Corporations taking notice of sonic identity

Radio program Marketplace had an interesting segment on how mainstream businesses are starting to better understand the importance of something broadcast news has recognized for years: Sonic identities.

The report covers how sonic IDs are sprouting up all over the place, ranging from clothes dryer manufacturer LG to car maker Hyundai.

Radio and television news has been making use of audio identifiers since its early days, of course. In fact, Marketplace’s story uses the NBC chimes as one of its first examples in explaining how audio branding works.

Other prominent examples include the familiar ABC News tune, the 1010 WINS sounders, the stopwatch ticking on “60 Minutes” and, of course, familiar news music packages such as “The Enforcer” and “Move Closer to Your World.

The main points of an audio brand, the story points out, are to have yet another way to grab consumers’ attention in a crowded media landscape and influence mood and emotion as a user experiences a product.

News music and audio effects have the same goal: whether it’s letting you know your favorite news program is about to start even though you’re in the next room or expressing the urgency of breaking news.

Listen to the full Marketplace story below.

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