For our latest industry insight article we ask the question ‘What is Audio Branding?’

Also referred to as sonic branding, sound branding, or in more common terms ‘jingles’ the area of Audio Branding is concerned with short passages of music that identify a brand.

Prime examples of strong audio branding can be seen being used by organisations such as McDonalds, Intel and Direct Line.

Audio branding is very different to music composition and scores, and while on the face of it the jingles sound simple you can be sure that a lot of research, production time and money has been spent getting them spot on for the client.

As well as the fairly simple examples highlighted above, more complex yet equally effective audio branding can be heard in work such as the Lloyds TSB and the 20th Century Fox fanfare.

So why is this all important?
Well, research shows that appropriate sound can increase retail sales by over 30%*. Not a percentage to be sniffed at and one that every company would want to pick up if it was available to them.

Audio branding is everywhere and companies are always having to think about “how their brand sounds” right down to precise details like what sound plays when your download finishes or when you start your computer up. All these things contribute to a brand’s public image.

Audio branding gives a brand a unique identity, which can be utilised in ways visual advertising cannot achieve. Once your audio brand is an ‘established trademark’ you can tap into peoples minds without even needing to have a visual representation, opening up low cost and more interesting/creative advertising opportunities. More creative also generally translates to more memorable.

There are four areas that need to be considered when creating an audio identity:

- Length – The piece needs to be short enough to stick in the mind, but long enough to allow a sense of melody.
- Familiarity – On the first listen you need feel like you have heard it before, creating the image of an established and trustworthy brand.
- Distinctiveness/Uniqueness – You need to make sure you stand out from the crowd. It’s easy to make something unique but unique AND effective is trickier.
- Relation to product – Think about what is being branded. If it is a company then the values of that company need to be considered and brought out in the audio. A young, forward thinking company with a new product would require different instrumentation and approach to a firm of lawyers for example.

*Treasure, J. 2010, Sound Business, Management Books 2000 Ltd.

To find out more about how Lisnmusic can help with audio branding for your organization please contact us.