The Audio Brand Challenge – Does Your Company Pass the Test? May 8, 2017
Blog
Comments Off

Not every business is at the point where it needs an audio brand, but for those that are, there are a number of tools you can use to build it.

  • Brand Voice
  • Jingles
  • Audio Logos
  • Radio Commercials
  • Branded Phone Elements

Granted building a brand takes time, but if you’re bold and consistent enough, people will eventually recognize you aurally, just as much as they do visually.

One of the challenges I have in the business of audio branding, is people tend to grasp visuals much easier than they do sounds. Visual brand is very apparent to most. Audio brand, for those who have one, is a bit more elusive. Part of the reason for this is that audio branding tends to work on more of a passive level when compared to visual branding. It’s often in the background of the branding world. As a result, I often find myself explaining auditory concepts using visual analogies.

So how do you gauge the strength (or even existence) of your audio brand?
Well you can take what I call the Audio Branding Challenge. It’s very simple.

Let’s start by focusing on one of your branding tools. The most common and accessible is your radio ad, so let’s start with that.

Think of your ad, and ask yourself two questions?

1 – Does it resonate with the passive audience? In other words, will the listener still recognize it without paying direct attention?

2 – Does it function without your name? If you remove the business or product name, will the listener still know it’s you?

If you’ve been advertising on radio for several years, your listener, regardless of whether they’re actively or passively listening, should recognize the music, the voice, the tone, the slogan, the overall vibe.

Think that sounds unfair? Well if you’ve only started building your audio brand, yes. But for seasoned radio veterans, again, let’s compare this to the visual brand. I’m willing to bet that you can take your name out of your logo and people will still know it’s you. If your logo is your name, rearrange the letters. It should still be recognizable, or at the very least, familiar.

Can you say the same for your audio brand?