The term Sound Branding has been gaining prominence in the world of brands, especially in a scenario of big players, where competition is even fiercer and every point gained in the attempt to sound unique and memorable is cause for celebration. But what exactly do different leaders mean by the association between branding and sound?

At the beginning of 2022, we went ahead with our aim of generating sound awareness and ran a workshop to educate the market about the use of sound in a more strategic and holistic way. In each conversation with different leaders from major brands in a wide variety of segments, we came across professionals who were keen to innovate, but who were unaware of, or even uncomfortable with, giving their opinion on sound. In general, when we don't have any knowledge or intimacy with a given subject, it's quite normal to have a distant perception or to underestimate the real strengths that surround it. And so we began to identify that the expression Sound Branding needed to be deconstructed so that it could be better understood by players who are in favor of building strong, iconic brands.

Perhaps you, who are directly or indirectly in charge of building your brand, also make this direct association between Sound Branding and Sound Logo, as do many leaders, but I assure you that there is much more behind a study of branding and sound than our ears and minds can imagine. And when discovered, these sound codes can exponentially amplify interaction with your brand, products and services. According to a study* published in 2023, which evaluates the use of sound by major global brands, 7 of the 10 most effective brands have more than just a sound logo in their sound strategy. And it has been proven that defining a sound identity consistently amplifies your presence across multiple touchpoints.

O som já faz parte do cotidiano de muitos players, mas ainda é subestimado na estratégia de marcas, produtos e serviços.

Think about your daily journey, for example. In every rite of your life, sound is present, even when you're sleeping. Whether at home, on the street, at work, in a store, wherever, you are listening all the time and being impacted by different sound sources, including brands. Even the absence of sound is also an important code.

An interesting exercise where I realize the impact of sound is when I travel abroad, for example. It's very interesting when you go to another country, especially on another continent. The further away you go, the more the local sound ethnography sounds unique and different. Sounds that invade your mind like the new language and even the sounds of the streets and local musical tastes. You can feel whether the new city is quieter or noisier.

When you return, it's also comforting. As we return from our trip and get closer to where we live, the sound codes sound more and more familiar and pleasurable. Now think about this context and translate it into the universe of brands. Which sounds identify you in a unique and memorable way? And which ones sound distant or even generic? How do other players who compete with you use sound? And what opportunities can be exploited here? These are just some of the key questions we ask in our sound strategy projects and which many managers are not prepared to answer. To think that a brand's sound identity can only be translated into a Sound Logo is to ignore the power of a sense that is intrinsically present in our lives even before we are born. The first step is to open our ears.

(Re)think design through sound )))'