A tale of two takeaways: The consequence of unification without strategic alignment
Look at the logos above. Do they appear similar? Good eye! They are all the same with different text below. Just Eat, Takeaway.com, Lieferando, Grubhub and Menulog all exist under the same parent company – Just Eat Takeaway. As a result, they share many branding aspects, including visual and sonic assets. Name alterations occur for each, but for the most part, they are the same.
Occasionally, it can cause brand confusion when multiple brands, even under the same parent company, use the same sonic logo. For example, Essure uses Abbott’s sonic logo even though both brands have extremely different visual assets and notable product recognition.
However, in this case, it’s hard to find any negative takeaways. These brands are unified by visual and sonic assets, but each operates in unique regional markets. They all invest in major musicians, including Snoop Dogg, Katy Perry and Christina Aguilera, and connect them through the phrase ‘Did Somebody Say’, allowing a chorus to say the regional brand name.
In amp sound branding’s global sonic rankings titled ‘Best Audio Brands’, Just Eat, which was used as the encompassing brand name for brevity’s sake, was ranked ninth. Ranking in the top 10 of this list is quite prestigious. Brands such as Mastercard have full sonic strategies implementing a sonic identity at every consumer touchpoint, while other brands like Burger King (ranked seventh) have become viral, reviving an old jingle into a flexible viral meme. This is all to say that landing within this group demonstrates sonic success.
This is a good time to be in the sonic space, as many CMOs are starting to realise how crucial sound is to the branding process. This year’s rankings featured a study conducted by Spotify, which found that 97 percent of senior marketing leaders felt that having a sonic strategy was crucial for customer loyalty and engagement.
These marketing leaders are not only realising the power of sonic but are now seeing sound as a way to enhance a visual brand. For example, the rebrand of Tubi this past year, which was ranked number one in Best Audio Brands streaming and gaming sub rankings, was conducted for both visual and sonic identity in tandem. Curating a visual and sonic brand together allows both assets to be utilised to their greatest potential.
Amp’s research and insights team actually proved this by conducting a study in this year’s publication, proving that customers felt a brand’s visual logo was more authentic, relatable, attention-grabbing, trustworthy, unique, and likeable when accompanied by the brand’s sonic logo. This research was also conducted to see how synchronous, asynchronous, and no-motion in relation to the sonic logo played into consumer reactions. Synchronous motion was across the board the best performing.
This is all to say when visuals and sonic align, brands utilise each asset to its fullest potential. This is why a parent brand like Just Eat Takeaway performed so well in amp’s rankings, their visual and sonic identities match across all brand names in different markets. The parent brand’s approach to sonic displays a thoughtful and meaningful strategy, which is why it was ranked so high in this year’s publication.
While this investment into a sonic strategy is valuable and displays a sense of care in breaking regional boundaries, the five brands have yet to find a progressive, unified sonic approach.
As you can see from Figure 1, Grubhub has fallen far behind its fellow subsidiaries, boasting an incredibly low five percent usage of both sonic assets. This lack of usage may be a result of a sonic pivot, as Grubhub has used two other sonic assets over the past few years: a doorbell and a shaker-like sound. Though Just Eat also transitioned away from these sounds, Grubhub may be having a harder time weaning off these assets.
Just Eat, the parent company’s namesake and Menulog have outperformed Grubhub in sonic asset usage. However, they haven’t quite captured the sonic flavour needed to stimulate consumers’ palettes. Roughly 30 percent usage of both sonic assets is better than nothing, but it is not something consumers will sonically crave.
Despite their fellow subsidiaries’ struggles, Lieferando and Takeaway.com have delivered consumers a feast. With roughly 80 percent usage of both sonic assets, the populations of their respective European markets know which delivery food app to use for a night in. All five brands share the same parent company and branded assets, so hope is not lost. Just Eat and Grubhub both have the opportunity to follow Lieferando’s recipe and execute sonic implementations with the secret ingredient: consistency.
This tale of two takeaways lies within a story of five brands. The parent company approaches sonic and visual assets as a unified group. This provides consistency across markets while allowing each one to have a special relationship with its consumer through name disparity. However, the inconsistency lies within how each brand approaches sonic from a usage standpoint. The Grubhub name will be universally forgotten at the end of the “Did Somebody Say” melody, while Lieferando will be inserted innately. The challenge will be to align these strategies while continuing the parent brand’s incredible visual and sonic unification.
Read amp’s Best Audio Brands report.