Sonic branding – if you haven’t heard this term already, it’s the art of finding music and sounds to fit a brand’s identity. In the past, a brand’s sound was defined by a single catchy jingle. Jingles work well as mnemonic devices, but a one-song brand can’t stay fresh forever.
Imagine if The Beatles had been told by their record label “We think the song ‘Love Me Do’ defines you as a band. Just keep making songs exactly like that.” No self-respecting musician would listen to advice like this. And no brand should, either. Sonic branding today is not about finding one magical hit song. It’s about creating a complete sonic identify, a palette of sounds and music that can be used in any ad campaign. A strong sonic identity will be recognised even as the song selection changes.
Think of the palette of sounds that make up the classic Beatles style. Though their songwriting matured and musical tastes expanded over the years, The Beatles’ sonic identity was unmistakable. Listen to this medley:
So what about ‘Revolution 9’ and all the other crazy Beatles experiments? Although ‘Revolution 9’ is a far, far cry from ‘Love Me Do’, even this anomaly could have been predicted. Each new Beatles sound grew organically from roots in previous Beatles songs. ‘Revolution 9’ was inspired by experimental tape songs like the psychedelic ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’. And ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ stole its thumping beat from the early ‘What You’re Doing’. The Beatles experimented, yes, but their music grew with their audience’s expectations of them as a band.
The bottom line for brands is that a sonic identity can evolve and expand over time, whereas a jingle cannot. Having a strong sonic identity does not mean being stuck with a certain melody, song, or genre. How boring would that be for advertisers, let alone their customers? Instead, a strong sonic identity allows a brand to cohesively adapt to the future, and stay fresh but recognisable.
Charlie McCarron, Sound Consultant
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Posted by Sound Style Guide – The Pros and Cons on June 10th, 2010.