Eight Mile Style, the company that is responsible for licensing Eminem’s songs, has filed a lawsuit against Audi in the Hamburg regional court in Germany, claiming that the Audi A6 commercial uses a version of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” without permission. (Source: Spiegel News magazine)
The Eminem song was used in this year’s Chrysler’s Super Bowl spot. Moreover, the Audi spot … Continue reading
The other night I saw a new Audi commercial on TV. I became curious what is going on in other countries regarding the new Audi Sound Branding. Here are some of the latest TV commercial from Audi.
This one is for the Audi A1. Some sounds “sound” familiar:
Here is another spot for the Audi A7. It is for the US market. Here I miss… Continue reading
Sound Logo is the acoustic match of the visual logo and therefore one of the most commonly used elements of sound branding. It should be a distinctive sound (differentiation) which reflects the brand character (brand fit). Moreover it should be easy to remember (memorability) and flexible enough for usage at the relevant brand touchpoints (flexibility). In most cases it is a short (1 – 2 sec.) melody (Nokia), sometimes just a sound sequence (e.g. BMW). Some refer to it as the soundmark of a brand. The Sound Logo should be used… Continue reading
This is the TV Spot for the new worldwide Coca-Cola campaign (Agency: Wieden+Kennedy, Amsterdam). The song for the TV commercial “Can you feel it” is performed by One Night Only, a new upcoming british band from Yorkshire. As stated by Coca-Cola the song is supposed to be the next Coca-Cola anthem!! Very interesting from a Sound Branding perspective: Coca-Cola’s Brand Theme (Motif) is… Continue reading
Some days ago I have been interviewed by Christian Schmitt from Vogel Business Media (one of the leading German business publishing groups) about Sound Branding. A special topic is the relevance of Sound Branding for B-to-B brands.
Sound Identity (Sound ID) is the consistent development of a unique acoustic identity for a brand. Along the lines of the visual identity the acoustic elements are derived from the brand values and the brand positioning. The objective is to create a consistent identity with a strong recognition value. Key areas of design are: sound branding elements, soundscapes, soundmarks and brand voice.
Do you agree or disagree with this definition? Is anything missing in the definition we use? Please post your ideas in the comments section.
(Sorry, this post is only available in German. It’s about the congress “How brands sound” from the G·E·M “German Society for Research on Brands and Branding” in Berlin on the 16th November 2010)
Die Gesellschaft zur Erforschung des Markenwesens − G·E·M − ist ein eingetragener Verein mit dem Zweck, die wissenschaftlichen Grundlagen der Marke zu erforschen. Die G·E·M versteht sich als Informationsdrehscheibe für grundlegende und aktuelle Erkenntnisse aus Wissenschaft und Unternehmenspraxis zum Thema Marke. Die G·E·M bildet ein Forum, auf dem sich Wissenschaftler und Unternehmensführer begegnen.
Erst seit einigen Jahren findet eine systematische Einbindung von Klang als Instrument in die Marken-Kommunikation statt. Akustische Markenführung heißt das Thema. Und dieses Thema ist im Kommen unter den Bezeichnungen Sound Branding, Sonic Branding, Audio Branding oder Acoustic Branding.
Mit Klang beschäftigt sich die Klangforschung. Ihre Erkenntnisse wurden beim
3. G·E·M Forum am 16. November 2010 in der Universität der Künste Berlin aufbereitet. Unter dem Motto „Wie Marken klingen. Impulse aus der Klangforschung für die Markenführung“ referierten Wissenschaftler und Kommunikationsexperten.
Sie alle waren sich einig:
Akustische Kennung, Sound Branding und Produkt-Klang stärken die emotionale Marken-Profilierung, die Unverwechselbarkeit, die Identität und Konsistenz im Marken-Auftritt. In der Nutzung des Akustik-Potentials steht die Praxis aber erst am Anfang.
Mit Betrachtungen zur Wirkung von Klang eröffnete der Moderator Wolfgang K.A. Disch, G·E·M Kuratoriumsmitglied, das siebenstündige Forum.
1. Klang ist verführerisch: der Klang, den ich benutze, beeinflusst Menschen.
2. Klang ist Erinnerung: der Klang, den ich einsetze, weckt Erinnerungen.
3. Klang unterscheidet: der Klang, den ich einem Produkt/einer Marke mitgebe, differenziert, …..
Den vollständigen Text und die Vorträge zum Download finden Sie hier… Continue reading
First of all thanks to the organizing team & the initiators of the Audio Branding Congress (in the front row): Cornelius Ringe, Kai Bronner and Rainer Hirt!
Again it was another fascinating get together of Audio & Sound Branding Experts, Scientists and Brand Marketeers. The second international Audio Branding Congress took place in Hamburg, Germany, last Friday the 8th of November 2010.
One of the highlights was the presentation of the Audi Sound Branding case. However, and for me surprisingly, this case was discussed quite controversial after the presentation and especially at the get together party in the evening. Critics argue that the new Audi sound branding is missing a clear and memorable theme which is implemented in all commercials. At the moment the core elements of the Audi Sound Branding are: 10 instruments with a “unique” sound character, a motif and elements of the Sound Logo. These elements can be “re-arranged” by the individual musicians. They call it “Audi sound studio”.
Ms Margarita Bochmann, from Audi AG, agreed … Continue reading
After making its voice heard with the first international congress for acoustic brand communication in 2009, the Audio Branding Academy will present the second Audio Branding Congress in November this year. With the motto “Driven by Sound”, on November 5th brand and sound experts from all over the world will meet in Hamburg to discuss latest trends and exchange information about the state of the art of audio branding & sound branding.
This year’s congress focuses on the crucial question of what brand and sound worlds in future vehicles will sound like. Correspondingly, car manufacturer AUDI will present the concept and examples of its award-winning Corporate Sound.
Besides other best practice cases of audio & sound branding, internationally renowned scientiests like British… Continue reading
When working on international Sound Branding projects clients often ask me whether music is international and can be used all over the world. So far to me classical, pop and Hollywood film music can be titled as international music which will be understood nearly all over the world. Nevertheless to be on the safe side on a Sound Branding project which is to be implemented worldwide local market research is the only safe way to go. You can imagine that the budget for such a research project is sky high.
So I am happy for every little piece of information about the recognition of music in an international setting, as academic research is limited. Now we have some more insights regarding this issue. It has long been debated which aspects of music perception are universal and which are developed only after exposure to a specific musical culture.
In a crosscultural study with participants from a native African population (Mafa) and Western participants results show that basic emotions in Western music can be recognized universally (Academic article: “Universal recognition of three basic emotions in music” Current Biology, Volume 19, Issue 7, 573-576, 19 March 2009).
In a first step the international researcher team … Continue reading
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