Measured Success: Sonic Branding for CPGs
From the distinct sound of a crunch in Doritos’ most recent ad campaign to the new suite of branded sounds for oral care brand Colgate, CPG brands are turning to sonic branding. This is no passing fad. As the body of research and measurable data behind the impact of sound on consumer behavior and brand is growing, so is the adoption of music and sound strategies by everyone from Proctor & Gamble to PepsiCo.
Measurable data is proving that sonic is key for market differentiation and brand impact.
More than a required hummable jingle, CPG brands are now seeking to flex new musical muscles by measuring sonic branding impact. Yoplait introduced a new bright, bouncy jingle “I Play, You Play, We Play, Yoplait,” created in partnership with Made Music Studio in late 2020. The brand’s sound refresh contributed to a 4.6x sales lift and significant boosts in brand relevance, resonance and the ability to entice joy.
Sonic branding is also proving key for market differentiation and impact for growing brands. Telehealth and oral care leader SmileDirectClub went to market with its first audio brand in 2020, and found success with an infectious melody attached to their first brand level campaign. Audio intelligence company Veritonic found that the brand’s newly-launched sonic identity ranked 17% above normal for attributes like happiness, and boosted recall among families with kids by 25%.
Our own research with audio research company Sentient Decision Science has repeatedly shown that the right sound experience will create stronger emotional connections with consumers. In fact, we found that there is an 86% correlation between how sound makes you feel emotionally, and your desire to have that experience again. Whether the goal for a brand is to rouse excitement or hit a somber note, finding the sweet spot where brand voice meets emotional resonance is key to success in sonic branding.
Sound can be the most effective way to create more engaging and desirable brand experiences.
In short: sound equals emotion, and emotion drives memorability and customer loyalty. It’s without question that sound can be the most effective way to create more cohesive, engaging and desirable brand experiences, but deciding that your brand needs to fine tune its audio strategy is only half of the sonic branding puzzle. Measurable success in sonic branding will only come from homing in on the “right” sound experience for your brand.
