Sonic Identities: The Musical Thread Connecting Brands & Consumer Emotions
In the ever-evolving landscape of brand communication, the integration of sonic identities has emerged as a powerful and innovative tool. Sonic identities involve the strategic use of music and sound to create a distinctive brand experience, transcending the visual domain to evoke emotions and shape consumer behaviour.
Recognising the profound impact of auditory stimuli on human emotions and memory, brands now invest in crafting unique sonic signatures that resonate with their identity. This intentional soundscape goes beyond mere advertising jingles; it becomes a fundamental element in shaping brand perception and fostering consumer engagement. As consumers increasingly seek authentic and memorable brand interactions, the strategic use of sonic identities proves instrumental in creating a multi-sensory brand ecosystem that leaves a lasting imprint on the consumer's mind and emotions. This intersection of music, emotions, and consumer behaviour marks a new frontier in brand strategy, where the auditory realm plays a pivotal role in enhancing brand recall and connection.
The Link between Brands, Music, Emotions & Consumer Behaviour
Music is a powerful medium that can create a connection with a brand’s target audience to evoke emotions and influence their behaviour. Rajeev Raja, Founder and Soundsmith, BrandMusiq believes, “The choice of music can have a significant impact on the effectiveness of a marketing campaign. Empirical studies of emotions in music have described the role of individual musical features in recognising particular emotions. The connection between music, emotions, and consumer behaviour is a complex connection that if leveraged can greatly impact consumers’ perception and choices. Music has a profound impact on emotions, as it can evoke a large spectrum of feelings. When incorporated into marketing strategies, music can shape the emotional context of a brand. This emotional resonance enhances brand recall and establishes a more profound connection with consumers.”
Shamir Tandon, Composer, JetSynthesys Music Boutique understands that doing sonic identity for brands is not just a musical talent but a managerial science. “All our learnings have really played a valuable role us making one of the few people in the industry who are involved in doing sonic identities for brands because a lot of people can create music but to understand the brand Bible of the do's and don'ts that the brands wish to adhere to or the repercussion of what kind of music can have on a brand's personality and identity is of paramount importance and that needs to be kept. Whenever we are creating such things we end up creating at least eight to 10 versions and options so that collectively with the brand custodians we can choose and pick what is most appropriate and what can create an impact subliminally in the listener's mind. A sonic identity is as important as writing a font, for example, or the imagery of the brand.”
Scales & Timing
One of the key elements in music that plays a crucial role in creating emotions are musical scales. Different scales have different emotional connotations, and therefore, the choice of scales can have a significant impact on the emotional response of the listener. “The emotional response of the target audience plays a crucial role in the effectiveness of a marketing campaign. By choosing the right musical scale, brands can create a positive emotional response in the target audience, which can lead to better brand recall and increased sales. For instance, the major scale is associated with positive emotions such as happiness, while the minor scale is associated with negative emotions such as melancholy or sadness,” tells Raja.
And truly, consumer behaviour does get affected by music; hence there have been cases where in certain brands, we have rendered a particular brand sonic identity, its tune in multiple different instruments so that the same can be used in different time bands. Tandon brings out, “On morning radio drive time, a particular tune is being played of the brand in a particular instrument, and the same tune is played and rendered in a different instrument later in the evening on drive time, because of the different day parts where your moods are different. Similarly, in television, there could be a certain mood of the same tune being played in a particular manner; but in a multiplex, when the same brand is advertised, the sonic identity would be played in a different set of instruments.”
Similarly, on digital, it could be played in a different set of instruments, while on the ATL, like television, radio, theatre and outdoor, it could be played in another set of instruments. “So, understanding the consumer in various departs or in different ambience, different milieu, or a different environment, the rendition could be done,” points out Tandon.
A fascinating research study on ‘Melodic Scales, Ragas and their impact on Emotions and Brands’ jointly done by BrandMusiq in partnership with Prof. Vijaykumar Krishnan, of Northern Illinois University in early 2022. The paper was selected to be presented at the American Marketing Association, in Nashville in February 2023. The study established the connection between specific musical or stimuli and their impact on human emotions and provided tremendous value to brands when applied in the context of sonic branding. The findings of the research conducted over two studies amongst 912 participants to determine the impact of changes in tonal structures of SICM ragas on emotions and its subsequent influence on willingness to purchase were presented.
Raja states, “The findings from the two studies helped establish that the tonal structure of music systematically varies emotional responses for multiple emotions. The studies show potential for objective design using musical tonal structure to elicit specific emotions, in turn, shaping targeted brand responses. and shape respondents’ willingness to consider a marketing offering.
Understanding the psychological impact of music allows businesses to create memorable and emotionally charged experiences, ultimately influencing consumer choices and fostering a lasting relationship between the brand and its audience.”
Shaping Brand Perception & Consumer Engagement
Sound as a unique identity isn’t a new concept. Jaswinder Sodhi, Head of Customer Propositions, Digital & Marketing - Wealth & Personal Banking India, HSBC articulates, “In our good old days, we identified the ice cream vendor with a distinct sound of a bell. The vegetable vendors who visit our gully-mohallas have a very peculiar way of announcing their presence. Many of us also mimicked them. Also, the soft drink sellers at railway stations had a way to attract customers. The bottle opener running over the glass bottles.”
Sonic branding is the identity of a brand through sound. But over time, sonic branding has developed into a must and an important part of the brand identity program. Most brands consciously look for distinct audio identities across a range of brand experiences.
The growing popularity of social networks and music streaming apps has made sound and music an integral part of our daily lives. Science has proven that music and sound evoke emotions and memories. Research has proved that the human ear is 20 per cent faster than the eye. 63 per cent of millennials and 65 per cent of Gen Z feel that audio is a more powerful and immersive medium. Engaging audiences through sound and music can create a consistent brand image recall. Powerful sonic assets establish emotional connections and build deeper connections with consumers.
The importance of sonic branding in both physical and digital contexts has increased because of increasing digitisation the world over. “People no longer just listen to music but actively use it to shape their environment. Therefore, sonic branding involves custom soundscapes for a virtual environment and music and sound effects tailored to brand messaging and identity to create an enhanced user experience. In the physical scenario, sonic branding creates unique soundscapes in the retail environment. It uses music to create a certain atmosphere or mood. Many airlines have been using music as a sound identity,” says Sodhi.
Today, with the AI revolution, it is essential for brands to stay ahead of the curve and adopt new tools to create immersive and engaging sonic experiences that resonate with customers. In the rapidly changing digital media landscape, the need for and opportunities for sonic branding are increasing. With the right sonic branding strategy, brands can now have a distinct and recognisable audio identity to connect with their audiences on a deeper level.
Music has associative and emotional potential which can be used by brands to build positive imagery, recognition, and recall. When a brand consistently uses a unique sound, it goes a long way in creating a sense of familiarity and trust with customers.
Talking about HSBC’s sonic identity, Sodhi underlines, "Alongside a strong visual identity, HSBC has created an asset for the brand in its signature sonic which is one of the brand’s most recognizable identity today. For a big global brand like HSBC which has many messages - thematic, tactical, promotional, or inspirational – to send to consumers in various geographies, a unifying sonic brand tool is necessary in bringing together the seemingly diverse pieces of communication.
For our last big TVC with Virat Kohli, we used music to amplify the emotion of pride and used sound design aptly to define the codes of success. We also have a distinct sonic logo, which is a simple, recognizable sound signature associated with the brand logo or the HSBC Hexagon as we call it.”
Digbijoy Chakraborty, GM, Consumer Marketing, Capital Foods recognises that audio mnemonics and jingles have been used by various successful brands especially in the FMCG space, with the primary goal of boosting brand recall amongst consumers.
He goes on, “With Brand Ching’s however we have gone a step further and possibly created the most popular brand song in recent memory ‘My Name is Ranveer Song’. This song-based ad campaign helped Brand Ching’s Secret cut through various target consumer sets and create immediate brand resonance. Infact it has been so successful that we have had two sequels to the 1st brand song and each has managed to achieve record-breaking brand awareness scores among the consumers.
Additionally, we have just rolled out a jingle-based campaign for Ching’s Masala range which has been broadcasted using a wide base of mediums and in one instant has been able to communicate the various first-of-its-kind variants of Ching’s masala range and the delight which it brings to the consumers' meal occasions. Resultantly we have continued to see a clear spike in consumers trying Ching's Masalas for themselves.”
It’s a fact that music has the ability to be remembered – far more than the visuals we interact with. It’s why tunes remain in our minds for years and immediately bring back the association to the movie, the singer and even the brand. It has the ability to leave a lasting impression on consumer’s minds.
Dhiren Vasanth Amin, Chief Customer Officer, NTUC Income (Singapore) reveals, “For the two brands where I have had the privilege of working with BrandMusiq to create music logos, the aim has been to provide a “distinct memory” to customers, using brand music that is derived from the brand’s purpose; whether it was promoting women’s equality or putting people first. And of course, maintain a sense of consistency across campaigns that work across different categories. With Income, the journey is in its nascence, with less than a year since we have included the brand’s signature as a consistent brand property. Even in this short time, the versatility of the track is what’s come through – we have managed to extend it across campaigns that range from tragic to comic to downright scary.”
A note is the beginning of a musical journey. When played in different forms, contexts, content, occasions, moments of celebration etc. the association becomes like reflex, intuitive, expectant, etc. Over time sound/s and music become muscle memory and an integral part of one’s milestones.
MVS Murthy, CMO, Federal Bank reflects, “A bank is not just about deposits and loans, there is an underlying and invisible contribution to a better lifestyle and living. Hence, music is a perfect fit for a bank to plug into a large constituency of people all of whom are potentially their customers.
At Federal Bank we believe that a brand’s association with music can’t be a one-jingle or one-song wonder. Having chosen to leverage this joy provider aka music, every opportunity is a step towards building a nostalgic memory and auto-tuning the minds of many as they become fans of Federal Bank.”
In conclusion, the strategic use of sonic branding has become indispensable for brands aiming to forge deeper connections with consumers. Through music and sound, brands can evoke emotions, shape perceptions, and foster engagement, leaving a lasting imprint on consumer consciousness and building enduring brand loyalty.
