Podcasting, digital audio advertising, webradios, voicebot and video: sound is playing a growing role in brand communications. This trend should prompt companies to pay greater attention to the audio dimension of their branding, and thus lead them to shape their own sound identity. But audio remains largely unexploited, despite the fact that its potential is just as high – and even indispensable to brand development – as graphic design. Here are the steps you need to take to ensure that your audio identity project runs smoothly.
Drawing up your brand personality
Brand personality in a nutshell
Brand personality forms the basis of the brand platform, i.e. the synthesis of all the elements that make up a brand’s identity. The idea is to define the brand by attributing character traits as if it were a human being. These elements, taken together, provide the guideline for the brand’s communication. In most cases, a dominant character trait will be selected from these attributes.
A guideline for building a brand
It’s a fact: consumers gravitate towards certain brands according to their tastes and sensibilities. Evoking a brand’s personality traits is therefore an essential choice in branding, as it clearly identifies the following points:
The tone of the communication: familiar, serious, humorous, etc. ;
Graphic choices: logo, colors, typography, etc. ;
Vocal identity: male, female, mature, young, childlike, etc.; Sound identity;
Sound identity.
It is from this common thread that the company builds a coherent brand and develops its own personality, then naturally generates a bond with its customers.
Describing your brand as if it were a person
The way to define a brand’s personality is to attribute personality traits as if it were a human being. This makes it endearing. In most cases, we end up with a dominant character trait, such as humor or seriousness, but this is always the result of a fine combination of several characteristics, while remaining closely linked to the brand’s stated values. This approach may seem complicated, and needs to be tackled in order to draw conclusions. A number of marketing researchers have theorized about brand personality in order to create an analysis grid.
Aaker’s grid: a valuable tool for determining brand personality
The best-known of these analysis grids is Jennifer Aaker’s model, developed in 1997. It characterizes brand personality. Using this grid, you too can start thinking about your brand’s personality.
Determine the musical characteristics of your brand’s sound identity
Build the link between brand personality and music
A well-defined brand personality naturally leads to a sound dimension. Indeed, certain character traits unconsciously lead to specific musical characteristics. Luxury or sophisticated products, for example, tend to be associated with either classical or electro music. Similarly, a traditional company will often be associated with acoustic sounds. Or a company wishing to evoke its sentimental character may turn to soul music influences.
Translating a brand into music
In their 2010 book “Audio branding personality communication framework”, two marketing researchers, Muller and Kirchgeorg, have compiled expert opinions and numerous studies on the subject. Based on the five dimensions of Aaker’s model, they were able to establish links between brand personalities and musical characteristics. This is a starting point to guide you in the construction of your sound identity, helping you to define your own musical vocabulary. Bear in mind, however, that musical evocations are the result of cultural constructs specific to each country, and that they evolve over time. A typical example: a sound that evoked youth 10 years ago has probably changed by now.
Keeping an overview of the brand
Emphasis was placed on the link between personality traits and brand identity. During this process, it is also important to remember that a brand is also its values, its history and its ambitions. A good knowledge of your customers and their musical sensibilities are also essential to developing an identity that is consistent with your target market. Imagine a brand of kitten food set to a background of hard rock: a risky association! Not impossible, but probably incongruous.
Adapting your sound identity to your environment
A brand’s sound identity can vary according to its territory. Brands present on international markets, like Mastercard, often choose to adapt their sound identity to the cultural references of each country in which they operate. It’s easy to imagine that musical references are not the same in Europe as in Latin America or Asia. Other more complex factors, such as product characteristics, can also influence the definition of a sound identity.
You now have the first steps you need to take to get your own sound identity project off the ground. These are concrete elements which, although they won’t give you a few notes on your sound identity in the blink of an eye, will be the starting point for your reflection. This should be combined with an in-depth study of your brand and its characteristics.
We can help you think about your sound identity, so don’t hesitate to contact us.
