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…
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…
Jingle is not a Genre
A few blogs ago we talked about the full-sing jingle and its recent resurgence. I was suggesting that the format was more relevant now that commercials are often (for better or worse) shorter than thirty seconds. Music and singing are simply a faster means of setting an emotional tone and creating something more memorable than…
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…
The Full-Sing Jingle: Is it Coming Back?
From roughly the seventies to the nineties, it felt like nearly every commercial was a full-sing jingle. And when I say full-sing, I’m referring to a commercial that is entirely sung, as opposed to just singing the brand name and maybe a slogan. Those never really went away, especially in certain industries like insurance. But…
Radio is Alive and Well…in Belleville?
Back in 2006, something very strange happened. The story was relayed to me by family friend Neal Stoll. At the time Neal was a national account manager for Saputo. His account was Shoppers Drug Mart which was just starting to expand more into food. Saputo was putting a national program in place to supply all…
Melody & Timbre: A Brand Needs Both
There are a number of sonic logos that tend to be heavy on timbre but light on melody. It’s great to have unique and engaging sounds, but they don’t always stick with the public on an emotional level. We talked about this a while back with Netflix as an example. Compelling sounds are great, but…
Your Voice: Is Bigger Better?
I didn’t think I would be bringing up the Mario movie here, but bear with me. When the trailers were first released, there was a lot of comment about the voices. The most obvious was probably Mario. In the 80s he was American. Then in the mid-90s his voice was Italian. Now he’s American again….