It’s no secret, mobile phones and devices are a large part of daily lives. The way consumers use them will have an impact on how you do business, now and in the future. Understanding this usage will help you develop a concrete plan to gain new customers and retain loyal buyers.
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In the business world of today, most positions require some overlap of duties. It’s important in order for you to succeed that you understand your role in the larger picture.
As a marketer, it’s your job to allow as many people as possible to learn about your products and services. Granted, segmentation will play a key role in who you target, but you shouldn’t make it hard for certain people to understand the value of what you are trying to sell.
This week’s sticky song features a deadly entertaining ad for summer furniture from the iconic brand Ikea.
Who wants a lawn gnome?
A couple of weeks ago I was featured on The Price of Business with Kevin Price to talk about audio branding. The interview was aired on Business 1110 AM KTEK, part of the Bloomberg Radio network, out of Houston, Texas.
I’m aware that many of you missed the interview, so have a listen to the audio below.
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As a marketer you understand the difference between tactical and strategic moves – the tactical moves are the individual parts that make up an overall strategy. This is marketing 101. Without a vision for the success down the road your individual tactics will be hit and miss.
Traditionally music studios have been about creating tactical creative work. Everything from radio commercials to on-hold music. These are the individual pieces. As audio branding professionals we look at how each of these elements combine, what is the overall effect?
One of the problems with the tactical approach is that it’s hard to know which tactics to use without a strategy behind it. You end up going in a different direction for each campaign. It also makes it harder for consumers to connect with your brand. In fact, a recent study done be Katz Marketing shows that 87% of consumers can recognize certain brands by its sound alone.
Think about the difference that you can make when you ask “How can we select music and sound that will help build our brand for the long term?” Instead of “What music can we use for this one campaign?”
Individual tactics work great when you know the direction you are heading, but without a strategy behind your tactics it can be tough to move the ball forward. Just remember to think about the sound of your company over the long term and the impact that each touchpoint has on your customers.
Over the past few weeks I’ve noticed a frustrating trend that as a marketer you need to be aware of. First, a little backstory.
There have been a couple of studies released recently discussing the importance of music in advertising. I won’t go into the full details today but you can read them here (Ad Age) and here (Marketing). Furthermore, in our own work with clients we’ve seen clients increase customer leads by 108% with radio alone.
It certainly would be nice to have a fanfare like this on our next business trip!
See you next week!
There is no industry that I can think of that has been hit harder over the last few years then the banking and financial industries. I’m not going to tell you what went wrong in this article, but I want to point to the future of your local bank.
Traditionally you may have used these words to describe your bank;
- big
- cold
- mean
- greedy
If you are manager of a company where people used these words to describe you I’d be worried too. However, one thing banks have started to do is listen.
Lately, you may have noticed the increased focus on client care at your local bank; the staff knows your name, there are comfy chairs to sit in and a Wal-Mart like greeter at the front of the branch welcomes you inside. You will also notice many banks are updating their look to rid of the dark and drab vibes they seemed to have acquired over the years. You’ll also notice industry experts refer to the industry as retail banking.
All of this new focus certainly makes sense as new players such as customer friendly credit unions have arrived on the scene. You now have options for where you want to put your money. Simply just showing up doesn’t make people want to do business with you.
Of course I can’t help but point out one area seems to be missing – music. For one reason or another most banks refuse to play music in their branches or they play it at a level that makes little use of the speakers they’ve purchased. The problem with this aside from wasting their investment on a sound system is that it leaves a feeling of emptiness in the branch due to the size and quietness of most big banks.
I envision a bank where music and sound set the tone for a relaxing mortgage negotiation or business loan approval. This is a place where customers want to share their experience.
You’ve seen me ramble on about how to make a successful radio ad or creating a better experience for customers who call you and even the top 10 audio logos and what if you want to put them all together into on cohesive audio brand?
Well, here are 5 things you need in order to maximize the ROI of your audio identity.
Memorable – Is your audio branding program memorable? If you’re going to invest in music and sound for your brand then you want to make sure people can remember your brand by the sound it makes. Memorability will play a large role in how successful your audio branding program will be.
Flexible – A good audio identity must be flexible enough to be used in many different ways. Just like the visual logo that a company uses, an audio asset, such as and audio logo, can now be used in many different mediums. It’s also important to be flexible so that the identity can change with time and still maintain its memorability.
Distinctive – Have you ever tried to name a song after the first 3 seconds? It’s certainly possible for the average person to do and this should be your goal. With that said, one thing you want to ensure is that your brand isn’t just another whizz bang sound. Each part of your audio identity must be distinctly yours.
Congruent – One of the best ways to make the most out of your investment in music and sound is to make sure that your audio identity naturally fits your brand and your audience. For example, if you own a Japanese restaurant then playing traditional Japanese music would be a good idea. However, you need to balance this with a bit of surprise because if you get too close to exactly what people expect then they get bored.
Purpose – As with many branding techniques it’s important to seek out a purpose for each asset. This will give staff and employees a true reason to keep using the audio brand in the way it was intended. The best example of this is the NBC Chimes which have a wonderful history that you can read in the linked article.
One thing to think about is that it’s not always possible to have all 5 parts present. Sometimes one aspect may be stronger then another and that careful balance is where an audio branding expert can help you make the most of your investment in music and sound.
“No one listens to radio anymore!”
I’ve heard this many times over the last few years. As we start to move towards more digital streaming and satellite radio it certainly seems true.
As with other industries the digital age is changing the shape of these industries, however, I don’t think people are listening to radio less but the way they listen to it is different.
In the world of audio branding we like to think that there are two ways people interact with sound – you’re either hearing it or you’re actively listening to it. This is important to remember because for most of us radio today tends to be in the periphery. We hear it when we drive, have it on in the background at work and maybe put it on when doing chores at home. In all of these cases you are hearing the sounds but not being a very active participant.
One of the reasons for the change is that we have many other ways to get our entertainment today. No longer do we sit down on a Sunday night to listen to a show.
What does this mean to marketing departments and advertisers? It means that radio should be used as a place to build brands and not so much to create immediate action. I mean how am I supposed to write down your phone number while I’m driving and texting on my cell phone (please don’t try this by the way)?
As media becomes more segmented the value of your brand will only grow when you start to introduce other senses into the mix. For this I encourage you to build an audio identity for your brand. Help people recognize who you are without even trying.