Sonic logos have become a larger part of advertising in the past year, according to sonic branding agency Amp Sound Branding's just-released Best Audio Brands report.

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Companies have a visual identity. Now brands want an audio identity. The increasing use and effectiveness of audio and the growing popularity of podcasts, digital music, and immersive entertainment have created the need for global sonic management and improved creative audio output.

While using product sounds can be a good mechanism to encourage positive and related consumer connection to the beverage, it should not be the entirety of a brand’s sonic strategy as it is not really unique.

In our world of streaming, sonic logos are becoming more and more important for brands. From Netflix's opening 'dun-dun' to Apple's startup 'duuuhn' (okay, sonic logos are hard to describe in words), there are plenty you'll have heard before. And the world of sound-based branding is only getting louder.

Sonic branding agency Amp has developed a three-part tool called Sonic Hub, which seeks to simplify the sonic branding process for designers and brands using four different AI technologies.

We here at amp are extremely excited about our new suite of sonic tools: Sonic Hub®. Before we launch any new product at amp, we always test it thoroughly, to ensure the best experience for our clients. One of these tools, Sonic Space®, provides alternatives to both expensive custom or licensed music options and generic stock music.

WPP-backed sound branding company amp has launched "Sonic Hub," a solution designed to help brands create "immersive Super Sonic experiences" for their customers.

Functional music is on the verge of revolutionizing the way we think about music and its relationship to our bodies. Emerging technology promises to transform music into a form of medicine that can be customized to meet individual patient needs.

Using audio to cement a marketing message is as old, at least, as the jingle itself. But in an era when every touchpoint is a marketing opportunity and sound is everywhere, the idea of having a signature sound has been cranked up to 11.

Advertising, communications, technology, and commerce holding company WPP has acquired sonic branding agency amp sound branding.

Younger individuals in the Gen-Alpha and Gen-Z populations have now, unwillingly, taken part in a social experiment where their formative years of socialization involved making friends through a screen. Although most activities have resumed, habits take time to change.

Generative AI tools, an established name and rising client demand behind acquisition, explain agency bosses. Sonic branding has become an increasingly noisy prospect for marketers in recent years. But for many brands, it’s a peripheral channel. And when economic circumstances push marketers towards budgetary caution, experimental work tends to get culled.

To strengthen its experiential branding offer, WPP has acquired sonic branding business Amp, which will join its design consultancy Landor & Fitch.

Revolving Door Roundup is an ongoing series tracking moves at agencies around the world. The first week of Q2 is kicking off with hires, promotions, and board additions at some of the largest, most rapidly growing agencies around the world.

Easter, like Christmas, has taken on more commercial importance for many years as a sales and marketing opportunity for the global chocolate industry. Fortunately for many chocolate brands, the expectations of Easter aren’t substantially different from the moods and styles of their typical messaging.. Why should this matter for brand marketers and CMOs when considering this Catholic holiday?

A strong audio identity is more than just a catchy jingle at the end of an ad. It involves audio that can be watermarked into the brand experience. For example, Philadelphia, the Kraft Heinz cream cheese,  has a specific audio element for what it sounds like when you spread its cream cheese on a bagel to bring that sensory experience to life in audio. 

As more brands gravitate to audio advertising, best practices for audio creative are needed to help advertisers optimize their campaigns and keep clients happy, industry experts say. Without benchmarks, the worry is a brand will come to audio for the first time, run an ineffective campaign or use creative that doesn’t align with the target audience and conclude that audio is not scalable.

Cody Clark is a Nashville-based multi-industry veteran with extensive experience in the audio and branding sectors. With a proven track record and skills that span creative management to songwriting and sonic brand building, his past work includes musical endeavours for BMW, Peloton, Target, Maybelline, National Geographic, Aerie, US Department of Health, NBC, ABC, HBO, Lions Gate Films, Paramount Pictures, Facebook, and many additional brands.

Execs at ad agencies that specialize in audio say the channel’s efficiency is helping drive an uptick in business for their shops in what may be the start of an audio-first advertising approach for some brands.