(source: Malte Wingen/Unsplash)
We live in times in which everything is on mute. Our phones keep buzzing or blinking to let us know that someone is calling. The videos in social media are mostly watched without sound, and adding subtitles to them is a must. More and more often, we are consuming the content without sound — but does it mean that it is not important anymore?
Back in a day, when the radio and television were the most important channels of marketing communication, a good jingle was something that could sell. It is more than probable that all of you would be able to remind yourselves at least one song of an add that you’ve heard in your childhood. But with the growth of the digital era, we have turned more to the visual side of life. Does it mean that audio marketing ceased to exist? Not at all! Not at all! Sound can give a special added value to vision, it can help make a brand stand out in a crowd, or it can even support sales or experiences.
Sound is everywhere
As much as some of us would like to mute everything around us — sounds are everywhere and are a vital piece of a marketing puzzle. Some say that it is a great way of reaching customers without them doing anything. Music, songs used in the ads or videos, or even so popular recently ASMR noises can be a part of any promotional activity and become a part of our association system. Do you remember a scene in The Intouchables in which Omar Sy, playing the main character says that Beethoven’s “Fur Elise” is the music of the Employment Office? He heard that so many times that the association was inevitable — and that is how a sound can get tied in our brain to a particular thing. For sure, there are songs that you cannot associate with anything else than with the TV ad you’ve heard them in.
(source: Namroud Gorguis/Unsplash)
A brand can have its sound
What people mostly associate with brand identity are the colors, the logo, or even the font used by it. But the identity can also have another dimension and extend even to sound. Did you know that there is something that is called an audio logo? It can be used synonymously with the term — audio branding, and that means sounds, jingles, or even spoken slogans that relate to a particular brand. For sure tons of them are right now appearing in your head… And yes — Netflix’s TUDUM! that you probably hear quite often as of recently is a great example of that. :)
The new dimension
Podcasts, audiobooks, and voice assistants — those emerging forms are a response to the needs of consumers who in that extremely visual world need a break from their screens. After the big boom of music streaming services, we can now observe the raising interest in other forms of audio entertainment what definitely could give the audio marketing industry a bit of a boost and deserved recognition. In this overly visual world, we should still pay attention to sounds and do not ignore audio marketing solutions. According to research by Neuro-Insight agency companies that “overlook sound as a creative tool are missing on a crucial dimension of branding.” Sounds interesting, right? We will be all ears when it comes to that topic!
P.S. On our Instagram channel, you can take a look at a playlist created by Performante’s teammates.
