is easy to remember is not enough. Paying attention to what your audience wants to hear is as important as reflecting your brand values. Furthermore, relying on generic sounds that do not differentiate a brand from their competitors will never help them stand out in an overcrowded market place. Those who fail to consider how their sonics will be perceived across different cultures and audience demographics will only alienate some consumers.

Unlocking the Secret to Sonic Success

Brands should take a carefully considered approach, with data backed strategies that consider all of their audience demographics, consumer touch points, cultural trends AND their brand personality and then determine how they can be translated into sound and music.

1. Understand how your audience interacts with music. It’s important to create a picture of personality traits and research what types of music and music artists they are listening to. Research how and where they are listening to it and learn how music consumption can be affected by a listener’s personality and daily habits.

2. Understand your brand personality. What emotions do you want to evoke in your audience? What values and qualities do you want to be associated with? This will help guide the development of a sound that truly reflects the brand.

3. Create something original: Rather than relying on stock music or sound, companies should invest in carefully curated popular music or create original music that reflects their brand personality to differentiate them from their competitors and create something unique that speaks to their audience and their audience only.

4. Consider cultural differences: Brands need to consider how their sonic identity and music strategy will be perceived across different cultures and regions and consider reversioning for different markets and demographics.

5. Make sure your sonics are appropriate to all of your touchpoints. This will create a consistent brand experience for the audience and enhance brand recognition and recall whenever and wherever your audience comes into contact with it.

Unlocking the secret to sonic success and creating a successful music strategy requires a carefully considered execution backed by data-driven research. Companies must arm themselves with a clear understanding of their brand personality and create something original that truly reflects their values and resonates with their target audience. Sonics should never be an afterthought; instead, it must be an integrated tool within a company's overall branding and marketing efforts. By unlocking the secret to sonic success, companies can create an unforgettable impression on their audience, establish stronger brand recognition and recall, and ultimately achieve greater business success.