The identity of a brand sometimes holds four notes. The most concrete case is probably that of the SNCF. Let's ignore the news and repeated breakdowns, let's just focus on sound design. Everyone in France has heard this vocal jingle at least once, which has been around for 10 years now, followed by announcements from Simone, who lends her voice for 35 years at SNCF. These two elements have deeply contributed to anchor the identity of the brand, and directly identify its issuer. So much so that David Gilmour, former singer of the legendary group Pink Floyd, took over the jingle of the railway company in 2015 to make it a full song. The consecration for a brand.
But'sound identity is often still the poor relation of communication, at best neglected, at worst untapped. However, it brings a new dimension to a brand and a much more human approach. You should know beforehand that listening to music stimulates the four lobes of the brain with a strong impact on the hippocampus, which plays a central role in memorization. Thus, in addition to generating emotions that can go so far as to make you stand up or win a tearfulness, the music will be automatically recorded in your memory and this forever. Interesting, isn't it? Ready to polish your audio branding?
Warning ! When we talk about sound identity, we are there in a real creative process. We exclude covers of well-known songs with updated orchestration and lyrics that bludgeon the brand name over the duration of the spot. This is a very different approach which is more linked to a search for notoriety. Even if effective and inexpensive, it's still my favorite cotton wool ... Bringing a sound identity to life cannot therefore be improvised and requires matching the values and strengths of the company to translate them into a musical or sound atmosphere. However, there are three fundamental principles to keep in mind to promote the success of your audio signature:
1. Simplicity
It is the basis of memorization and adherence. But beware of shortcuts: simplicity does not mean simplicity. It often takes many hours of work and many avenues to explore to achieve a result that seems fair and balanced. What holds back well is explained simply, the same goes for audio branding. " Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication »Leonardo da Vinci would remind us.
2. Sincerity
As in any communication action, this principle is no exception. If the approach does not reflect the reality of the company and its authenticity, there will be a glaring discrepancy which will make your identity dissonant, and therefore hardly identifiable.
3. The difference
It seems obvious but it is all the same good tone to recall it. A brand image is successful because it is unique. It is necessary to capitalize on what already exists and to translate the visual DNA of the brand phonetically, in particular on its values.
Note that voice interaction will occupy more space than it does today. A study conducted by the Capgemini's Digital Transformation Institute observes that 20% of the public prefer voice recognition. This figure is estimated at 30% in 2020 by the Gartner research company. The sound response by voice assistants will generate so many new opportunities to characterize brands. Everything suggests that this development will be accompanied by new modes of communication where the brand will be recognizable only through sound.
One more reason to beat the odds!
Maxime Poux, communications director of the Ginger group… guest of the We Are COM team!
