Sound shapes behaviour without requiring attention, changes decisions without conscious awareness, and captures brand attention better than logos, slogans or even celebrity endorsements. This Learning Lab explored how sonic branding creates instant recognition and emotional connection, featuring insights from Sixième Son's work with brands including Maybelline, Etihad Airways and Michelin and The Marketing Society itself.
5 Key Points from the Session
Music changes behaviour without conscious awareness
A study in a supermarket wine section found that French music increased French wine sales whilst German music boosted German wine sales, despite 85% of shoppers having no recollection of hearing any music. Sound influences purchasing decisions beneath the level of conscious attention.
Sonic brand cues beat every other brand asset at capturing attention
Research by Ipsos studying 2,000 television advertisements revealed that sonic brand cues outperformed logos, slogans, celebrities and mascots in capturing attention. This makes sound the most powerful tool for cutting through in advertising environments.
Sonic logos convey brand meaning in under three seconds
McDonald's light-hearted, casual sound communicates 'come as you are' ease. Netflix delivers bold, curated vibrancy. Intel's signature sonic logo sounds like the inside of a computer. Each conveys distinct brand values instantly, without requiring visual cues or full attention.
Television is the new radio
With 88% of people not actively watching TV but simply present near the television set, audio becomes the primary engagement tool. People texting, scrolling other screens or working in the kitchen can still hear branded sound, making sonic strategy essential for modern media consumption patterns.
Sonic identity functions as a flexible brand toolkit
Just as visual identity uses colours and fonts, sonic identity employs instrumentation and melodies adapted to different touchpoints. The same core DNA can create intimate storytelling moments or high energy recruiting videos whilst maintaining consistent brand signals across every application.
The Incredible, Invisible Power of Sound
Music possesses an almost magical quality: it changes how we behave without requiring our eyes, attention or even conscious awareness. This makes it uniquely powerful for brands operating in an age of divided attention and screen fatigue.
The Invisible Influence
The supermarket wine study demonstrates this invisible influence perfectly. Shoppers bought more French wine when French music played and more German wine when German music played, yet the vast majority couldn't recall hearing any music at all. The sound worked on them without their knowledge, shaping decisions beneath conscious awareness.
This unconscious power matters even more now that viewing behaviour has fundamentally changed. Most people don't actually watch television anymore. They're texting, scrolling, looking things up on other devices. Audio becomes the only reliable way to reach audiences who are physically present but visually distracted. Whether someone's in the kitchen, turned around or focused on their phone, they can still hear your brand.
Why Sound Outperforms Other Brand Assets
Research proves sonic brand cues outperform every other brand asset at capturing attention. In a study of 2,000 advertisements, sonic elements beat logos, slogans, expensive celebrity partnerships and even mascots. Only mascots with their own music came close to matching the attention-grabbing power of pure sonic branding.
Beyond capturing attention, sound conveys meaning with remarkable speed and precision. Sonic logos accomplish in under three seconds what might take paragraphs to explain. McDonald's communicates casual, light-hearted accessibility. Netflix signals bold, curated vibrance. Intel's iconic sound evokes the interior of a computer chip, created by designer Walter Werzowa specifically to sound technological and innovative. Intel's brand value reached extraordinary heights, something a simple oval around the word would never have achieved.
The Development Process
Creating effective sonic branding follows a structured process similar to visual identity development. It begins with grounding in brand values and positioning. What three key attributes define your brand? How should people feel when they encounter you? These questions shape the entire sonic strategy.
The next phase involves exploration. Multiple concepts get developed, each offering different interpretations of the brand values. These get tested with stakeholders and audiences to identify which direction best expresses what the brand stands for and supports differentiation in the market.
The Marketing Society's own sonic identity development illustrates this process. Multiple concepts were created and tested, with stakeholders voting on which best captured the brand essence. The winning direction then got refined into a complete ecosystem: podcast intros and outros, meeting sounds, event music tracks, custom scores for video content, and the signature sonic logo that now appears across all touchpoints.
Building a Sonic Ecosystem
This ecosystem approach proves essential. Sonic identity isn't a single sound file but a flexible toolkit. Just as visual brands adapt colours and typography to different contexts, sonic brands adjust energy, intimacy and instrumentation whilst maintaining core identifying elements. A recruiting video demands different energy than an intimate brand story, yet both can signal the same brand identity through consistent musical DNA.
Implementation requires auditing existing touchpoints. Listen to your social channels, website, television advertising and telephone hold music. Does the music support what your brand stands for? Is it consistent across channels, or does each department select sound independently? Building a sonic touchpoint wheel identifies everywhere your brand uses sound and creates opportunities for strategic alignment.
Cultural adaptation offers another consideration. Whilst music functions as a fairly universal language, with people around the world understanding soft versus loud, flowing versus staccato, brands operating globally can weave in local instrumentation to play their core melody. This maintains recognition whilst respecting cultural context.
The Emotional Multiplier Effect
The emotional dimension of sonic branding goes beyond static feeling. Music can move emotion to support storytelling, building tension, creating hero moments, resolving conflicts and guiding audiences through narrative arcs. Research shows people understand stories better when music supports the emotional journey.
Academic research on what's called super additivity demonstrates the multiplication effect of combining audio and visual. Sound alone creates a certain level of emotional response and understanding. Visuals alone create their own response. But together, they multiply each other's impact rather than simply adding together.
Getting Started
Starting with sonic branding doesn't require massive investment. Three immediate actions can begin the process: ground yourself in three key brand values, audit existing sonic touchpoints for consistency and strategic alignment, and build a touchpoint wheel identifying who selects music for each channel. These steps create foundation for more systematic sonic strategy.
The invisible power of sound lies in its ability to work without demanding attention, convey meaning in seconds, and create emotional connections that multiply visual impact. In an era of fragmented attention and screen saturation, sonic branding offers brands their most reliable path to recognition, differentiation and lasting memory.
3 Take-aways
Audio strategy matters
Your audio strategy matters more than ever because people don't watch television anymore, they just hang around it. If your brand relies on visual attention, you're missing 88% of your audience.
Recognition in 3 seconds
Sonic logos accomplish in three seconds what other brand assets struggle to achieve, conveying specific brand values and creating instant recognition without requiring eyes or full attention.
Consistency matters
Consistency across touchpoints determines sonic branding success. Audit every place your brand uses sound, from social media to hold music and ensure strategic alignment rather than departmental independence.
2 Action Items
Build a touchpoint wheel
Build your sonic touchpoint wheel. Map every location where your brand currently uses sound: website, social channels, advertising, telephone systems, events, videos. Identify who's selecting music for each touchpoint and whether these choices align with your brand values.
Conduct a brand audio audit
Conduct a brand audio audit this week. Listen systematically to your existing sonic presence. Does the music support what your brand stands for? Is there consistency in genre, energy level and emotional tone, or has each channel developed its own uncoordinated approach?
"Music does not require your attention to change your behaviour."
Colleen Fahey Managing Director, Sixième Son North America
