Petaling Jaya: In an increasingly competitive digital media ecosystem, more brands are tuning in to the power of sound to cut through the noise.
Sonic branding, which is the targeted use of sound to convey the distinct identity of a brand, has been rising in prominence among businesses as an effective tool in their marketing strategies.
“Sound plays a huge role in how we feel, create memories, and make sense of the world. A single melody can trigger a memory or shift in mood,” says Oliver Stutz, executive creative director and partner at music agency Two AM.
“Sonic branding takes that emotional pull and ties it to a brand, helping it stand out in a crowded market, build brand recall, and establish an emotional connection with audiences,” Stutz said
Globally recognisable examples include McDonald’s I’m Lovin’ It jingle, Netflix’s tuh-dum start-up sound, and MGM’s lion’s roar that preludes a feature film.
However, sonic branding encompasses far more than a single piece of memorable audio.
“It can include everything from a core sonic logo to a curated library of audio assets like brand anthems, in-store music, social tracks, app sounds, voice overs, device tones,” Stutz explained.
“We see sonic branding as a strategic approach to creating a consistent and clear voice reflecting identity. More than just a jingle, it’s about building a meaningful audio presence across every place a brand is heard.”
An agency specialising in music composition, sound design and sonic branding, Two AM boasts 23 years of experience in audio advertising.
Its team, spread across countries like Britain, South Africa, and Malaysia, has worked with a diverse range of brands to shape their sonic strategy.
The process of crafting a brand’s sonic identity, Stutz reveals, begins with a foundational understanding of the brand’s values, audience, tone of voice, and market positioning.
During this initial stage, the team has to also take into account how various sonic elements will be experienced across different cultures, contexts, and user needs, to ensure the end-product is accessible and resonant to diverse audiences.
“From there, we develop a sonic strategy and roadmap that defines the brand’s sonic tone, outlining the types of audio assets needed across different touchpoints,” he said.
This is followed by a phase of experimentation, testing and feedback to nail down the right creative direction.
The audio assets are then produced and refined, with a focus on delivering impact and consistency.
Once completed, the full brand sound toolkit is present to the brand.
Furnished with final assets and a sonic branding handbook, it provides the brand with usage guidelines, adaptive use cases, and practical instructions for implementation across platforms.
“It’s important to note that brands are constantly evolving, and so are their markets,” he noted.
“A sonic identity should be able to adapt over time to best support shifts in growth, audience, and platforms.
“With this in mind, we set up regular check-ins with brands to fine-tune the system together and ensure it remains impactful and true to them.”
One particularly rewarding project for Stutz was the development of CelcomDigi’s sonic logo to accompany its reinvented corporate identity.
The Two AM team was tasked with distilling the extensive scope of the company as well as the everyday experiences of its users into a new sonic logo.
“It came at such a pivotal moment. Two major telcos had just merged, and the challenge was to create a sound that could reflect the scale of the new brand, and bring together two distinct identities and customer bases into something cohesive and future-facing.”
The result was a sonic logo designed around a magnetic synth outlining a new four-note melody. “It was approachable, optimistic, and flexible enough to live across all kinds of brand moments,” he says.
Further reinforcing the brand connection in the minds of listeners, the melody was created with a pitch contour that mimics the natural inflection of the name “CelcomDigi”.
To add another dimension of audience engagement, the sonic logo became the centrepiece of a social campaign, which invited people to craft their own musical renditions of the hook in an interactive music challenge.
“It has been exciting to see how sonic branding has grown the ways we interact with brands,” Stutz said, adding that it is heartening to see more brands embracing the use of sound in their marketing.
“With developments in tech and social platforms, there’s only going to be more opportunities to build stronger, more memorable brand moments through music and sound. It’s a space we love pushing creatively, and there’s still so much potential to explore.”
