The Audio Branding Academy defines Audio Branding this way:
Audio Branding describes the process of brand development and brand management by use of acoustic elements within the framework of brand communication. It is part of multi-sensory brand communication and holistic corporate design. Audio branding aims at building solidly a brand sound that represents the identity and values of a brand in a distinctive manner. The audio logo, brand music, or the brand voice are characteristic elements of audio branding.
This Audio Branding needs to be designed for any space where your customer hears from you.
When your customer walks into your business, what music does he or she hear? What sounds in general? Are those sounds consistent with your business’ image?
When customers call your business, what do they hear? Is your phone system’s recorded voice the same voice throughout? Or is it the voice of the receptionist who used to work for you, but has been gone for a year?
When that caller is On-Hold…can he still identify that it’s the same company?
Margarita Bochmann, from Audi AG puts it this way:
“Concerning the effect on the emotional level and the communication of the brand image, sound is more efficient than visual elements. By using acoustic touch points like music on-hold, phone mailboxes, and the company’s website, it is also possible for small and medium sized companies to do audio branding in a reasonable way.”
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“Audio branding needs to be designed….”
That’s a great point, Chester. So often, the focus is on the execution rather than the strategy. I’ve heard some brilliant audio execution that turned out to be rather ineffective from an audio branding perspective. It’s about design – and how that design shapes the choices around the execution that follows.
Thanks for a thought post on the topic!