On September 28th, 2012 @ 12pm I’ll be hosting an interactive webinar that will show you how to turn your business into a money making machine, using sound of course. You can join the webinar here.
Every year companies spend millions on music and sound related to their businesses. In fact about 90% of all TV ads have music in it (the other 10% is lying).
In 30-minutes I’ll be taking you through various studies on how audio branding can help you do more with your brand. Plus, you’ll learn how to:
Make more profits using sound
Spend less on advertising while maintaining market share
Over the years of studying music and brands I’ve found a few common themes that many marketers follow when using music. Here lets discuss one of the themes that seems to get people in the most trouble.
The one theme I’ve noticed is that advertisers use music as a single event. You get a piece of music for your ad at the last possible moment, put it in and forget about it. Sound familiar?
Here’s the thing, music carries a message just like in the visual world. That message can be repeated if we want or we can confuse our audience and give them another message. In effect confusion is what most advertisers do when it comes to music.
I want you for a moment to think about getting into your car and driving away. There are a number of sounds that will happen in this sequence like the click of the door opening, buckling your seat belt, the thud of the door closing, the start of the engine and that nice chime that plays through your speakers. Companies like Audi spend hours perfecting the sound of their cars. Why? Because the power is in the details.
Now you don’t need to be a multinational company to achieve success in audio branding however you do need to put thought into it. Simply asking “What does my brand sound like?” will go a long way. One of the things we are sure of is that brands that engage all of the senses will be remembered.
It is vital that you select music that is congruent with how customers perceive your product or service. This is because we humans have developed many schemas, expectations, of what should happen at any given moment. We do this without really knowing it but it’s important to realize that it’s there.
What happens when we deviate from the expected? Well, typically we become adverse to the situation we are in. From a biological standpoint this makes sense. If we hear something out of the ordinary it may signal impeding danger – it’s better to run now before the lion attacks. Of course this is something we don’t want our customers to think or feel about our brand.
So, the first action point for you as a brand manager is to have a clear idea of what you are trying to communicate and what your demographic already perceives to be true about your brand. From here tailoring music to fit is a relatively easy process.
Have you ever cried during a sad song? Get pumped during a workout with your iPod? Music is powerful stuff my friend.
Recent research at How Stuff Works has shown how music can change the chemical balances in our minds. It also seems that medical researchers are paying closer attention to how music can change the mood of patients. Medical centers are now looking into the idea that audio branding can help calm and sooth patients.
As a marketing professional you’ll be curious to know that music and sound can also have an impact on how people perceive your brand. Careful selection of your advertising music, on-hold music and even your corporate lobby must take place if you intend to maximize the power of your brand.
Next time you are waiting for something have a listen to what’s around you. How does if make you feel?
Every week we’ll post one of our favorite songs that sticks in your mind – a sticky song. We’ve posted some classics and new memories since we started this weekly series. This week is a star studded TV commercial.
Chili’s Baby Back ribs
This one gets stuck in your head because of its repetitive and funny sound. The first video is the song in its original form. Check out the second video for a performance from *N Sync.
Every week I’ll be posting a song that you can’t get out of your head – a sticky song!
It’s Kickoff Time
Last Sunday was the kickoff of another action packed NFL season. In honor of that here’s a sticky song that gets sports fans everywhere excited to watch some football.
NFL theme song
Here’s a bonus because sports fans know football signals the start of an exciting fall lineup of sports.