A good sonic signature is a crucial element in any brand’s media strategy. But you can’t just create any old sound and call it a day. I’ve often criticized the Netflix sonic logo for this. It’s a cool sound, but it doesn’t have any melody. It’s so bland that for cinematic presentation, they enlisted Hans…
Sonic Branding Visualized
Sound is very visual, and we can use sound to paint a picture. Or sometimes we can go the other way around, and use a picture to create the sound. The video will do the heavy lifting on this one.
A Very Brief History of Sonic Branding
Depending on how you define it, sonic branding goes back thousands of years to vendors chanting in the streets to sell their wares. But if we’re going to limit it to mass media, we go back to 1926. At the time, Wheaties was a failing product. That is, until they decided to sing about it….
Classic Jingles Getting Modern Updates
We’re very much in the midst of a sonic renaissance. Podcasts, streaming content, and voice tech are all on the rise, sound and music are driving social media on TikTok, and it seems like every week, another big brand is coming out with a new sonic signature. But it’s not always new sonic signatures. With…
The Audio Audit: Desjardins Insurance
The full-sing jingle has had a kind of renaissance in the last couple of years. More and more commercials are using original, sung music throughout. The great thing about modern jingles is they don’t sound like jingles. They just sound like music. We covered this a few months ago. Here I want to focus specifically…
Anatomy of a Brand Theme: Quinte Hearing Centre
This was a pleasure to work on. Not only are hearing clinics and sonic branding just a natural fit, Quinte Hearing Centre in particular presented some great branding opportunities. When branding any business, you’re looking for something unique. With sonic branding, you’re looking even deeper. You’re looking for some sort of emotional hook from which…
Sonic Branding & Small Business: The Perks & The Pitfalls
Last time we talked about authenticity in sonic branding. Here we’re going to expand on that theme and explore how authenticity (or lack thereof) can make or break a small business. As one of my contemporaries Jeanna Isham has said, “Sonic branding is not just for the fortune 500.” She’s right, of course. In fact…
Sonic Branding: 3 Levels of Authenticity
Authenticity It’s an overused word, isn’t it? But it’s overused for a reason. It’s important, especially in sonic branding. In fact, it’s very hard to build a sonic identity without being authentic. When you’re creating a brand sound, you find yourself taking business owners and brand leaders to places they’ve never been before, especially if…
Want to Reach Gen Z? Find Your Sound and Get on TikTok
I have to admit, like many branding and media professionals, I had dismissed TikTok for a while. That was until I saw this year’s audio indexes. This is where they rank the best performing sonic logos, as well as provide an overview of trends and changes in the audio branding industry. One of this past…
Writing for Speaking: 6 Tips
“George, you can type this shit, but you can‘t say it! This is a famous quote by Harrison Ford. He was giving George Lucas a hard time about the dialogue in Star Wars. Worth noting the quote continues with, “…and that’s the year he gets nominated for an Oscar for Best Screenplay. Right? What do…