The ultimate guide to audio branding

Sonic logos are the quickest way to get a potential customer listening to what you have to say, as they memorably convey company identity in just a few short seconds. And with ever-increasing opportunities to deploy this feature, there’s an even greater chance of market dominance across multiple, receptive channels.

Some of the memorable sonic logos are Netflix’s ‘ta-dum’ or McDonald’s “bada ba ba ba” using very few notes and keeping it short and simple. Here are some examples you might recognise – even without realising you recognise them.

And in 2021, Apple commissioned an artist to create a song, ‘Start up’, using only start-up noises from across its 45-year history. The full 1:42 clip shows the process of composing the song, which is not dissimilar to the process we follow when composing tracks for clients.

As a piece of marketing, this isn’t particularly likely to convert anyone to the Apple brand – but it might make existing users even firmer fans, and therefore more likely to stick with Apple technology in future.

Sound waves have incredible power, which German beer brand Becks used to their advantage in 2021. It faced a challenge: how to get consumers in Brazil used to the flavour of its beer, which is more bitter than local tastes are accustomed to. The answer, unbelievably, lies in low-frequency sound waves.

These alter the perception of bitter flavours, so Becks filmed an experiment with users drinking a generic beer – changing the frequency repeatedly, and altering the flavour from one sip to the next.

Our sense of hearing can be amplified if one of our other senses is limited in some way, so using audio effectively can make a huge difference for consumers with sight loss. Broadcast sports relies heavily on visuals, with commentators often unable to keep up with rapid-fire action: a problem for tennis in particular.

In 2021, Tennis Australia – responsible for organising and promoting tennis tournaments across the country – used the data it collected through ball-tracking technology, which it already used to judge line calls, in a new way: to help visually-impaired viewers enjoy the game through ‘Action Audio’.

While these examples may be some of the most impressive, they’re not the only ways companies can use sound to affirm their identity.

Whenever a company uses music or spoken word as part of a customer experience, they’re practicing audio branding – whether this be online, over the phone, in a podcast, at an event, in a store, or within any other auditory channel.

Companies have long lived in a predominantly visual world. Branding considerations or spend has historically been devoted to what we can see – logos, colours, fonts, print and billboard adverts, websites and all those other elements that appeal to the eye.

But this isn’t enough to make a business stand out. Consumers are bombarded by images, so much so that the visual messages we scroll through, watch on our screens or see in the cities around us barely register. It takes something else to cut through this noise – and this is where audio comes in.

Our connection with sound begins while we’re still in the womb, and it remains a core sensory and semantic cue throughout our entire lives. The things we hear cement themselves in our brain much faster and more firmly that those delivered through the visual counterpart, so it’s no surprise that audio is proven to enhance customer receptivity:

Audio ads are memorable and motivational – they drive 24% higher recall than display ads, and are twice as likely to lift purchase intent.

Spotify for brands report, 2020

Coupled with this remarkable responsiveness is audio’s accessibility. Unlike video or other visual media, we don’t have to stop to consume it – which is why 79% of consumption takes place while we’re engaged in other tasks. Sound reaches us where images cannot, weaving its way around our daily activities to become an essential part of our lives.

We’re living in the age of audio. Whether it’s a podcast on the morning commute, a powerful playlist to get us pumped up for the gym, or a query answered by Alexa as we cook up our evening meal, we’re consuming, adopting and interacting with sound more than ever before – meaning there’s never been a better time for businesses to make themselves heard.

Always listening

Audio streaming is nothing new, but it’s reached it’s most prolific peak to date. Spotify currently has more than 286 million monthly active users – 130 million of which pay for a premium account – and has seen consistent year-on-year growth since 2015. More people than ever are creating the soundtrack to their lives, and using music to influence their moods – wherever they are, and whatever they’re doing. With 60% of people’s streaming done on mobile, headphones are no longer an accessory, but an essential. And these big figures add up to lucrative opportunities:

Consumers have a wealth of options when getting in touch with a business – but the telephone endures thanks to its unrivalled immediacy, intimacy and humanity.

While a lot of companies will never create a Spotify advert or an Alexa skill, almost every business has a telephone. The caller journey customers experience holds many opportunities for a company to not just communicate with the consumer, but reinforce their brand identity.

The best first impression

Before a customer is even connected, there’s a chance to make an impact with audio branding. The start of a call is the perfect place to set the tone with a distinct sonic logo – while an Auto Attendant delivers the best welcome, along with a list of departmental options to choose from.

Travelling in style

As a caller is connected or placed on-hold, this time can be maximised with an audio branding production. Script, voice and music unite to communicate, connect and engage with the listener – strengthening business identity in three distinct ways.

Reaching the destination

Ideally, a customer will complete their caller journey by having their query resolved by a representative – but this isn’t always possible. When a business is closed, an Out-of-Hours production provides alternative contact details to ensure a customer can always get in touch. And if an individual or department isn’t available, Business Voicemail productions advise callers in the most professional way – again informing of other means of contact. Often, messages like these are left to system pre-sets, self-voiced, or simply forgotten about – meaning companies are missing a valuable opportunity. When audio branding is applied to the caller experience, businesses create a new way to enhance professionalism, open channels of communication, and assert their sound identity.