Good conversation picking up at the LinkedIn group for sonic branding and identity: how do we solve the problem of silent hybrids and electric vehicles?
You’d think this is an issue that one or two distant labs would be slowly addressing, but you’d be wrong. Turns out there’s more than a handful of us focusing on this very thing. Here’s more.
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WFMU’s Beware of the Blog posted a great story on tracking down the source of a dance and melody. Who needs social media when both the medium and the contents have ’sociality’ inherently built in?
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He’s now studied ‘the world’s most addictive sounds.’ Here’s the summary.
I’m excited about the notion of anything sonic-branding related appearing in a consumer mag like Time. But I’m stumped. The study, or what I’ve read about it, feels too trite to be taken seriously.
Lindstrom breaks the world of sound into ‘branded’ and ‘non-branded’ sounds. But that’s an artificial bifurcation—smart brands can very much influence our thoughts, feelings and behaviors in the real world around us without having to rely on ‘branded sound.’
Brands live in these spaces—but it doesn’t mean they have to rely on ‘branded sound’ to effect change. Maybe a sense of ‘brand-oriented choreography,’ but there’s a huge difference between the two. You wouldn’t guess that from this study if you took it at face value.
More nits: Lindstrom says in this Time interview that many generic sounds, such as a baby’s laugh or a burger sizzling on the grill, are not ‘owned’ by brands today but will be so in the near future. We can assume that consistent, repetitive television advertising is will drive this because the conversation is exclusively about ‘advertising.’
Ick. Though it’s hard to argue with the notion that repetition breeds familiarity, it’s dependent on the assumption that tv is king. Today it is for a mass audience. But the future is much more thin-sliced.
Our media and our lives are far more fragmented than they were 50, 20, even 5 years ago. We live online, with our smartphones, consuming time-shifted media on a variety of devices and in a zillion private and public places.
If brands can’t find a way to be relevant in each of these spaces—through messaging or, God forbid, utility—they die.
We’re trying to change behaviors. Brands that succeed are those that evoke meaning with intent, precision and a keen sense of context. Not those who have the best bag of tricks for crashing the amygdala in just a 30-second spot.
Finally: babies? Most powerful sound on earth? I’ve got a stick of dynamite over here that says otherwise.
– Noel Franus
We do a lot of writing on the business of sonic branding and identity. Now and then it’s nice to have a break and have someone else do the writing.
Fortunately we’ve received such a break. Sonic ID’s creative director Martyn Ware and I are featured in the latest (June 2009) issue of I.D. Magazine, which is its “Design+Business” issue.
“Rock Brand: Sonic ID Rethinks Advertising with Next-Generation Jingles” is available online and in print at newsstands near you now.
Just between you and me: it’s taken the talents of writer (and accomplished musician) Daron Murphy just 1,000 words to say what normally takes us quite a bit more. So a huge thanks to Daron and the I.D. team for sharing our story with this wider audience.
– Noel Franus
Invention.
Trimpin: The Sound of Invention…
the sound of invention from Peter Esmonde on Vimeo.
Amazement.
Sonic technologist Woody Norris on ‘inventing amazing things’ at TED…
And finally, comedy.
Sweet Georgia Brown + Traktor. Because you can’t not laugh.
Enjoy — Noel Franus
By way of introduction, here’s what to expect from me: I think out loud on the topic of sonic branding and identity. It’s a relatively new field, still in its infancy, with much to be defined.
What we do know: 1) sound is everywhere; 2) it affects or thoughts, feelings and actions; 3) it’s a powerful, efficient way to articulate a brand’s emotional DNA; and 4) most brands, large and small, lack guidance for how to leverage their investment in sound as a tool for growing deep relationships with customers — for building brand value.
As a partner at Sonic ID US+UK, I draw upon my experience leading sonic identity engagements (and a healthy dose of feet-dirty/heavy-lifting work) for Sun, Java, Cisco and some big brands in finance and gaming to explore what’s not so clear today: future sound of brand experience.
Thinking out loud — I won’t pretend it’s what I do best. And yet: we can’t evolve without a little back-and-forth and, sometimes, some dedicated cross-pollination. So if you feel moved, join me. Speak up and share your ideas.
Some links you may find useful:
Slideshow: Demystifying Sonic Branding and Identity
Article: Building Brand Value through the Strategic Use of Sound
Case Study: Creating a Sonic Identity for Cisco
Gathering: the 440 Sonic Symposium in Portland, Oregon this July
Podcast: the Sonic Convergence podcast
Looking forward to hearing from you. Thank you.
– Noel Franus
Photo by Mikey G Ottawa
The latest episode of our Sonic ID Sonic Convergence radio show/live podcast — where we explore the role of sound in creating useful and interesting products and experiences — is now available for listening/download.
Our most recent show features Seth Horowitz, a neuroscientist and psychologist with Brown University and Neuropop; and Brian Schmidt, composer and technologist at Brian Schmidt Studios.
If you’re expecting a show on music and marketing, scratch that. We touched on dolphin intelligence, rocket-science research and the science of sleep…not to mention the inevitable topic of the relationship between music and language. (I did my best to keep things accessible for everyday listeners without sacrificing quality.)
Thanks again to Seth and Brian for being brilliant, and to Small Plate for making it happen. If you enjoyed the show, let us know. And don’t forget to speak up if you have ideas on future topics.
>> Streaming file available here
>> Downloadable MP3 available here
– Noel Franus
In this second edition of our Sonic Convergence live podcast series, I’ll be speaking with research neuroscientist and psychologist Seth Horowitz, who is Assistant Research Professor at Brown University and a partner at Neuropop.
I’ll be hosting the show. Also joining us are Martyn Ware, creative director, Sonic ID and Brian Schmidt, principal of Brian Schmidt studios.
Join us for the live podcast Thursday April 16 at 7:30 a.m. Pacific / 10:30 a.m. Eastern / 3:30 London, or anytime afterwards for the archived edition.
Got questions? Post them here in advance, or contact us during the show using the IM widget right there at the show’s website.
Show URL: http://www.smallplateradio.com/042/
– Noel Franus, partner, Sonic ID.
Topics include…
1927: The Real Birth of the Cool
A brief (and otherwise secret) history of sans serif typeface
What We Still Don’t Know
How to pick out a peach
One day Robert Duncan went insane
A Contemporary Idea of Justice
Donut Eating Contest by Voodoo Donuts
10 Lessons of a Bicycle Delivery Soupman
…A night of 20 different 3-minute speeches on a hugely wide variety of
topics. Like no other lecture series you’ve been to.
Interesting Portland, April 9, 2009, Norse Hall Get tickets.
See you at the show. In addition to presenting my own 3-minute surprise, I’ll be working the door or the floor, so be sure to introduce yourself. Looking forward to it.
– Noel Franus
- 97% of brands believe that music and sound can strengthen their brand.
- 41% believe it can do this by building a consistent image of their brand.
- 27% believe it can help make their offer unique from competitors.
I’m going to take a second to follow up on that. The obvious conclusion (stated so well by writer Charlie Moran) is that sonic branding and audio identity is “worth a hell of a lot more money than you put in, because it’ll be fortifying what you’ve already got.” For the most part, he’s referring to television and the agencies working with tv. Which is a sensible starting point.
But wait. There’s more. Peel back the onion and you’ll see that in every global brand, right now at this moment, decisions are being made about music and sound that have nothing to do with television or catchy jingles. For example:
- A facilities and maintenance manager in suburban Dallas is selecting the background music for a corporate briefing center, sales area, or other customer-facing space—spaces devoted to the generation of revenue.
- A phone-systems integration manager outside of Boston is choosing the music and voices that millions of conference-callers will hear when they dial into virtual meetings. Meetings with captive, often influential audiences.
- A programmer/developer in India is hurriedly selecting the blips and bleeps that will be a core part of his/her company’s mobile devices.
- A marketing team in EMEA is outsourcing the selection of music (walk-ons, background tracks, demo audio) for their annual 20,000-person event to a company that’s also responsible for such things as food and Powerpoint creation.
Forget television. Forget sonic logos, audio stings and mnemonics. Toss aside the jingle. These people don’t need any of that; they’re responsible for some of the moments that can make or break the user experience, the guest experience, and the feelings we have about a brand.
What guidance will you give them? How prepared are you to get them jazzed about the brand? Who’s funding their operations? Who do they report to? Why should they care?
Been there before, as both a client and consultant. It’s never easy, but brands do live everywhere. Everyone who manages them needs the right guidance and/or tools. The same guidance that feeds mainstream media should be able to play out for many other uses as well.
Anyone who invests in, produces or directs a sonic branding or audio identity effort should keep this in mind. Treat it like a good, hardworking investment and it will perform like one.
– Noel Franus