Just left a client meeting where something stood out: things have changed for sonic branding. We now have a regular seat at the strategy table. That wasn’t always so. We used to be reactive, picking up calls from agencies and brands to execute a need, usually a sonic logo to match the end frame. Now we get pulled in early in the conversation, way upstream, with brand, strategy, and digital managers telling us how music is going to lead the charge on their rebrand.
Written by Anthony Vanger, Chief Commercial Officer
Why the shift? Two key drivers: technical and emotional.
1. More touchpoints.
Today’s brands are everywhere: apps, smart devices, podcasts, social, customer service bots — places where visuals don’t exist. A sound can cut through the noise, trigger instant recognition, and make a brand feel alive in milliseconds. If your brand isn’t heard when it isn’t seen, you’re missing opportunities
2. Deeper emotional impact.
Sound hits the emotional centres of the brain faster than visuals. Think THX’s cinematic sound logo or the McDonald’s jingle — they stick. In a landscape where brands are chasing relevance with younger, emotionally driven audiences (hello, Gen Z), music is the shortcut to authenticity.
Music is resilient, too. A recent Goldman Sachs report found it’s nearly recession-proof, with Gen Z prioritizing music subscriptions and live events even when budgets tighten.
The takeaway?
Sonic branding has become a powerful tool to build brand equity, but now it has a permanent seat at the strategy table. Integrating it into your strategy from the get-go gives you a chance to build this core ingredient into the fabric of your brand. If you wait until the end of the process, it won’t work across all your touchpoints, and it won’t be authentic, and the younger generation will sniff it out quicker than it takes to send an emoji. And let’s be honest: nobody can hum a logo
