Audio branding: sensory or sensual branding?

By Jelke de Boer on 23 November 2009

Last weekend i attended the first international audio-branding conference held in Hamburg. It was exiting to meet the pioneers in this relatively new market. At the HU I have developed a new course in audio branding as a part of our minor digital audio design. It’s one of the first courses fully focusing on this specific topic and I’m very pleased our program reflects the points of view I met there. As an eye opener (or ear opener) for all those who are unfamiliar with audio branding I’d like to point you to the TED talk by Julian Treasure:

In advertising most campaigns focus on the visual aspects of a brand. Off-course there is some kind of song to go with the TV add, or there may be some radio spot, which of course is audio. But that is not what its all about. Audio branding offers a much deeper view on sound and it is part of a new way of looking at branding. It’s about broadening your brand experience by offering a more complete palette of sensory perception. Or as Ludwig van Beethoven puts it:

Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life

Why is all of this of importance? Why invest in making a consistent soundscape? With the growth of the virtual world there are already many new and exciting ways to communicate with your audience, but with the current state of technology most of these interactions are visual. If you’re thinking about cross-media and more effective ways to communicate your story the possibility to reach more than just your audience’s eyes should be appealing. There is a big trend of extending this virtual experience to a much more audio-visual experience which is good; audio greatly influences emotional perception. Is the next step the incorporation of other forms of sensory perception?

Many concepts seem to focus mainly on virtual media. Although these media offer many exciting possibilities we should not loose our contact with the real world environment we actually are living in, there is a lot to gain there. Think of events, in-store marketing or any other physical interaction point. Sound can build a bridge between those different worlds and act as a carrier of emotions.

Of all the other senses audio is probably the easiest one. Sound can travel across almost all media and a consistent brand soundscape can be applied to many different media or situations. Think of communicating a brand-taste or a brand-smell or even a brand-sense. Can different media emphasize different senses? The scientific evidence showing the effects of sound on consumer behavior is growing, still a lot is unexplored. A great attempt has been made by one of our graduates. Take a look at the way all senses are present at www.your-sencity.com. We at CELL hope to contribute to this growing understanding of sound and other forms of sensory perceptions.

tagged with: audio branding, branding, experience