Hey there, everyone! I hate starting off with a question, but do you have a song that instantly brings you memories? We all do, right? Many studies correlate how music and sounds evoke different feelings and bring distant memories. 

This is what we’ll be discussing today, how sounds can be (and are) used in branding and advertising. They can be in the form of sounds, music in ads and songs, or ambient sounds in stores to increase sales, and there’s even a field of study called Sonic branding.

What do you feel when you watch the segments from the ads below?

Old Spice brings me memories of my teenage years, Red Bull takes me to parties, and oh, my! McDonald’s makes me hungry.

‍

Science of sound

Before going into the ads, I want to take you into my nerdy research and tell you a bit of the science behind sounds.

What is sonic branding?

Think of it this way: when you look at the Nike Swoosh or McDonald’s Golden Arrows, you know instantly which brands they are from. The same happens when you hear Apple’s Mac startup sound or Intel’s logo sound. 

This is Sonic branding. Just as you use visual elements to represent the brand identity, you can use sounds for the same purpose. They can be a sound logo (a short, memorable audio clip), a jingle, or background music representing the brand's personality and values.

Some companies are easily recognized by their iconic sounds as much as by their logos. The three stripe adidas or Nike’s Swoosh are as easy to remember as the Coca-Cola Brings Happiness sound. 

Take a look at this campaign by Ogilvy Brazil for Coca-Cola:

Did you notice people’s reaction to the sound?

Sonic branding taps into the emotional power of music and sound to build strong, lasting connections with consumers.

A well-designed sonic identity enhances brand recall, evokes particular emotions, and helps create a consistent, multisensory brand experience across platforms like commercials, apps, websites, and physical spaces.

In this video, you can see how K. Sparks produced Envato’s sonic branding.

‍

The feelings of sounds

Music and sound can stir unique emotions and create powerful psychological reactions, and brands leverage this connection to influence consumer behavior. Here’s how different sounds and music can evoke emotions and affect decision-making:

1. Pleasure Triggers in the Brain

Studies show that music activates the brain’s reward system, causing the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and motivation. What?

This means that just as we feel joy or excitement from positive life experiences, hearing a favorite tune or an uplifting jingle can lead to similar bursts of happiness.

2. Tapping into Memories

Music has a strong connection to memory, and certain sounds can instantly transport us to moments from the past. This is why brands often use familiar tunes, retro jingles, or even sound effects (like old video game sounds) to bring feelings of nostalgia and create emotional bonds.

3. Creating the Right Atmosphere

Music is known to regulate mood—slow tempos and soft melodies can trigger feelings of relaxation, while faster, major-key compositions can instill happiness or excitement.

Studies have shown that music affects not only how we feel but also how we behave. For instance, research has demonstrated that playing slower music in restaurants can make customers linger longer and order more food. Meanwhile, energetic, upbeat music in stores can drive customers to spend more.

‍

Memorable Examples of Sonic Branding

Now we’re jumping into the advertising territory, are you ready?

Iconic Sound Logos

Brands can use sound branding on their logo animations in intros/outros for their videos and commercials. Those are not full-fledged songs, but they can and do make the brand more recognizable.

Check out a few of these examples. I’m sure you recognize most of them.

‍

Music in branding

Music is one of the most efficient ways to explore memories and feelings. Tell me, don’t you create nice playlists for dates or road trips? Who’s never put on that sad playlist after a heartbreak and cried for hours listening to those songs?

The most interesting thing about these is that you’ll relate the songs to those moments. You’ll have that memory of the landmark you saw just as the song started on your car.

That is the reason brands use music as part of their branding. 

Target is known to have all its stores in the US playing the same song at the same time. There are even fan-made playlists with the songs played in the stores.

‍

A study at the National Library of Medicine has correlated that fast-tempo background music in stores increases consumers’ variety-seeking behavior. In other words, consumers will buy more products with fast-tempo songs playing.

‍

McDonald's

There is absolutely no way of hearing McDonald’s “ba da ba ba ba” and not recognizing it. The brand partnered up with Pharrell Williams, who created the tune, but it was in Justin Timberlake's voice that it became a hit. To the point, Justin released a full song named “I’m lovin’ it,” and it was an instant hit.

Pharrell recently gave an interview for the YouTube program “The Hot Ones,” in which he explained the briefing he received from the brand and the creative process behind the tune. Watch the part where he talks about it below.

🤯 Fun Fact: Pharrell Williams was fired three times from McDonald’s when he was young.

‍

Conclusion — Feel the music

While we could go on for pages and pages showing examples of great sonic branding, in the end, it’s all about understanding the brand positioning, its values, and, most of all, its identity.

You mix all these things to turn them into a tune (or tunes) representing the brand well in the market or using the right songs for its marketing campaigns. In any case, it’s been used by brands for a long time and is an excellent strategy for any brand, large or small.

Remember that nowadays, you can generate songs, sounds, and tunes using A.I., so there’s no excuse for not starting your sonic branding. Follow your strategy, be creative, and enjoy the process.

Check out how our team reacted to these brand sounds now. Then, try to see how many of them you got right and leave us a comment there.

‍

Wrapped up by the sound of RJD2 — A Beautiful Mine (Mad Men intro music)