Your brand platform defines your brand — the personality, tone, voice, mission, vision, and other defining elements. Your logo and visual style are an expression of your brand. But does your brand have a sound?
MasterCard recently announced a brand update that includes their sonic sound. Not only did they introduce their sonic brand, it is replacing their name on their logo. According to MasterCard it is the sonic equivalent of their iconic red and yellow intersecting circles. Not sure how they figured that out or can hear their logo, but we trust they paid a boatload for that insight.
So why would they invest so much into the evolution of their brand? Look no further than the report recently released by OC&C Strategy Consultants that predicts voice shopping will reach $40 billion in 2022, from $2 billion today just in the U.S. and UK. This is being driven by the rapidly and seemingly viral spread of smart-speaker technology in our homes which offers consumers new ways to shop for what they want when they want it (and that is a trend that will never change).
Should your company be investing in a sound? No doubt, agencies everywhere will soon be looking to hire aural designers to complement their stable of visual artists. If you are a retailer in particular, it may be worth investigating this further.
But before you jump on the sound bandwagon (pun was not actually intended, but it works well here), first ensure you have your foundation firmly established with a solid brand platform and only then venture into how to best express your company across all the various types of media whether that is your visual or sound expression.
