“What music are you into?”
It’s a question we’ve all been asked at some point, and it’s rarely an easy one to answer. Try it now. Chances are you’ll struggle to give a solid answer. Why? Because the music we reach for, by genre or by artist, is tied to our mood: how we’re feeling in that moment, and how we want the music to make us feel. Your answer today will very likely be different from your answer tomorrow.
An early Sunday morning, coffee and the papers? Your soundtrack is probably laid back and easy-going. Acoustic, maybe. Some jazz, or a switch to Classic FM. Nothing over 80 bpm.
Getting ready for a night out, cutting some rug on the dance floor with your mates until the small hours? Then it’s up-tempo: big productions, big vocals and big sing-along choruses to get you in the mood.
Need a lift? “Come On Eileen” will see to that.
In the moment, we choose music to match our mood, and to change it.
Music for brands works the same way
Choosing music for branded content is no different. The music a brand or organisation pairs with its visuals should be carefully considered to match the mood of the campaign, and the feeling it wants to leave people with.
As a creative studio working in branded content, music is the starting point of our video production process. It all starts with the music. Why? Because every production has a mood to express, and the music sets that tone. The pace, the edit and the picture all follow it.
From a soundtrack to a sound identity
Choosing the right track for a film is one part of something bigger: sonic branding.
Sonic branding (also called audio branding or sound branding) is the strategic use of sound to identify a brand. It includes an audio logo, branded music, a consistent voice and the sounds a product makes. Done well, it makes a brand instantly recognisable, even when nobody is looking at a screen. At Nephew, a branding and design studio in Northampton, we create sonic identities alongside visual ones, so a brand looks and sounds like the same thing.
Think about the last time you heard a few notes and knew exactly which brand it was. The Netflix “ta-dum” before an episode. The Intel chime at the end of an advert. The start-up sound of a Mac. You didn’t see a logo, but you knew. That’s sonic branding at work, and it’s one of the most underused tools a brand has.
Turn your sound on. Here’s a taste of the sonic branding we’ve created at Nephew:
Why sound matters for brands
Most brands spend years refining how they look, then let their sound happen by accident: a stock track on the website video, a different jingle on every advert, whatever hold music came with the phone system. Meanwhile, more and more of how people meet brands has no picture at all.
- Audio is everywhere. Podcasts, streaming, radio, smart speakers, voice assistants and social video with the sound on. A visual logo can’t help you in any of those places. A sound can.
- Sound works fast. A short, distinctive sound can be recognised in a second or two, well before someone has read a word.
- Sound carries emotion. Just like that Sunday morning playlist, the right sound makes a brand feel calm, bold, playful or premium before anything is said.
- Sound sticks. Hear a sound often enough, consistently enough, and it becomes a memory cue. That’s brand recall you don’t have to pay for every time.
What a sonic identity includes
A sonic identity is a toolkit, just like a visual one. Depending on the brand, it can include:
Audio logo
The sonic equivalent of your logo: a short, distinctive soundbite, usually just a few seconds long, that signs off adverts, videos, apps and podcasts. It’s the most recognisable part of a sonic identity and the one people remember.
Branded music
A collection of custom tracks built from one master composition. The same melody, instruments and “hit points” are reworked into down, mid and up-tempo versions, so a brand has the right music for every mood: a social clip, a brand film, an event walk-on or a website, all sounding like the same family.
Voice and voiceover
The voice that speaks for your brand matters as much as the words it says. Choosing a consistent voice, or a small cast of voices, gives your films, adverts and audio a recognisable personality.
Music supervision and licensing
Not every project needs bespoke music. Music supervision is finding, licensing and placing the right existing tracks for a film, advert, event or app, so the music fits the brand and the rights are properly cleared.
Podcast and audio content
A podcast is one of the best ways to build a community around a brand. It also gives your sonic identity a regular home, from the intro sting to the music beds between segments.
Product and interface sounds
Notifications, start-up sounds, confirmations and alerts. For apps, devices and digital products, these small sounds are heard more often than anything else a brand makes.
Sonic branding examples you already know
The best sonic logos are short, simple and used relentlessly:
- Intel. Its five-note “bong” has signed off ads since the 1990s and is one of the best-known audio logos in the world.
- Netflix. The “ta-dum” plays before almost every title, so it’s heard millions of times a day.
- McDonald’s. The “ba da ba ba ba” melody from “I’m lovin’ it” works with or without the words.
- Mastercard. A full sonic brand, with a short melody that adapts to different cultures, music genres and the sound you hear when a payment goes through.
None of these sounds are complicated. What makes them work is consistency: the same sound, in the same places, for years.
Is sonic branding only for big brands?
No. You don’t need a global ad budget to benefit from a consistent sound. Smaller brands often get even more from it, because they have fewer touchpoints to keep consistent and every one counts. If your brand publishes video, runs a podcast, goes to events, has an app or advertises on radio or social, you already have a sound. The only question is whether it was designed.
A sonic identity also saves time and money. Once you have an audio logo and a library of branded music, every new video, advert or event uses the same assets, instead of searching for (and licensing) something new each time.
How we create a sonic identity
At Nephew, sound is part of how we build brands, not an extra bolted on at the end. Our process looks like this:
- Listen first. We start with your brand strategy, audience and personality. What should your brand feel like? Where will people hear it?
- Explore. We create sound directions, a bit like visual moodboards, to agree on genre, tempo, instruments and mood before anything is composed.
- Compose. Working with talented musicians and composers, we develop the master composition and the audio logo.
- Build the toolkit. We turn the master into a set of tracks, stings and edits for every touchpoint, from short social cuts to longer brand films.
- Bring it to life. We pair the sound with motion and video, voiceover and guidelines, so your team knows how to use it.
Because we design the visual identity and the sound under one roof, the two are made to work together. The way your logo animates and the way it sounds are part of the same idea.
Want to hear what your brand could sound like? Let’s talk about sonic branding.
Sonic branding: quick questions
What is sonic branding?
Sonic branding is the strategic use of sound to identify a brand. It includes audio logos, branded music, voiceover, product sounds and music used across advertising, video, events, apps and podcasts.
What is an audio logo?
An audio logo, also called a sonic logo or mnemonic, is a short, distinctive sound, usually just a few seconds long, that identifies a brand. Well-known examples include the Netflix “ta-dum” and the Intel chime.
What is the difference between sonic branding and a jingle?
A jingle is usually a single catchy song for one campaign. Sonic branding is a long-term system: an audio logo, music, voice and sounds designed to work consistently across every touchpoint, for years.
Why does music matter so much in video production?
Music sets the mood of a film before anything else does. At Nephew, choosing the music is the first step of a video production, because the pace, the edit and the picture all follow the feeling the music creates.
Do I need sonic branding if I already have a visual identity?
If your brand uses video, audio, social media, events or digital products, a sonic identity helps it stay recognisable when people are listening rather than looking. It works best designed alongside your visual identity, so both tell the same story.
Can Nephew create a sonic identity for my brand?
Yes. Nephew creates audio logos, branded music, music supervision, voiceover and podcast production, and can design them alongside your visual identity. We even have recording facilities at our studio in Vulcan Works, Northampton.
Sound by the Nephew team. Ready for your brand to be heard as well as seen? Explore our sound services or let’s talk.
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