“Luxury brands tend to turn to high fashion for inspiration,” says Marion Combes, Chief Creative Strategist at Sixième Son in Paris. This truism applies to musical concepts as much it does to colours, shapes and textures.
In helping brands create their sonic identities, Sixième Son explores a variety of sonic moods before the creative team goes to work. In a recent exercise, we explored how a new client could infuse a sense of luxury to their sound.
One painstaking step in creating a sonic brand requires combing through music that translates the brief’s words into the language of music. These clips will guide and inspire the creatives who will compose a fresh sonic identity. Strategists curate a varied group of music clips and the team helps winnow them to the final dozen snippets we’ll share with clients and their agencies in a listening workshop.
"Luxury brands tend to turn to high fashion for inspiration."
Marion Combes Sixième Son
So what informs the music chosen by high fashion houses for their advertising, social media and fashion shows? Certainly, not the top of the pop charts! Fashion’s music does not lean toward bouncy or danceable. It’s not hooky or singable.
We’ve explored music in fashion, luxury and beauty and with the help of Marion’s keen ear, have noted three broad umbrellas these sectors use to telegraph exclusivity:
1. Catwalk Cool
This sound keeps its emotional distance. It may purposely convey aloofness, suggesting, “I don’t care what you think. because I know.” Electronic sounds dominate the category.
Expect to hear these music qualities:
- Cool Indifference
- Darkness
- Edge
- Electronic and House music
- Up tempo beats per minute
An example of this vibe shows up in this snippet of music by Jenny Hval.
2. Art Opening Eclectic
Characterized by unexpected sounds and non-traditional juxtapositions, this music evokes an art district gallery opening. You don’t know what you’ll see, or what you’ll hear either. You may not even like it. It takes getting used to but it does catch your attention and make you wonder.
Music qualities:
- Unexpected layers and textures
- Introspective, contemplative
- Sophisticated and Intellectual
- Sonic collage
- Avant-garde aesthetic
This piece made it into one of our exploratory mood boards for the brand that wished to strike a more luxurious tone. (Mmph Blossom & Nuage)
3. Classical Glamour
In this category, music is played with great virtuosity on orchestral instruments, never produced on synthesizers. Strings may swell. It wouldn’t be surprising to hear the tones of a small, chamber group of perfectly coordinated expert musicians.
Because fashion borrows from the old and then adds a new twist, the music often challenges the listener with a fresh take: changing the way an instrument is played, introducing of an unconventional overlay or adding an unexpected rhythmic element.
Music qualities:
- Vintage
- Romantic
- Nobleness and grandeur
- Orchestral arrangements
- Focus string section
Here’s an example of a selection proposed by the strategists (Sudan Archives Confession clip).
Since most clients have multidimensional brands, the final sonic identity will mix these elements in varying proportions (and others, like “sassiness” or “future-facing”) into a sound that’s unique to their brand’s personality.
Sonic branding success lies in finding the particularities that make a composition uniquely fit the brand’s personality and essence. To give the aspiring luxury brand a sound that’s as nuanced as its design is, expect to find a bespoke mix of the catwalk, the art scene and the orchestra hall along with other touches that capture its unique character.
Author Colleen Fahey, Managing Director US at Sixième Son who are partnering with The Marketing Society to create their own sonic brand identity.
