Marijn Roozemond, Senior Creative Strategist at international creative music agency MassiveMusic, explains why it's time for brands to reappraise the role of music in building authentic connections.
On Christmas Eve 1926 in Minneapolis, Wheaties aired the first commercial jingle. General Mills was on the verge of retiring the Wheaties brand due to poor sales, and the new commercial was a last effort to resurrect it. The commercial was an instant hit, and the cereal brand quickly became the most popular in America.
If only it were that easy today.
The jingle may have been a silver bullet for Wheaties, but this isn’t the case a century later. Music in advertising has come a long way, as has the language we use to describe such audio assets. From its humble beginnings in radio and subsequent prolificacy in TV commercials during the mid to late 20th century, jingles were an incredibly powerful tool for brand recall. And while it may have gone out of fashion, its modern, more sophisticated counterparts - sonic logos and sonic branding - are founded on the same principles; using music and sound to drive recall and build brand affinity with audiences.
Research is currently being conducted to prove what music strategists have been arguing in boardrooms for years; that music and sound can create a strong connection between brands and audiences, achieving the effectiveness of campaigns that creatives have been chasing in the last decade.
One such piece of research is The Power of You report by Ipsos, which found that, while less frequently used, audio assets are on average more effective than some visual assets.
As more marketers embrace the potential of an audio strategy, it’s important to ensure that as an industry we are proving the value of this type of asset - one that is rooted in a brand’s core values and backed by science - sound has earned a seat at the creative table.
Jingles give us a lot of the foundational knowledge of audio signals and musical connections that we know and rely on today, but new audio strategies must be more robust to compete with modern standards. As must a brand’s values.
Purpose is now on the business agenda, leading to a stock-take of values, what a brand stands for in society today and what makes it different.
When looking for a sonic brand, brands should apply the same rationale and find a point of difference; a sound that is a unique identifier and communicates who you are and what you stand for.
We’ve seen this work well with Mastercard and O2, whose respective sonic brands are indicative of its brand values. The Mastercard payment sound - the nucleus of their sonic ID - sounds safe, simple, and smart, reflective of the brand’s mission. Similarly with O2, its values of being bold, open and trusted are perfectly reflected in its human and very versatile audio identity based around the human breath.
At MassiveMusic, we have our own unique tool that matches values to a sound; created with SoundOut in response to the need to better test potential sonic logos for effectiveness and recall. Backed by science, MassiveBASS can accurately suggest a piece of audio that best matches a Jungian brand archetype or inputted brand attributes, ranking against such criteria like recall percentage, BPM, and genre.
An unexpected outcome of the tool has been the exposure of conflicting brand values. For example, if a brand is bold but friendly, or fierce but approachable, or masculine but feminine - the results will be confused and skewed. Additionally, if generic values are inputted - the results and sound will be very generic.
We’ve seen what happens when brands use generic music in advertising. Remember at the start of the pandemic when seemingly every brand came out with a similarly poignant TV ad, soundtracked with slow piano and strings in a fitting minor key? A unique audio strategy that is reflective of a brand's values will resonate with audiences who understand what you are and what you want to be, leaving no room for confusion.
A sonic brand is an investment - not something to take lightly. It can elevate a brand and add enormous equity as customers start to develop strong associations that are then also rooted back to the brand’s core values
Marijn Roozemond, Senior Creative Strategist at MassiveMusic
A big reason why jingles really took off in the 1950s was down to the media on which they were being played - TV and radio - becoming more prolific. These earworms became embedded into people’s subconscious because they were played in high-concentrated levels, a key part in driving recall.
Fast forward to today and we are experiencing an important turning point. More brands than ever are competing for ‘eartime’, but across a lot more devices; mobiles, tablets, computers, smart speakers. Building recall through traditional media avenues is not impossible, but certainly more difficult than it used to be. But this poses an exciting opportunity for marketers to look for new, more innovative ways to get their brand’s sound out there.
Imagine hearing the sound of a branded phone notification saying your Tesco grocery order has been delivered - the same unique sound you hear when shopping in-store, or in an ad on TV? What about a branded sound when using your bank’s contactless card in-store, the same one you hear when opening your app to do online banking, or in a branch?
There’s a reason why the likes of McDonald’s have had such a successful and lasting sonic strategy; the five-note sonic logo is incredibly flexible and can be adapted for many different marketing needs, across TV, audio adverts, music tracks, apps, events and more.
A sonic brand is an investment - not something to take lightly. It can elevate a brand and add enormous equity as customers start to develop strong associations that are then also rooted back to the brand’s core values. It’s a genuine connection; it’s authentic - and certainly not a gimmick.
The age of audio is about pulling away from the jingle, and leaving it in the 20th century where it belongs. But there is no excuse now for the sound of silence.
Move on from the jingle. Modern audio strategies are far more complex, sophisticated, and have more power than just being a catchy tune or an earworm. Music should fit the context of the story being told at that moment of communication (no point having a happy jingle on an emotional ad!)
Science is on our side. Music strategists and brand marketers now have more research at their disposal that proves the emotional connection and recall music and sound can build between a brand and its audience. We should always be referring to this, and backing up our claims with data that proves effectiveness - an increasingly difficult measurement in modern marketing.
Know your brand values. Confused, conflicting or generic brand values will be exposed in your audio strategy. Take stock of what you really stand for as a brand, and ensure all your comms and assets reflect this.
Use modern technology to innovate. There is plenty of opportunity for savvy and creative marketers to take advantage of new technologies and all the new brand ‘moments’ we have today. When visuals aren’t always enough or available, an audio strategy can be just as effective across touchpoints. When implemented well, audio can help in both short-term campaigns and long-term brand building.
Marijn works as a Senior Creative Strategist for the Music & Brands department at international creative music agency MassiveMusic Amsterdam. He started playing the piano at the age of 5 but, after seeing ‘The Blues Brothers’, he dreamt of being one of the cats. That’s when he started jazzing with the saxophone. He joined the MassiveMusic family to help brands find their voice – UBS and Philips to name a couple. He also works on MassiveMusic initiatives ‘Instruments for Change’ and ‘Music x Mind’, offering insights on the connection between mental health and music. He still digs the regular jam session and knows what he wants: to take a week off to groove on a new instrument.
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