Definition of Audio Branding - Coursework Example

Table of Contents Definition of Audio Branding 2 Audio Branding and Existing Theory 3 Audio Branding Importance. Why Companies Are Using It? 4 Is Audio Branding Just A Trend? 5 Advantages 9 Brand Awareness 11 Emotional Connection 11 Music as International Language 12 New Touch Points 13 Point of Differentiation 14 Disadvantages 15 Expensive 16 Risk of Polluting 17 Time Consuming 17 Fear of Failure 17 Conclusion 18 References 19 Bibliography 23 Appendices 24 1. Some World Renowned Brands 24 2. Some Popular Audio Tracks Used for Advertisements 25 3. Audio Branding 26 4. Study ‘Sound Quality Vs. Sound Identity’ 26 Definition of Audio Branding Branding has emerged to be a sole requisite of the companies to sustain in the global domain. With the emergence of brand identification, it is prominent that organisations are developing their identity to meet with the diverse challenges imposed by the external environment to sustain. Organisations are developing different strategies to increase brand specifications and develop their global image (Douglas & et. al., 1999). Using soundscape has even become a well accepted resource for developing the brand identification among the users. Audio branding can be defined as a process of developing and managing brand with the help of audible elements (Riggins, 2007). Some of the key elements of audio branding are branded sound, music, voice, audio logo and many more (Moosmayer & Melan, 2010). The main aim of audio branding is to develop a sound brand that works as its identity. With the improvement in technology and the emergence of new media devices with in-built audio function such as podcasts, Smartphone has opened new opportunities for audio branding (Riggins, 2007). Audio branding is a constant process of using music or sound factor with the aim to develop auditory identity. For any organisation, implementation of audio branding should ensure that voice actors selected for the purpose must represent their respective brand according to the principles followed by an organisation (Trebrand, n.d.) Audio branding is also well known by other names for example sound branding, sonic branding and many more. According to Soundbranding (2015), the use of professional knowledge in brand will improve awareness and recognition that in turn maximises the brand value. Moreover sound branding helps to improve social media communication (Soundbranding, 2015).According to Singh (2014), sonic brand is one of the elements of audio branding that aims at developing an image regarding the product name and various other benefits or services linked with it. Sound is the simplest way to reduce language and cultural barriers as well as acts as a medium used by corporate to deliver their message globally. Audio Branding and Existing Theory According to Singh (2014), brand is the name or symbol that represents the goods or services being offered by the organisation to end consumers. This helps in developing an identity of a brand in the global domain and enhances the ability of the organisation to sustain. Brand specifications increase the ability of an organisation to develop their identity in the globe and increase their prominence among the users. The audio played with a brand helps in understanding the product being offered. It also enhances the ability of the consumers to relate with the product that is being displayed and simultaneously helps in developing the ability of the brand to be recollected as and when it is displayed. One of the foremost needs of branding, as provided under the branding theory, is its ease to be remembered. The audio brand must be planned in such a way that it is easy to be remembered by the consumers at the time of buying. Parallel to the physical presence of logos or other identifying products, audio branding adds perfection of brand identity, enhancing the ability of the organisation to market its products. With the increase in completion, it has become crucial for the organisation to increase focus on the physical characteristics of the products and to identify the consumer’s perception of brand. Brands can be defined as an identity of a product that uses various visual elements for example colourful images or writings as well as sound that influences the behaviour of end buyers. It is essential for every organisation to develop own unique identity that influences the perception of an individual and in turn improves recognition. Therefore, it is essential for a brand to identify reasons behind existence, target consumers and future goals (Singh, 2014). Branding can be defined as a process by which an organisation communicates its identity to its consumers (Moosmayer & Melan, 2010). Sound logo is similar to visual logo that uses sound as a brand identity for developing uniqueness. Sound Logo is the identifying element of brand that is used in combination with animated logo to advertise products and services. Consumers are likely to perceive brand as ‘set of values’ and or ‘position’ that it occupies in the mind of consumers. Audio branding is similar to business branding that also efficiently uses logos and colours applied along with sound effects (Moosmayer & Melan, 2010). Audio Branding Importance. Why Companies Are Using It? Audio branding is strong branding tool used by marketers that has a positive impact on the minds of customers that in turn helps to distinguish between various products and services (Gray, 2014). Audio branding builds trust and loyalty among customers that influences the preference level and so results increase in overall sale of a company. With the increase in global competition, it has become essential for the company to develop unique product and strong bonding with the customers. Customers are likely to relate themselves with brand with respect to the view that the customers and brand share having same value (Gray & Barrett, 2013). Music and sound influences the buying behaviour of an individual (Singh, 2014). It is likely to develop an emotional attachment with the customers that in turn motivates them to purchase a product. Branding when combined with sound elements becomes more powerful as it helps an individual to distinguish surroundings both physically as well as emotionally. Audio branding results increase in sales because it emotionalises the brand image that influences desire to purchase the product. According to Audio Clusters (2013), brand represents half of the overall value of an organisation. Moreover, the use of sound increases the corporate value by raising brand awareness. The visual assets when combined with audio add to the effectiveness of brand to develop its prominence in the market. Sound brands acts as a tangible feature of a product that can be copied by other competitors and it becomes essential to differentiate between the products. An individual’s experience of brand can be improved by using charming sound effects that influences the perception and buying behaviour (Winther, 2012). For example, the unique sound used by Intel helps a consumer to keep relating to the brand every time a computer or an Intel powered gadget is started. This provides a strong brand identification of the brand among consumers and increases the ability of the company to develop its global identification. Is Audio Branding Just A Trend? Changing needs of branding has often been noted to be affecting the overall development of the different brands. However, in this concept it can be argued that audio branding has been prevalent during previous years also. For instance the sound clip used by 20th century fox existed since 1990s. This was majorly done, as consumer’s relation with music is different as it attracts their attention and develops emotional relation. The increase in demand for brand communication has raised importance of audio branding in the recent years. In order to improve brand experience of consumers it has become important for the organisations to use visuals along with sound that has potentials to enhance the overall experience of a consumer (Refer Appendix 1). Audio branding is tool used to differentiate between the genres that are used by different companies (Kapferer, 2012). Heartbeats International (n.d.) conducted a survey in order to understand the relation between music and brand. It was analysed that music has the potential to strengthen the brand image of a company. In today’s competitive market, music can assist a company to distinguish its brand from others. It was analysed that music is a complementary factor of brand as well as for fostering communication (ibid). Audio branding is linked with individual campaign and is associated with personal views or opinions of the marketing agency. The survey conducted in the field of audio branding with ten leading brands of the world, and it was analysed form the overall results thus attained made it evident that seven out of ten participants were actively using sound as medium to promote their products (Heartbeats International, n.d.). Figure 1: Top Audio Brands 2013 Source: (Grill, 2013) Figure 2: Brand Interest in Audio Branding Source: (Heartbeats International, n.d.) Figure 3: Value for Brands through Music Branding Source: (Jentetics, 2012) Figure 4: Importance of Music for Success of a Brand Source: (Heartbeats International, n.d.) The figure makes it apparent that majority of the respondents agreed on the use of audio or music to promote its brand. Furthermore, with the use of audio for promotion helped to built long-term brand image. It is strongly believed by some of the big companies that utilising audio can assist them to distinguish their brand form its near competitor. For example, efficient use of sound trademark “I am loving it” develops the brand image of McDonald’s in an effective manner and helps consumers to linked directly the quote with the brand image of the food giant. Apart from this, the ringtone used by Nokia creates brand awareness and so distinguishes it from the other leading competitors in the market. Other companies have also realised the need and benefit of sound branding that supports initiatives to take full advantage out of it. According to the survey conducted by Audio Branding Barometer (2013), it is noted that the leading brands of the globe such as Intel, Audi and Coco-Cola has been utilising the audio promotion techniques and emerged to be strong international audio brands. Music is often viewed as supplementary medium to enhance the visual promotion of the brand similar to that of television advertisements. Using sound as a mode of promotion is often noted to be influencing as it helps individual to recall the brand image. The brand image so developed influences the purchasing behaviours of the customers. Despite of slow growth audio branding is a strong tool used by the advertisers. Audio branding is projecting a strong potential to grow in the next few years. It is even likely that the sound branding will soon become an important strategic marketing and communication tool. Advantages Audio branding also well known as sonic branding efficiently uses sound to create brand image. It can be defined as a medium to convey the message of business to the consumers of the product. Audio logo is one of the tools of sound branding that is usually played in the beginning as well as at the end of commercial advertisements and positively influences recognition of the company. The increase in competition has resulted implementation of new methods of promoting brand images. Various companies has identified that audio advertisements adds to dimensions for developing the promotional activities conducted by an organisation and creates memory which influences the consumers. Audio branding is the way to ensure good business and develop effective communication. The main aim of branding is to reveal the story of the product as well as its attributes. Different promotional tools such as a combination of audio with visuals are used to elaborate on overall function of products. Brand has a potential to shape the perception of an individual and is identified to be a way that connects the customers with the company (Deutsch, n.d.). According to the data of Audio branding barometer (2013), there has been an increase in use audio branding by agencies as compared to advertising agencies and other music production. The data presented also revels the fact that Germany based companies are using audio branding for promoting its brand image. Figure 5: Use of Audio Branding In Different Countries Source: (Audio branding barometer, 2013) Brand Awareness Consumers are very conscious while purchasing the product and likely to choose the favourable as well as familiar brand. This has raised the importance of audio branding along with the use of visuals. In order to achieve success in any business it is essential for the marketers to make the consumers aware about the products and services offered. According to Kuang Chi (2009), familiarity and willingness of the buyers is essential but brand awareness is also a crucial factor that affects the purchase decision of end buyers of product or service. Brand based on visuals as well as sound has a more potential to reach to the targeted customers and develops a long-term memorable impression. A product with maximum brand awareness is likely to have higher market as compared to the other products. The selection of a product by the consumers also depends on perceived quality along with brand awareness (Kapferer, 2012). If a brand is identified with sound effects then consumers can remember a brand in a more effective way as compared to the brand without any audio. Sound is linked with memory that develops attention so an individual remembers the brand while making any purchase decision. Brand awareness involves “brand recognition” and “brand recall”. Brand recall is the ability of the individual to recall the brand name while seeing a product category. On the other hand, recognition means that the individual is able to identify a particular recalled brand. A brand can use audio to raise awareness, for example Windows has successfully used the same to make its brand easily recognisable as well as memorable (Keller & et. al., 2011). Emotional Connection Audio branding develops emotions and consumers may take their purchase decisions based on developed image. Among all senses, hearing is linked with emotions for this reason audio has an overall impact on emotions. Visual branding when combined with audio branding influences the overall feeling regarding a certain product or service. Therefore, the marketers of product should plan their actions accordingly. The main aim behind audio branding is to build long-term relation with the customers because customers are emotionally connected to the brand. The level of response of the listeners increases when they hear positive audio sound. Audio branding assists a company to improve loyalty of customers. Building loyalty among the customers is essential for any company to maintain long-term relations with buyers of the products. Loyalty reduces the overall marketing cost and entry barriers that in turn results in ensuring success of a company. Audio is easily taped by human emotions and convey information to consumers in long run (Kumar, 2009). The sound track used by the British Airways (BA) could be directly linked with their services and aircrafts. The sound track played in the lounges or even in the advertising agencies by the world most accredit airways the consumers could directly link with BA to be the product or services that was being advertised. Similarly, for Nokia the unique sound track that is used for branding the company could be directly linked with the product and consumers can easily identify the brand. Music as International Language The main aim of branding is to deliver the message of business to the global consumers. Therefore, for this purpose many companies used audio branding to communicate its message in order to raise awareness among consumers. Music is linked with emotion of an individual and likely to effect the individual in an intensive manner as compared to visual branding. Music is known as universal language as it is linked with the emotions and feelings of an individual. With the increase in competition, it has become difficult for companies to communicate their respective brand to customers. Apart from this language barrier also hinders the progress of a company in compared to other countries. On the other hand, it becomes difficult for the company to translate the product features so that it could be effectively communicated to potential buyers. In such a case, a memorable melody tune can be an effective tool for the marketers to communicate its brand image. Some of the brands using audio branding for easy recognition are 20th Century Fox and Coca Cola among others. New Touch Points The improvement in technology has opened a number of opportunities for the marketers to communicate brand to the customers (Jackson, 2003). Technology has developed different locations through which the organisations can easily communicate its targeted audiences. Touch point can be defined as the point or place where interaction takes place between customers and brand holders. A number of touch points are available within the marketing domain where an individual gets opportunity to communicate with the help of sound or audio. Audio branding has made it easier for the organisations to have an access to consumers everywhere (Tan & et. al., 2013). Apart from this audio branding can be used in other places where visual branding could not be made available for example in radio, telephone hold, ringtones, call centres and many more (Jackson, 2003). Figure 6: Different Types of Touch Points With Respect To Sound Source: (Jackson, 2003) Point of Differentiation Audio branding helps to distinguish between products that are delivered by competitors against the host company (Hallam, 2000). Audio logos offer consumers more attention as compared to their expectation to see and experience. Marketers in order to communicate the various attributes that are related with a product use audio logos to attract the end users effectively. Logo gives a clear identification of a product to its end buyers that influence the buying behaviour of the individuals. Brand equity defines the relation between the brand and consumers. It measures the level of attachment a consumer has with the product (Hallam, 2000). On the other hand, copyright laws designed by governing authority of a nation protect original work of a music composer. The use of copyright ascertains that law protects music hence, the uniqueness of an organisation among its competitors can be duly ascertained. Therefore, it helps in building strong relation between the customers that is not replaceable. For example, Intel also utilises audio branding in order to raise recognition of the brand. Audio branding strategy has been useful for the company as the logo of Intel is not familiar among its consumers, but the use of sound has made the product more easily recognisable as well as memorable (Hallam, 2000). Disadvantages Sound branding offers huge opportunity to increase the level of brand awareness, but many companies fail to identify specific ways of branding because of its various limitations. One of the major limitations of working with audio is that it is difficult for the companies to measure the actual cost involved in overall investment. Apart from this, it becomes difficult for the concerned companies to predict the total legal cost involved in audio branding. Moreover, sound branding is expensive and it becomes difficult for the companies to find suitable music for the customers that will be positively perceived by the target audience. Figure 7: Responses to Audio Branding Source: (Heartbeats International, n.d.) Expensive For every organisation, it is crucial to make decisions regarding the financial expenses involved in promoting brands. The process involved in developing audio brand and creating unique features for the same can be very expensive for the company. Apart from this, other additional costs involved are popularising the new features of the brand cost involved in measuring its overall impact on the potential customers. Moreover, a legal cost involved in sound branding has also become a matter of concern for the brand companies (Gray, 2014). Risk of Polluting Sound creates noise pollution so it is a matter of worry for the concerned companies. The audio message designed for the purpose of brand identity should deliver the proper message to the customers. Audio logo plays a crucial role to influence the buying behaviour of the customers so it has to be selected in such a manner that does not represent personal preferences of the brand company. Time Consuming Audio branding is an outcome of huge amount of creativity that is related with continuous synthesis of human emotion and measuring the needs of attachment with the consumers. In addition, the major need of audio branding is that it should be attached directly with the brand images of the organisations availing such branding technique (Gray & Barrett, 2013). In this regard, it could be stated that audio branding is a challenging task, as the tune designed for the product should reflect the brand image and core values linked with it. The process involved in designing a proper sound for the brand is time consuming as it takes countless hours for the composers to design a suitable sound for the brand. Furthermore, there needs a rigorous research that is to be conducted for creating a unique sound clip that could be directly linked with the different needs of branding (Jackson, 2003). Fear of Failure Audio branding involves risk of failure, as it is difficult for the companies to predict the type of sound preferred by the customers. Some examples of failed audio branding further explain the level of fear among the brands. For example, one of the worlds’ leading marketers McDonalds had developed a campaign that was mainly focussed at children’s “Say hello to our friend, Happy! was a failure. Another biggest failure was the U2 brand that has forced its album to an iPhones and desktops, despite the fact that the customers need it or not” (Hamblin, 2014). Conclusion From the above analysis, it can be concluded that it is essential for every company to create and enhance brand identity. Brand identity helps consumers to recall the brand while purchasing the product and in turn influences the buying behaviour. The traditional marketing method when combined with audio branding can be proved more beneficial for the success of the brand in long run. Audio branding when combined with visuals can be more effective in conveying the message to targeted customers. However, some of the limitations of audio branding are still being ignored as the way of raising brand awareness. Therefore, it can be concluded that more number of companies must apply audio to increase their prominence among consumers and make the brand recognisable among its consumers. This strategic implication will be increasing consumer loyalty as well as develop profitability of a company. References Audio Clusters, 2013. Why Audio Branding. Benefits. [Online] Available at: http://www.audioclusters.com/AudioClusters/GoodtoKnow/Benefits.aspx [Accessed March 13, 2015]. Audio Branding Barometer, 2013. Audio Branding Academy. Overview. [Online] Available at: http://audio-branding-academy.org/media/barometer/ABB2013_20131103.pdf [Accessed March 13, 2015]. Audity, 2011. Audio Branding. Services. [Online] Available at: http://audity-agentur.com/en/services/ [Accessed March 13, 2015]. Anzenbacher, C., 2011. Study ‘Sound Quality vs. Sound Identity’. Amp Audible Brand & Corporate Communication. [Online] Available at: http://www.larsdeutsch.net/doc/CanYouHearYourBrand.pdf [Accessed March 13, 2015]. Deutsch, L., No Date. Can You Hear Your Brand. Audio Branding. [Online] Available at: http://www.larsdeutsch.net/doc/CanYouHearYourBrand.pdf [Accessed March 13, 2015]. Gray, F. & Barrett, C., 2013. Give Your Name A Voice. Why Brand Voice Should Shape Your Name. [Online] Available at: http://host.msgapp.com/uploads/95993/IBNY/Voice%20papers/Interbrand_Give_your_name_a_voice.pdf [Accessed March 13, 2015]. Gray, F., 2014. Hear And Be Heard: Creating Value Through Brand Voice. What Is Brand Voice Anyway. [Online] Available at: http://www.interbrand.com/en/views/3/hear-and-be-heard-creating-value-through-brand-voice [Accessed March 13, 2015]. Grill, T., 2013. Audio Branding Barometer: Top Audio Brands 2013. Audio Branding Academy. [Online] Available at: http://audio-branding-academy.org/aba/2013/10/audio-branding-barometer-top-audio-brands-2013/ [Accessed March 16, 2015]. Hamblin, J., 2014. The New McDonalds Mascot Terrified His Way Into Our Minds. The Atlantic Monthly Group. [Online] Available at: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/05/this-new-mcdonalds-mascot-is-terrifying/371390/ [Accessed March 13, 2015]. Heartbeats International, No Date. Sounds like Branding. Music Branding. [Online] Available at: http://www.soundslikebranding.com/pdf/slb_digital.pdf [Accessed March 13, 2015]. Hallam, L., 2000. Brands and Brand Equity: Definition and Management. Brand Management. [Online] Available at: http://www.guillaumenicaise.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Brands-and-brand-equity-definition-and-management.pdf [Accessed March 13, 2015]. Jackson, D., 2003. Sonic Branding: An Essential Guide to the Art and Science of Sonic Branding. Palgrave Macmillan. Kuang Chi, H., 2009. The Impact of Brand Awareness on Consumer Purchase Intention: The Mediating Effect of Perceived Quality and Brand Loyalty. Abstract. [Online] Available at: http://www.jimsjournal.org/17%20Ya%20Ting%20Yang.pdf [Accessed March 13, 2015]. Keller, K.L. & et. al., 2011. Strategic Brand Management: Building, Measuring, and Managing Brand Equity. Pearson Education. Kumar, S. R., 2009. Consumer Behaviour and Branding: Concepts, Readings And Cases-The Indian Context. Pearson Education. Kapferer, J. N., 2012. The New Strategic Brand Management: Advanced Insights and Strategic Thinking. Kogan Page Publishers. Moosmayer, D .C, & Melan, M., 2010. The Impact of Sound Logos on Consumer Brand Evaluation. Working Paper. [Online] Available at: http://www.nottingham.edu.cn/en/business/documents/fullstaffprofile/staffdocument/moosmayer--melan---impact-of-sound-logos.pdf [Accessed March 13, 2015]. Jentetics, K., 2012. The Strategic Integration of Music Branding and Its Evolution in the Past 10 Years. Files, pp. 1-34. Riggins, N., 2007. Sounds Function in the Branding Process. University of Kansas. SlideShare, 2015. A quick glimpse on Sensory Branding. Audio Branding. [Online] Available at: http://www.slideshare.net/fabeenaroseline/a-quick-glimpse-on-sensory-branding [Accessed on March 16, 2015]. Soundbranding, 2015. Branding With Sense. The Next Stage. [Online] Available at: http://www.soundbranding.com/ [Accessed on March 13, 2015]. Singh, N., 2014. Sonic Branding: An Audible Brand Value. Journal of marketing and communication, Vol. 10, Iss. 2, pp. 29-36. Tan, S. & et. al., 2013. The Psychology of Music in Multimedia. Oxford University Press. Trebrand, No Date. What Every Marketer Needs To Know About Audio Branding. What Is Audio Branding. [Online] Available at: http://trebrand.com/What-Every-Marketer-Needs-To-Know-About-Audio-Branding/trebrand-e-book.pdf [Accessed March 13, 2015]. Tulett, S., 2015. Genericide: Brands Destroyed By Their Own Success. BBC. [Online] Available at: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-27026704 [Accessed March 13, 2015]. Winther, J., 2012. Sound Brand Fit. Executive Summery. [Online] Available at: http://www.kommunikationsforum.dk/log/multimedia/PDF%20og%20andre%20dokumenter/Specialer/Thesis_Julie_Winther_Sound_Brand_Fit_a_cross_modal_study_of_the_perception_of_fit_between_sound_logo_and_brand_2703.pdf [Accessed March 13, 2015]. Bibliography Aaker, D. A., 2009. Managing Brand Equity. Simon and Schuster. Aaker, D. A., 2011. Building Strong Brands. Simon and Schuster. Gobe, M., 2013. Emotional Branding: The New Paradigm for Connecting Brands to People. Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. Joshi, D., 2013. Effects of Branding On Buying Behaviour. Brands are Trustmarks. [Online] Available at: http://macrotheme.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/14JosMR27.32040732.pdf [Accessed March 13, 2015]. LaBelle, B., 2010. Acoustic Territories: Sound Culture and Everyday Life. A&C Black. Martín-Santana, J.D. & et. al., 2015. Music in radio advertising: Effects on radio spokesperson credibility and advertising effectiveness. Psychology of Music, pp. 1-16. Appendices 1. Some World Renowned Brands Source: (Tulett, 2015) 2. Some Popular Audio Tracks Used for Advertisements Source: (SlideShare, 2015) 3. Audio Branding Source: (Audity, 2011) 4. Study ‘Sound Quality Vs. Sound Identity’ Source: (Anzenbacher, 2011) Read More