Published on 13 March 2013 (Updated 29 February 2024)
With sensorial marketing booming, some of our senses have been left by the wayside. It’s only in recent years that the sense of smell has become a new asset for communication. Shops such as Nature et Découvertes have understood this by diffusing soft scents in their shops, thus immersing customers in a relaxed atmosphere that will encourage them to stay and browse for longer, and therefore potentially to consume.
Hearing is another sense not to be neglected. In fact, 7 out of 10 people believe that music will become even more important in the future. Sound surrounds us every day: the noise of the city, the sound environment at home, music on the radio and on television. This has led many companies to ask themselves the question of sound identity.
What is sound identity?
You might have heard of sound identity under other names that have the same meaning, such as sound marketing or sound design, so don’t be confused.
The company-customer relationship is very important. The customer must always be the priority, which is why it is essential to strengthen the link. In fact, according to one study, 97% of brands/companies believe that music reinforces their positioning.
Having a sound identity for your company is therefore a strategic tool in customer relations. For many people, music is synonymous with emotion. Listening to music is something that everyone does several times a day, whether listening to the radio, watching television or even in the street.
It’s good to know that these days the population is said to be “musivorous”, as the Observatoire de la Musique reports, “Musical expressions have never been so rich and shared, and listening time so important.”
Sound identity enables you to associate a brand with a song, a musical theme or a jingle. Whether it’s an on-hold call or a radio jingle, every company needs to take sound marketing as seriously as its other identity components (like the graphic charter, for example). More specifically, it’s about using a sound or musical composition that listeners can associate with your brand through auditory recognition. It’s an essential part of communication, all the more so nowadays.
In short, sound identity means:
- A strategic tool
- A music composition
- Greater auditory recognition
- Increased brand identification
- Increasing the impact of brand communication campaigns
Why do you need a sound identity, and for what purpose?
At different levels, every type of company should have a sound identity. Obviously, a small SME that doesn’t communicate a great deal isn’t going to create a melody to its name like companies that use TV commercials to communicate. According to a study by Nielsen Europe, the world leader in marketing research and information, 6 out of 10 companies have never evaluated the “sound colour” of their brand, and 8 out of 10 do not have a sound logo, which is far too few today, but it could enable you to make your mark with a good sound identity for your company.
However, sound identity is not just limited to TV commercials and radio jingles. You can find your sound identity while you’re waiting for a phone call. You need to avoid soporific, non-personalised music that tends to irritate the customer and make the wait interminable. Sound identity can therefore be an asset for your company on this occasion.
The answering machines on your business mobiles can be used to broadcast your sound identity. Corporate events such as conferences and trade fairs are also places where a sound identity can be used. Using your sound marketing in different ways and under different forms of communication will help customers to better assimilate it with your brand.
It’s up to you to choose how you want to disseminate your musical identity! If it’s well chosen and well designed, it can only bring you benefits. Having a sound identity can enable you to:
- Boost brand identification in the marketplace,
- Stand out from the competition,
- multiply the impact of your marketing and communication campaigns
- Enhance brand image and listeners’ comfort.
Some examples of sound design
1 – SNCF
No matter where you are in France, you’ll recognise SNCF’s sound identity at any station. The melody and the female voice are so well known that passengers no longer pay attention to them, but associate them directly with the SNCF.
2 – DIM
Another example of a brand that has managed to turn its sound identity into a real recognition asset is the tights brand DIM. The music has been used in a TV commercial since 1970, and has remained the same ever since. It has obviously evolved over the years, replacing the lyrics with simple notes, but the heady tune is always the same and makes it easy to recognise DIM from the start of the jingle.
Dim advert 1970:
Dim advert 2014:
The creation of sound charters is a new line of work undertaken by Peexeo for our clients. Some brands, such as Mousline, have taken advantage of the emergence of radio and television to communicate, and sound identity is now one of the critical areas of communication that need to be taken into account to develop a brand image as effectively as possible. It’s up to you to create a sound identity that reflects your image.
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