The sober sound of the alcohol industry
Hannah Cahill, Senior Research Consultant at sonic branding company amp, wonders why more drinks brands are not dancing to the beat of their own drums and exploring the heady cocktail of booze and bespoke beats.
Leffe's new identity is grounded in the monastic sound of the brand’s history, and it perfectly mixes old and new, even matching its iconic typography.
Music and alcohol have gone hand in hand for as long as can be remembered – the duo can often be found mixing and mingling at parties, weddings, or any celebration.
In recent years, alcohol brands have started to sponsor music festivals, emerging artists, and high-profile cultural events. But what does the industry itself actually sound like?
A few months ago, the amp team released a report in its online sonic branding magazine amplify that focused on the alcohol industry. The most noticeable finding was that despite the industry’s clear connection with music, hardly any alcohol brands invest in their own sound. The vast majority of content found within the sector uses stock music or features licensed music from well-known songs for large brand campaigns.
According to our analysis, the champagne industry, which is so closely associated with luxury, utilised zero branded music and used generic stock music in 71 per cent of content across digital channels. This is a huge increase on the 43 per cent industry average, and certainly does not imply the exclusive vibe these champagne brands are going for!
Why is this? Well, these brands are playing into the old adage that ‘classical’ music equals high class and exclusive. One easy way to access these sounds is through stock music libraries, which are always brimming with classical collections. While using stock music is not always a bad thing, it does mean that similar brands become increasingly hard to differentiate due to their similar sounds. This is not ideal in a sub-industry where it is already hard to stand out given the sameness of each product.
On the other end of the spectrum, our analysis revealed that beer brands have been using a vast array of licensed music in an effort to connect with consumers. Our research found that US beer brands used licensed tracks in around 36 per cent of all content across the past year. While this method is a well-trodden path, there are numerous pitfalls.
For example, Budweiser used a cover of the classic Tears For Fears song Everybody Wants To Rule The World in a recent FIFA campaign – but this song has been used in many other brand campaigns - Fidelity Investments in 2019, Sports Direct in 2023, and a cover version for Barnardo’s in 2016 to name just a few.
The result is that this expensive song is unlikely to be effective at driving any brand awareness for Budweiser.
Our research showed that only 8% of the beer-drinking Americans we surveyed connected this song to the brand, and most of them were not completely sure about their choice. Using a track this popular is no better (and way more expensive) than using a track from a stock library given its lack of connection with a brand’s distinctive identity. Consumers may also harbour negative associations with licensed tracks, so this is always a gamble.
Instead of licensing tracks, brands can spend this money creating own-able, recognisable sonic assets. Once these assets are created, they can be shared with artists to produce branded campaigns with real value, directing consumers back to the brand with distinct sonic assets and cultural appeal.
Holistic sonic identities may be in short supply in the alcohol industry, but what about sonic logos? Of the 50 brands we analysed, only one of those, Pilsner Urquell, owned a sonic logo, and they only used it 17% of the time. Outside of the 50 brands analysed, there are only a handful of sonic logos that can be heard. From the sonic branding side of things, there is a glimmer of hope for the alcohol industry. With an average of 22% custom music being used sector-wide, brands are attempting to sonically stand out from the crowd.
But why is the sonic landscape so bleak?
Music is often seen as an afterthought in the design process. While the world of branding has a long and fascinating history, sonic branding in its current form is a fairly new endeavour. Although some claim church bells being introduced as a call to prayer in 400AD was the start of sonic branding, it has only proliferated in the last century or so, with jingles appearing on TV in the 1920s.
Although sonic branding is definitely on the rise, we still have a long way to go, as evidenced by the sober state of the drinks industry.
But has anything changed since we released the latest issue of amplify magazine? A little. Only last week Leffe launched their new sonic identity, created using church bells, choirs, and the resonances of the abbey where the beer is made. The new identity is grounded in the monastic sound of the brand’s history, and it perfectly mixes old and new, even matching Leffe’s iconic typography. If the brand uses it effectively, this could be the spark the industry needs to get more brands sonically excited.
With today’s reliance on sound-on social media platforms, it has never been more important for brands to define their sound. Branded music keeps brands memorable and unique in a sea of generic stock music and overused pop songs.
The great news for brewers, winemakers, and distillers alike is that there is so much room to make noise in this sector. Just like those church bells calling out in the Middle Ages, the bells of Leffe might just be ringing in a new era of sonic branding for the alcohol industry.
The unmistakable clink, pop, and fizz – a trifecta of familiar sounds that stir something within us. For many, it's a subtle cue that transports us to the convivial ambiance of a bar. Join us as we reveal the seventh edition of amplify, the world's first sonic branding magazine - "The Sound of Alcohol."