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The future of branding: capturing audiences through sound experiences & podcasting, an exploratory guide for today's strategic communicator

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Content

The Future of Branding:
Capturing Audiences through Sound Experiences & Podcasting
An Eploraor Gide for Todas Sraegic Commnicaor
By

Holly Palmer

A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE ANNENBERG SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION AND JOURNALISM
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF ARTS
STRATEGIC PUBLIC RELATIONS

August 2021

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Table of Contents

Abstract: ..................................................................................................................................................... iii

Introduction: What is Sonic Branding? .................................................................................................... 1

Section One: The Sonic Branding Experience ......................................................................................... 3
Part One: A Background on the Emotional Power of Sound in Storytelling .......................................... 3
Part Two: Sonic Branding Today: A Brief History ................................................................................. 7
Part Three: It’s No Longer Just a Jingle — the Components of a Sonic Brand ..................................... 9
Part Four: Key Insights into the Practice of Crafting a Sonic Identity ................................................. 14
Part Five: How to Measure Sonic Success ............................................................................................ 17
Part Six: Business Rationale for Sonic Branding .................................................................................. 19

Section Two: Branded Podcasting ........................................................................................................... 22
Part One: An Introduction: What is Branded Podcasting? .................................................................... 22
Part Two: Emotion + Information: The Rise of the Branded Podcast ................................................... 25
Part Three: [Interview] Kaelyn Moore, TV Development Manager at Ace Entertainment .................. 33
Part Four: Evolving Social Audio-Communication Landscapes .......................................................... 37
Part Five: Effectively using Music in Podcasts: .................................................................................... 41

Section Three: The Future of Sound and Branding .............................................................................. 43
Part One: New Intuitive Tech Opens Up Space for Sound Experiences ............................................... 43
Part Two: [Interview] Natalie Linden, Creative Lead & Project Manager, Designworks, A BMW
Group Company ...................................................................................................................................... 46
Part Three: COVID19 Era Impact on Sonic Branding and Sound Experiences ................................... 49

Conclusion: Why Audio is the Future of Branding: A Summation of Findings. ................................ 52

References:................................................................................................................................................. 58

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Abstract:

Music and sound are universal languages that have the unique ability to connect and
inspire us to unite around a central theme — or for the purpose of this thesis, around brands.

Sonic branding is what a brand sounds like, and is integral to our everyday interactions
with many brands. If done successfully, sonic branding can have a critical impact on a brand’s
success and its relationship with its audience and consumer, especially as we move into a more
multisensory, experience-based future.

Up to this point, sonic branding has taken a backseat to visual branding, yet as we move
forward, the gap between them will begin to close — and fast. This is largely due to humanity’s
innate relationship to sound, the rapidly shifting technological landscape, how we interact with
our technology, and finally, the massive shift in needs and mindset caused by the COVID-19
pandemic.

For the modern communication strategist, sonic branding, which includes both branded
sound experiences and branded podcasts, is an essential ingredient to any complete brand story
that has the power to forge lasting connections between a brand and its audience — a connection
that is tied directly to all of our heartstrings.
1

Introduction: What is Sonic Branding?

“Music and sound must be part of a thoughtful storytelling or communication strategy, not just a
tactic. If the sound is doing nothing but driving the visual presentation or adding energy or
attempting to make something seem cooler than it actually is, then all it is, is noise.”
- Joel Beckerman, Author, Composer, Founder of Made Music.

*Content that is hyperlinked in the following sections leads to audio recordings of the specific
references

Sonic branding is what a brand sounds like, and is integral to our everyday interactions
with many brands. Think about the satisfying soosh sond ha Apple mail makes when you
click the send button, the melodic tinkle of your LG washing machine when it finishes a load of
laundry, the iconic and ambient Nefli dn dn, or Disnes signare, nosalgic, and ofen
reinened When Yo Wish Upon a Sar heme song . These are all various examples of sounds
within a sonic brand and identity. If done successfully, sonic branding can have a critical impact
on a brands sccess and is relaionship ih is adience and consmer, especi ally as we move
into a more multisensory, experience-based future.

Music and sound are universal languages that have the unique ability to connect and
inspire people to come together around a central theme or for the purpose of this thesis,
brands. Gone are the days of the hokey, overplayed, single-prpose Jingle sonic branding is

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a long-form strategy built to accommodate multiple contexts, not a merely catchy, yet rigid tactic
(Faulkner 2016).

Up to this point, sonic branding has taken a backseat to visual branding. In fact,
according to Radiocentre, as of 2015, a staggering 86% of advertisers have visual brand
guidelines, yet only 17% had audio branding guidelines (Barber, 2015). However, as we move
forward, the gap between them will begin to close and fas. This is largel de o hmanis
innate relationship with sound, the rapidly shifting technological landscape, how we as users
interact with our technology, and finally, the massive shift in needs and mindset caused by the
COVID-19 pandemic.

For the modern communication strategist, sonic branding, including sonic identities and
the podcast arena, is and will increasingly be one of the most effective ways to forge a lasting
connection between a brand and its audience a connection that is tied directly to their
heartstrings (Thundertech, 2019).

Through the insights below, we learn that sonic branding needs to be considered at the
beginning of the creative storytelling process alongside all other communication strategies as a
critical componen of a brands characer if i hopes o be sccessfl long erm.

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Section One: The Sonic Branding Experience
Part One: A Background on the Emotional Power of Sound in Storytelling

Sound is the emotional engine for any story.

Joel Beckerman, Founder of Made Music, A Global Sonic Studio, describes sounds that
break through the noise of everyday life and grab your aenion as boom momens. These are
moments in which sound triggers a powerful emotional reaction that transforms an experience in
an instant (Beckerman, 2018). Made Music is at the forefront of the sonic branding industry, and
has worked on sonic strategies for major companies across all industries such as, Disney, Hulu,
AT&T, Hyperloop, NPR, American Express, Univision and Southwest.

“Boom moments occur when businesses and people use sounds to rope in a lot of other senses,
spark memories, tell rich stories with incredible efficiency, and, most important, elicit feelings”
- Joel Beckerman, Author, Composer, Founder of Made Music.

We know, through intensive study, that sound is never neutral. It always elicits a positive or
negative emotional response. We also know that humans respond to sound faster than any other
external stimulant on average, it only takes 0.146 seconds for a human being to react to a
sound (Webster 2012). This nearly immediate response makes sound our most effective form of
communication in a time defined by short attention spans and the rise of voice technology
(Sorenson, 2019).

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The best starting point from which to examine the emotional impact of sound is Hollywood,
both because film composers have become experts at evoking audience emotion through music,
and because they are now the very experts working commercially today. For example, Joel
Beckerman, the founder of Made Music, began his career in entertainment, composing music for
popular television shows like: Entertainment Tonight, Anthony Bordain: No Reservations and 30
for 30 (IMDB), and now uses these emoionall inflenial msical skills o sole hman and
bsiness challenges sing msic and sond (Made Msic, 2021).

Aniruddh Patel, Associate Professor of Psychology at Tufts University actually studied the
comple a sond is sed in film. He fond ha i doesn merel amplif or inensif the
mood of a scene, but actually creates expectations for events that will happen later in the film
and bild associaions ha aren yet visually presented on screen. This helps the viewer
understand where they are in the story, and can change the way we interpret onscreen
relationships (Patel, 2013).

For example, Pixar is especially good at making its audiences feel something. And, it does
this not by simply playing a sad song during a sad scene, but through a long-form strategy, and
they do this by creating an overarching theme. Often, they will create a melodic theme that
represents a relationship between two characters, and choose to play it at pivotal moments
throughout the movie to connect them, and create nostalgia as the story progresses, and changes
in the plot take place. One of many examples of this strategy is illustrated in the popular Pixar
movie, Monsers Inc. The moie bilds a relaionship he adience becomes emoionall

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attached to between its main characters, Sully and Boo, by connecting all of their profound and
important moments together by replaying slight variations on the same song. They do this not
only when things are sad, but in happy moments as well. This culminates into the ultimately
heart-wrenching moment at the end of the film when Boo and Sully say their final goodbyes as
their familiar song plays in the background, helping us remember all the special moments
hee had together and the meaningful depth of their relationship (Sideways, 2016).

Not only can music be used to make us laugh or cry or feel intense emotions, but it can also
influence our behavior, which is key when approaching it from a communications perspective.
The Kellogg School of Managemen a Norhesern shared findings hee gahered in heir
podcast on the intersection of music and emotion. Derek Rucker, Professor of Marketing at
Kellogg, studied the power of songs and how they change our behavior. He did this by playing
traditionally powerful songs and traditionally less powerful songs, and watched as his test groups
varied incredibly in behavior depending on which variable the subjects were exposed to. For
example, those listening to the powerful songs were more likely to volunteer to go first in a
debate twice as often as the subject listening to the mellower music (Rucker, 2018).

To add additional statistical weight to the above, the well-known study published in the
Jornal of Applied Pscholog, The influence of in-sore msic on ine selecions fond that
when French music was played in a wine shop, the French wine sales skyrocketed by 77%. Then,
when German music was played, German wines saw a 73% spike. These statistics support the
idea that we are unconsciously impacted by music, because when people were asked at the
register why they chose their selected wine, most could not answer, nor could they recall the

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music being played (North, 1999). Furthermore, Steve Keller, CEO of iV and iV2, audio brand
conslancies based in Nashille and Frankfr, cied ha Casinos profis old drop b 24% if
they removed the sounds from their slot machines (Shultz, 2017).

A particularly relevant, albeit comic, example of a sound that significantly hurt a brand was
the compostable Sun Chips bag. It was designed to significantly reduce waste by using a bag that
would biodegrade in 14 weeks. This seemed like an innovative idea with an environmentally
friendly outcome until consumers began realizing that the chip bag was so crinkly and crunchy
that it could actually reach a decibel considered medically damaging to the human ear. Frito Lay
recalled the bag shortly after coming to the conclusion that after it was implemented, their
business sales dropped by 11% (Schwartz, 2011).

And finally, an example of a highly effective, emotional and differentiated sonic branding
experience exists within the overwhelming, hot and steamy sizzle that erupts from kitchen doors
and makes its way, in the hands of a server, through restaurant booths and directly to your table
where it continues its mouth-aering hiss. Chilis as no he first, nor the last restaurant to
utilize the fajita sizzle to entice customers, but it found a way to be the loudest, and this has
become a critical vertebrae in the spine of its success.

The sile sond is ha Joel Beckerman describes as a boom m omen disrupting
epecaions and forcing he ears aenion. I creaes a Paloian response ha makes hose
sitting in the restaurant crave those juicy fajitas more than anything else on the menu, the
moment they hear it. This enforces the fact that a well implemented sound experience (even

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hen is js a seemingl simple sond effec) has he abili o accomplish in a fe noes ha
millions of dollars in visual advertising simply cannot (Wile, 2015).

Part Two: Sonic Branding Today: A Brief History

“Sonic branding is a holistic approach to a brand’s use of music and sound across all relevant
touchpoints.” — MassiveMusic

The history of sonic branding sometimes also referred to as Audio Branding
contains the convergence of auditory culture and communication, the constantly evolving
technological landscape, and our very own biologically driven emotional response to sound.
Charles Darwin even theorized that humans began using music over 40,000 years ago to attract
mates. While this is just a theory, it would begin to give us clues as to why our emotions are so
easily manipulated by sound (Ball, 2014).

As far back as 400 AD, church bells were being used to call Christian worshippers for
prayer; in 1896 the Lumiere brothers open the first cinema only to find they could not capture
audience attention without a live orchestra which effectively propelled the theater-going
experience into an international sensation; around the same time as the cinema expanded
worldwide, the Russian Physiologist, Pavlov, discovered how to get a dog to salivate to a bell
through conditioned response (MassiveMusic, 2020); fast-forward a few decades, and the Jingle
(or short songs written to accompany radio and television ads) had become ubiquitous and

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employed by major brands like Wheaties cereal, Huggies diapers, Meow Mix cat food, Folgers
coffee and Coca-Cola among many others (Olmsted, 2016).

A key spark for our modern day sonic branding hit the masses in the 1920s, when radio
became the first electronic mass medium, and ads and music had to compete for airspace.
Because radio was considered a public service by the government, ads were banned and brands
decided to create their own music ensembles like the Lucky Strike Orchestra (MassiveMusic,
2020). In fac, he erm soap opera as coined in his era hen radio dramas ere sponsored
by soap companies to get around the ad ban (Ganninger, 2020). Then, the spark that would ignite
the sonic branding revolution came when audio and visual technology reached a point in the
1940s when music composers began creating soundtracks to films that would guide and create
powerful emotions in their audiences in a whole new way.

Fast forward to the present, where roughly every one in four adults owns a smart speaker,
with statistics projecting continued exponential growth in the years ahead (Sterling, 2020). As
voice technology becomes a household feature, and we continue to move toward a more
technologically integrated, screen-less world, finding a sonic identity will go from being one
effective marketing strategy out of many, to being absolutely essential. In 2019, Mastercard
launched a sonic identity that among other touchpoints, connected the payment experience to
their brand messaging. In 2020, Mastercard was rated by the digital marketing agency, Amp, as
the most effective sonic identity because of its consistency across all user platforms. Among the
top players in the sonic branding landscape today, including Mastercard, are McDonalds, Intel,
Shell, Apple, Google, Amazon, and Disney (Tan, 2020).

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Part Three: Is No Longer Js a Jingle the Components of a Sonic Brand

A key component of advertising in the 20th century was the jingle: a short form song
associaed ih a brand ha, according o Wal Dail, ahor of Jinglemone and hos of he
podcas Sccess ih Msic, shold inclde 1. An infecios, repeiie melod y 2. The name of
the brand, and 3. A call to action (Daily, 2017). One of the earliest examples of an effective
jingle was one written for Wheaties cereal in 1926, and ended up being such a success that it
saved Wheaties from being taken off the market altogether (Olmsted, 2016). Furthermore, the
catchy company-produced jingles attached to brands like Meow Mix Cat Food, Chia Pets,
Folgers Coffee, and Huggies diapers (to name a few) were highly prevalent in the advertising
market well into the 1990s. However, Jingles actually began a steady decline in use beginning in
the 1960s, in large part because Coca-Cola began partnering with famous musicians to create
specialized songs for commercials. One early example is Id Like o Teach he World o Sing,
a song that was written for Coca-Cola that eventually rose to the top of the pop charts. Following
this, Pepsi partnered with Michael Jackson on a 1984 campaign that was so popular that it
sparked a chain of pop star and brand partnerships. Brands partnering with famous musicians has
a long history of both success and failure, and while it is still happening, the point of this short
history briefing is that the mood of the public and the media landscape in which ads exist has
changed so much in a relatively short period of time, and has created drastic change in ad
formatting needs. So, while the company-produced jingle peaked in the mid-1900s, even in
1998, 12% of commercials still included a jingle. But in just over a single decade (by 2011) that
number dips to only 2% (Cheddar, 2020). The reason for this is the widening landscape of
television content, and the ability to skip longer ads meaning, the sounds that brands were

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using needed to change and evolve to fit the needs and time constraints of a vast media landscape
that now goes beyond cable television and traditional radio, and into social media, streaming
services, podcasts and satellite radio.

We have reached a point in branding history where the once sonic strategy champion, the
jingle, is no longer enough. To better understand the structure of a modern sonic brand, below
are the essential pieces that comprise the whole, and the purpose of each.

A Long-Form Anthem:
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people
will never forget how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou

The long-form anthem is the cohesive and meaningful piece of music that is used as the
backbone and he saring place for he res of or brands sond eperience. Adapabili is ke
here, because the anthem will be the starting place for all other sonic experiences, and the sonic
identity needs be capable of morphing to fit the needs of every evolving situation, moment in
time and mood in which it may need to appear in order to stay relevant and zeitgeist sensitive.
The goal is to make every component of your sonic brand meaningful. Make sound matter.

Aptly named, the term anhem mimics the inspiration evoked by national anthems and
o separae i from he iconic and no oerl rigid jingle. The anhem is he hole sor. I is
composed of sonic themes that can be shortened, reworked, reinvented and adapted into a nearly
endless variety of musical styles. It is basically the adhesive that binds everything together.

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Without this, brands are left with just a few notes tacked onto the end of an ad that are associated
with the visual logo. The authors of The Sonic Boom: How Sound Transforms the Way We Think,
Feel and Buy, clarify that while this might be enough for some brands that have billions of
dollars in advertising budgets to ingrain those notes into the brains of their consumer, most
businesses and brands do not have this ability, or rather, do not want to have to go this route to
be identifiable and differentiated. In sum, the anthem gives the sonic logos (described below) an
emotional context and serves as the root of the sonic strategy (Beckerman, 2018).

To put this into terms everyone can understand, consider the Harry Potter franchise.
Think about the music, composed by John Williams, that is used throughout the movie series and
into other Harry Potter experiences like merchandise and theme parks. This theme song is the
recogniable anhem and he franchises sonic ideni ssem. We all kno he main anhem,
but out of that larger musical theme they pulled the simple, sparing, magic-infused notes that
play at the beginning of each film, and send a nostalgic chill down millions of spines effectively
creating a preliminary feeling about the larger world we are about to enter.

Sonic Logo:

This is he sonic orkhorse of or sonic sraeg. Is a shor, 2 -3 second, melodic stamp
that derives from the original sonic anthem. If done well, it will encapsulate the character of the
brand in a musical note or string of notes. Here is an example of a variety of different versions of
the familiar, McDonalds sonic logo.

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Soundscape:

The soundscape is another variation of brand sound that is generally used as a
background track in physical spaces, or as holding music, or perhaps the waiting screen before
the start of a presentation.

Js becase i is inended o be a more sble presenaion of he brands sonic
experience, the intent is still to elicit emotion. What kind of emotion depends on the activity or
the context of the situation, meaning that the soundscape needs to exist in a variety of formats in
order to fit the context of the environment in need. For example, the soundscape accompanying
the launch of a new product shold differ from he one ha plas hile ore on hold ih
customer service. Here is an adio c of Ciscos hold msic, designed to put their customers at
ease while waiting to reach a customer service representative.

Transaction and Brand Navigation Sounds:

These are sounds that also derive from the anthem, and are often a single note or tone
indicating something has been sent (like the sble hoosh sond of Apples m ail app), a
transaction is complete, or something has been processed. For example, the noise a credit card
machine makes when it is ready for you to take your card, or the tinkling or beeping (depending
on the brand) a ashing machine emis hen is done ih or load of landr. There are

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plenty of opportunities to incorporae a brands signare sond is sonic brand - into
everyday life. The key is knowing when and where it will be most effective.

Voice Bank:

The idea of a voice bank is something that connects to branded podcasts, and is a
collection of recommended on-brand oice alen ha align ih he brands oerall sraeg.
Though Made Music and other sonic studios have yet to integrate the medium into the
components of a sonic strategy, it will one day be tied in as a vehicle for both traditional audio,
sonic and voice storytelling, as it has the ability to connect all modes and situations together. For
example, imagine if the voice of the man in almost every Allstate insurance commercial was
used outside of the traditional ad space and placed also in the context of an Allstate sponsored
podcast perhaps the Allstate man is the voice of the intro, or maybe they cast him as the main
host. Furthermore, what if when you called Allstate, their holding line featured his voice? These
are just a few possible ways in which brand-voice associations could be used.

See section two for an in-depth look into the arena of branded podcasting.

Music Supervision:

Just like you have Art Directors who create and oversee the visual aesthetic of a project
or campaign, Music Supervisors do a similar job, but with all the sound components and their

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specific placements in a sonic strategy for brands. Historically, Music Supervisors were more
commonly found working on films, TV and commercials and other audio-visual projects
(Watzinger, 2020). In essence, a good Music Supervisor is a strategic curator that selects and
places music in all situations, always making sure that it is on-brand, experience appropriate, and
reflective of the story and emotion you want to convey.

Transmedia Music Experiences:

And last, transmedia branding opportunities are being implemented with great effect by
the video game and film industry. Nintendo, for example, partnered with an orchestra to hold
concerts for their game music that were so popular, articles were written about how video games
will actually be responsible for saing classical msic (Needleman, 2015). Frhermore, film
and TV franchises like Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones have been blending components
of their stories with live musical performances for years, effectively increasing brand awareness
and engagement. While this is not traditionally thought of as a part of a sonic strategy, it is a
tactic that should be taken into consideration, depending on the needs of the brand or campaign.

Part Four: Key Insights into the Practice of Crafting a Sonic Identity

Crafing a sonic ideni ma seem daning a firs. Afer all, heres a good chance he
average strategic communicator working on brand management is not a musical expert ready to
compose an original score that meets the exact storytelling needs of their client. Additionally, up

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to this point, sonic identities have been the underdog strategy existing in the shadow of
written and visual strategies as illustrated by the statistic found by Radiocentre that 86% of
advertisers have a set of visual guidelines, but only 17% have the same for audio (Radiocentre,
2015). However, it is likely that the strategic communicator is also not the one in charge of the
minute details of every graphic design choice or word selection either, and yet, they can provide
insight into visual identities because they are experts in story, conveying a message, and evoking
audience or consumer emotion and attention.

Based on findings from prominent sonic branding agencies like Made Music studio,
Siximie Son, PHMG and MassiveMusic, below are some core insights used by sonic branding
strategists, and are meant to show that sonic branding can be approached and tackled similarly to
the other, more historically common communication mediums.

Have a Strategy:

Is ke o eleae the importance of your sonic strategy to the same level as every other
component of your brand identity, so that they may all work in concert. Too often, a song is
chosen at the very end, and leads to music choices that may fit an individual project, but fail to
recall the essence of the brand.

Authenticity:

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It is important to remember to stay on brand. Never pick music just because you think it
makes o or or brand seem cool or more relean. Along hese same lines, is proen crcial
to avoid picking a musician just for their audience. To cite a prime example, in 2002, Pepsi
partnered with Musician and Rapper, Ludacris, yet, after Fox News called them out for aligning
themselves with a figure that stands for "violence, intoxication, and degrading conduct toward
omen Pepsi rescinded heir parnership. We no kno ha Pepsi chose o do his despie heir
research, which showed Ludacris ranked just as high among their target audience teens, as
any past Pepsi spokesperson. On top of Pepsis behaio r being highly problematic on many
leels, Pepsis choice o parner ih Ldacris as clearl js o reach an adience he eren
able to reach previously, not because they thought their brand values were aligned with the
artistic and political choices of Ludacris (Minya-Oh, 2002).

Disrupt Expectation:

The best sonic moments are when a listener's expectations are broken, making way for
Joel Beckermans preios reference o Boom Momens. These momens spark he aenion of
the listener, and then hold that attention and turn it into a real connection and potential for action.

Silence is Power:

If a he end o pll o he sond and o don miss i, hen i sholdn be here.

Tah he Sc Tah: “Get rid of shitty sound. Life’s too short” — Hans Zimmer

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Remember that sound is never neutral. It always tells a story, so it should be used only
when it is effectively telling the intended story. Silence is also powerful, because sound is never
neutral and can easily have a negative impact for example, the sonic trash created by the Sun
Chips bag actually decreased Frito Lay sales by 11% (Beckerman, 2018).

Rethink Your Research:

Asking focus groups what they think about sound bears little weight and will likely not
yield accurate results. The focus needs to be on the unconscious reaction, since what we care
about are the emotions that lead to consumer reactions, which do not always or even often, in the
case of sond, line p ih heir conscios opinions. (DAngelo, 2017). Veritonic, a data
platform that helps brands apply the most effective audio possible, uses testing parameters like
mood and most importantly, brand recall, to measure sonic success.

Part Five: How to Measure Sonic Success

According to David Ciccarelli, the founder and Chief Executive Officer at Voices, a
leading voiceover company, measuring the success of sonic branding should be a priority for
companies. We know that sonic branding has an impact on consumer behavior, and we know
that with the rise of voice-first technology comes a wealth of opportunities for brands to engage,
but we also need data-driven results so that we can prove return on investment when engaging in
sonic strategy. However, Ciccarelli also notes that sonic branding tracking efforts are still in their

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early stages, which can make it difficult to get the answers needed to prove its efficacy. He states
ha in order o anale a sonic brand, adio conen and sonic aderising, KPIs hae o be p
in place o achiee goals ihin he digial adio reolion. (AIT Nes Desk, 2021).

However, nascent as the measurement techniques and technologies are, value is still
possible to measure. Ciccarelli and the team at Voices (similar to what Veritronic states in the
above section) believe that to quantify the performance of a sonic brand, it is necessary to
measure emotional criteria like brand engagement, trust and experience. Also, they have found
that A/B testing is also effective.

Cliens ho are mor e experienced with sonic branding are specifically testing different sonic
versions, such as generic voices against localized accents, with call-to-actions which they can
rack, Ciccarelli sas (AIT Nes Desk, 2021).

Researchers at Voices also say that the analysis of sonic branding needs to go farther than
just one sonic asset. It is clear that sound content is the driver in easily identifiable marketing
activities like podcasts and radio ads, but also for Youtube videos which can also be consmed
audio-firs. According o Ciccarelli, i ill be essenial o idenif channels in hich sonic
branding is used so that the performance can be measured using common tools like Google
Analytics and Tag Management.

Veritronic, as stated above, is an audio intelligence platform that analyzes brand sonic
logos. This year (2021), they processed files using algorithms to identify trends, strengths and

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weaknesses to compile the latest findings into their 2021 competitive intelligence report. To do
this, it captured the reactions of about 3,700 people across the US and the UK in Q1 of 2021.
Those being tested listened to audio logos and scored them each based on a range of attributes
(for eample, happ). Then, he ere asked o idenif he compan/brand and ind stry of
each sonic logo and their degree of familiarity. Because recall is such a large measure of success
for a sonic brand, they were contacted two days after their initial testing and asked if they
remembered the logo speed of recall was also tracked. The algorithm platform then was able
to calculate the overall score and all the sub-scores of each sonic logo by combining emotional
response and the subsequent recall (Veritronic, 2021).

Part Six: Business Rationale for Sonic Branding
“You can close your eyes … but you can’t close your ears.” — Greg Boosin, Executive Vice
President, Mastercard

So, as strategic communicators working today, what do we know about the proven
business cause and effects of sonic branding that will help us convince clients that having a sonic
ideni is he ke o sanding o in odas croded commercial landscape? Well, les sar
with some statistics about how people are responding to brands using sounds: In a study
conducted by PHMG, a global audio branding agency, an incredible 66% of consumers answered
that they believe music in marketing is more memorable than visuals (PHMG, 2021).
Furthermore, a study by Katz Marketing recently found that the theme music for FOX NFL

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Football was responsible for inducing excitement and anticipation in people, which not only
keeps them watching, but it also clearly forges a lasting connection between the consumer and
the brand by enhancing recall as proven by the finding that 79% of consumers in the study
correctly identified the brand through the sound (Katz Marketing, 2020). These high percentages
are actually just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to marking the efficacy of sonic branding,
and e kno his becase people aren onl saing ha he remember brands sing msi c
better than those without, they are actually unconsciously reacting to the music in ways that are
beneficial to brands.

First and foremost comes the impact that music has on emotion, because our emotions
have been shown to incite action (Tiexiera, 2012). In a sd iled Emoion -Induced
Engagemen in Inerne Video Aderisemens, researchers fond ha in or informaion age
the goal is now to affect change in emotions on an unconscious level, because there is a limit to
how much our conscious brain can pay attention to. It has also been found that the unconscious
brain can process 500,000 imes more informaion per/second han he conscios mind (Lipon
2015). As saed in Par One, aboe, he nconscios poer of msic is eiden in he sd The
influence of in-sore msic on ine selecions, here French ine sales skrockeed b 77%
when French music was played, even though the people could not recall what was being played
in the store while they were shopping, after they had exited the space (North, 1999).

Perhaps the biggest selling point for most brand leaders when it comes to deciding on an
effective brand strategy is the bottom line, and sonic branding is no stranger to having a massive
impact on sales. In fact, Nearly 40 years ago, in 1982, a research study was conducted on how

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background music affects the behavior of grocery shoppers and the results were astounding. It
was found that there was a staggering 34% increase in the time shoppers spent in the grocery
store when certain music was played, which significantly increased the amount of sales.
Basically, when the most effective music was played, in this case, slower tempo songs, shoppers
spent longer in the activity on average, and there was a $4,000 increase in sales compared to no
music, or music that was too fast in tempo (Milliman, 1982). This study was reconfirmed in a
follow up done more recently, in 2011 (Knoferle, 2011). Furthermore, according to a study by
Leicester University, brands that use music that is authentic to their identity are not only 96%
more likel o be recalled b he consmer (compared o brands ha don se msic ha fis
heir ideni, or a all), b also consmers ere 24% more likel o prchase he brands
products (Leicester University, 2008). While it is clear that effective sonic branding can have a
massive impact on consumer behavior, affecting their emotions and inciting them to purchase, it
can have additional positive effects such as speeding up consumption and increasing the
willingness to pay, which are other ways to increase volume of sales. For example, in a study
trying to determine the impact that environmental music had on drinking behavior, researchers
tested the presence versus the absence of music, high versus low tempo and varying styles of
music linked to different levels of alcohol consumption. The results showed that a higher sound
volume led to an increase in alcohol consumption and also reduced the amount of time it took to
drink a glass (Guéguen, 2020). Another relevant example of behavioral impact is in a study
pblished b he Jornal of Prodc & Brand Managemen, here i as fond ha he nmber
and pes of ones ha make p an adio logo, or ha he call a sogo (a sonic logo) can
hae an impac on peoples ill ingness to pay for a product. In the study, six notes performed

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better than logos with more or less notes (Krishnan, 2012). Both of these examples illustrate how
the strategic use of music and sound in different settings can impact behavior.

Lastly, from a brand performance standpoint, while we know that music can have a
significan impac on he emoion of an eperience, according o Temkin Grop, Compared
with customers who have negative emotional experiences, those with positive emotional
experiences are more than 6 times as likely to buy more, more than 12 times as likely to
recommend the company, and more than 5 times as likely to forgive the company for a misake
(Tempkin Group, 2016).
Section Two: Branded Podcasting
Part One: An Introduction: What is Branded Podcasting?

Put simply, the podcast biz is booming “with over 900,000 active podcasts and 4,000 new shows
appearing every week, podcasting has transitioned into a core component of the audio market.”
(Ross, 2021).

What is a branded podcast? A branded podcast can be many things, but is commonly
thought of as an online radio show produced not by a media company, but a non-media brand
created with marketing in mind, and driven by brand-authentic storytelling (Backtracks, 2020).

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What are they good for? Branded podcasts are effective as long-term strategic brand
building and brand-customer relationship building, but not valuable as a way of gaining
followers on other social media platforms. To measure the effectiveness of a podcast against
engagements garnered on other platforms like social media, is ultimately useless because the
mediums are different and their roles are distinct and should be differentiated. For example,
Acast UK, a Swedish-founded company that provides hosting, monetization and growth support
o podcass, fond ha based on a sample of si of or branded podcass las ear, he lisen -
through rate was more than 28 minutes an incredibl high figre ha od srggle o come
close to with any other branded content format. Podcasts are an active experience for the listener;
a lean -in momen and a choice hee consciosl made. And, een for branded shos, e
find ha he majori of people are lisening o mliple episodes (Preson, 2021). These figres
suggest that podcasts, like no other communication medium, hold the key to retention, and in
doing so, have a unique opportunity to hold consumer attention and take the time to tell
meaningful brand stories.

An example of a creatively executed long-form strategy branded podcas is 2 Minutes of
Zen b he oohpase compan, Zendim. 2 Mines of Zen is an ongoing series designed o
give you quick and easy wellness activities for yo o do hile ore brshing or eeh
serving as a way for people to pass the time while brushing, and also gaining something beyond
oral health in the process (Preston, 2021). By bringing in top health and wellness experts, the
podcast guides you through mindfulness exercises and muscle strengthening routines all for the
proper and recommended length of time (2 minutes) it takes to brush your teeth. This format
highlights how much room for creativity and experimentation exists when thinking about how to

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begin using audio to promote a brand. It is not limited to ads, sponsorship, or even the traditional
radio talk show format, but can be customized in any number of ways to stay effective and build
a lasting relationship between brand and listening consumer.

Every good brand has a distinct personality, and podcasts are a vehicle to bring that
personality to life. While there are many forms of strategic communication under the PESO
(Payed, Earned, Shared and Owned media) model, two big ones under the podcasting
opportunity umbrella are thought leadership (owned) and advertising (paid media). While
insights pages, case studies, white papers and branded blogs are still effective mechanisms for
geing or brands prpose and offerings o here, podcasing is a rising opportunity for
humanizing a brand story and building lasting relationships with consumers due to the emotional
power of sound and voice (Volpe, 2020). See the PESO model below for a visual reference point
for where podcasting fits into an overall communications strategy plan.

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Part Two: Emotion + Information: The Rise of the Branded Podcast
“Consumers spend roughly the same amount of time on video as they do on audio. Video is
about a trillion dollar market. And the music and radio industry is worth around a hundred
billion dollars. I always come back to the same question: Are our eyes really worth 10 times
more than our ears? I firmly believe this is not the case.”
- Daniel Ek CEO, Spotify

Podcasts have been on the rise in recent years thanks to the changing technological and
media landscape. In the course of only 10 years, the amount of American households with a
radio has been nearly severed in half. In 2008, 94% of homes had a radio and that number dipped
to just 50% in 2018. This is because in just a decade, we have moved from broadcast to
streaming platforms. In 2019 alone, Spotify acquired Gimlet, Anchor and Paracast (large podcast
producers), Luminary dbbed Nefli for Podcasing as released. Pandora added podcass
to its platform, Google included podcasts in its search function, Apple released a desktop podcast
app, and finally, Spotify brought podcasting into its app (Balter, 2019). What says podcasting is
here to stay perhaps more than any other indicator is a statement by Zack Weneau-Wedeen of
Google Podcas saing or eams mission is o help doble he amon of podcas lisening
oer he ne cople of ears.

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Here are 6 key reasons for the recent rise in podcast popularity, and what it means for
brands today:

1. Listening to Podcasts Saves Time

Unlike every other form of entertainment media, the format of the podcast lends itself to a
multitasking lifestyle. Audio content is easy to consume while doing other things, from
commuting, to exercising, to doing the dishes at night and pretty much anything in between. In a
recent study conducted by Brandtastic, it was found that 49% of podcast listening happens at
home, 22% while driving, 11% at work, and 8% exercising (Ben, 2021). Podcast audio content
allows listeners the ability to consume content without having to stop the everyday flow of their
lives and responsibilities, which allows them to stay up to date on news and other stories without
having to sit down and give their sole attention to a book or to the TV.

Furthermore, because listening to podcasts often feels like an intimate experience for many
consumers given they are listened to during time spent doing chores at home and other solo
activities, an authentic relationship is formed between the podcast and the listener. This is
important for communicators because it creates an opening for delivering brand messages that
directly connect to the consumer, not only through trust, but also because it is reaching them in
imes hen branded conen oldn normall b e able to (Burrelles, 2021).

2. There is Something for Everyone

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A major reason for the boom in podcast listening is the recent surge in content, that has been
largely fueled by the COVID19 pandemic.

For example, in a study done by Forbes it was found tha in Febrar 2021, here ere
1,750,000 podcasts with over 43 million episodes available, up from 18.5 million in 2018.
During the pandemic there was a surge in the number of podcast launches with millions
(inclding man big name celebriies) qaranined. (Adgae, 2021).

With this sharp rise in content, communicators and marketers have the chance to pinpoint
exactly what their consumers are listening to, which helps them decide where to place their ads,
sponsorships, and how to tailor their own branded podcast content in order to attract their target
demographic.

3. High Accessibility for Creators

I simpl doesn cos mch mone o sar a podcas, hich is good nes for sorellers and
brands that have tighter budgets or simply want to test the audio waters without over investing.

According to CNET, an American media outlet focused on technology, all one needs to start
a podcast is your voice and your phone (Broida, 2016). Since podcasting is easy to do at home
(both for listeners and creators) it has been the perfect outlet for people who could not engage
with other forms of media like live shows and theaters, as well as for all those unable to work on

28

film, stages and television sets due to stay at home orders during the pandemic. This created a
viable alternative to large productions in 2020 and 2021, and helped contribute to the boom in
audio content.

4. Mobile Devices Rule the World

“By the end of 2020 it was estimated that 50% of all web searches were voice activated and
there were over four billion devices with voice technology. This trend will double to eight billion
in just three years” (Soundout.com, 2020).

The finding above is staggering, yet is supported by the fact that 48.33% of he orlds
population owns a smartphone has 3.8 Billion sers ih access o oice echnolog, hich
is up from 2.5 Billion only 5 years ago in 2016 (Bankmycell.com, 2021).

Even amidst the COVID19 pandemic with many people working from home and no
longer commuting, the primary method people use to listen to podcasts is still their smartphones.
Despite the reality that many people have laptop and desktop computers, iPads, smart speaker
devices like Google Home and Alexa, people continue to use their smartphones to listen to their
audio content. It has been found that up to 63% of listeners use their phone as their default
listening device, while only about 18% listen in through their computers and iPads or tablets.

This is interesting to note because it means that while the pandemic has increased the
popularity of podcasts immensely, it is still our preference to consume audio on our phones, even

29

while at home ultimately indicating that we will continue to listen even when we are back to
commuting and hopping locations more frequently (SFGate, 2021).

5. Emotional Connections Run Deep

While podcasts vary in content as well as length and frequency of publishing, they are always
there for us to listen to whenever we choose, which is a benefit both in and outside of the
pandemic context. B in he pandemic, podcass hae been here for liseners hen hee been
stressed, scared, uncertain and often isolated. The familiar voices of our favorite hosts have been
a balm offering escapism and comfort anytime it is needed during the day. Rather than
listenership declining without the daily commutes, listening times have just shifted to being more
even throughout the week rather than spiking at popular activity times pre-COVID.

When it comes to marketing and advertising during the pandemic, there haven’t been many
silver linings so far, but the widespread adoption and popularity of podcasting has been one of
them.” (Burrelles, 2021).

The Efficacy of Podcast Audience Capture:

A recent study commissioned by BBC Storyworks called, Audio: Activated, was carried
out across four continents by neuroscience researchers at Neuro-Insight, and it was found that
branded podcasts are uniquely effective in capturing the attention of their audiences.

30

In fact, they found that branded content within podcasts even just in the form of ads
actually stand out, with great success, from the other content. For example, brand mentions in
podcasts deliver on average 16% higher engagement and 12% higher memory encoding than the
surrounding content. They think the reason for this could be that the podcast environment is
generally conversational in nature which creates an easy and open space for brand mentions.
Another key insight was that not only do brand mentions stand out and stick in the listeners
mind, but just the existence of the podcast itself is conducive to reaching people who actively
aoid ads, for eample, of hose in he sds sample, heir engagemen, emoional inensi and
memory recall around brand mentions trumped TV mentions by about 22% proving that
podcasts are an effective vehicle for brands to reach harder to engage audiences.

“This study provides real empirical evidence demonstrating the opportunity in the audio space
for brands, and partnering with experts in this space offers an exciting and effective way for
them to reach audiences in a genuinely meaningful way.”
- Richard Pattinson, SVP BBC StoryWorks
The next important thing to know is, who is listening? The key to a brands sccess in
podcasting is knowing who its listeners are. Things like who they admire, what other shows they
listen to, when and where they typically listen, why they are interested in your content and how
they will find it in the first place.

According to a study done by HubSpot, approximately 73 million people listen to
podcasts on a monthly basis, and 48 million listen on a weekly basis. They also concluded that

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the average podcast listener is Millennial, or between the ages of 18 and 34 years old, 30% have
a graduate or advanced degree, and listen to five or more hours of podcasts each week.

And ha, on aerage, is he adience doing hile lisening? In BBC SorWorks
Audio: Activated study, it was uncovered that podcast listeners are extremely active. Around
94% of listeners tune in while doing other tasks. According to their findings, 61% listened while
doing chores at home, 55% listened while driving, and lesser but still prominent percentages
listened while exercising, shopping and running errands. Whas mos ineresing abo his is
that the activity actually increased the receptiveness of the listener in all categories
engagement, emotional intensity, and long term memory. Compounding on this data is the
unique placement of the podcas in peoples dail lies people listen to podcasts at times that
are not traditional opportunities for advertising since they are being consumed while
multitasking, making the podcast arena an uniquely additive form of outreach for brands looking
for engagement in hard to reach audience segments.

When it comes to communicators for brands looking to enter the podcasting landscape,
the format of options is actually quite inclusive to varying capabilities and scopes. Just like
thought leadership blogs that rely on written content, podcasts can take the form of a seasonal
show or mini-series, or could be ongoing, depending on how much bandwidth is available. When
compared to other forms of advertising, a branded podcast actually costs a lot less and is fairly
easy to measure in terms of effectiveness (Zaidi, 2020).

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Two examples of branded podcast experiences that have had a massive impact on the
compan image and boom line are he sor of McDonalds no infamos sace PR disaser
turned podcast, and Microsofs 2015 release of Halo 5: Gardians.

In 2018, McDonalds decided o bring back a sper -limied bach of Sechan sace
that they has originally introduced 20 years earlier as a promotion tactic for the Disney film,
Mulan. However, its supply could not meet the demand and riots actually broke out at many
McDonalds locaions hich qickl dosed he brand in a sea of negaie pblici. To coner
his, McDonalds prodced a limied, 3 -episode branded podcas called The Sace hich
effectively switched the media narrative away from negativity and onto the podcast
(Vijayakumar, 2020).

The next example is when, in 2015, Microsoft produced an audio archive and docu-diary
called Hn he Trh o creae fan hpe for he release of Halo 5: Gardia ns, a popular video
game with a cult following. The results were that the first season of Hunt the Truth won a Bronze
Clio Award in the audio drama category and a Shorty award and it got over 6.7 million views
which put it in the top 1% of iTunes podcasts. In the opening week, the game ended up grossing
more that $400 million which surpassed the previous Halo game by $1 million (Vijayakumar,
2020).

In conclusion, audio storytelling has undeniable brand benefits and beats out nearly all
other forms of media in terms of time and engagement as well as creating space for highly
effective audio ads. This opens up a massive opportunity for brands to tap into a large, young

33

and growing audience of consumers that will, if technology continues on its current trajectory,
continue to increasingly consume audio content. Brands have a wide open opportunity to
establish themselves as thought leaders and content producers in an arena that is fairly
inexpensive to enter, and where it is proven that consumers are listening.

Part Three: [Interview] Kaelyn Moore, TV Development Manager at Ace
Entertainment

Kaelyn Moore is the TV Development Manager at Ace Entertainment, an entertainment
company focused on making feature films, television series, and digital content for youth
audiences. Kaelyn has a unique perspective on the future of branded podcasting because an
essential component of her role at Ace involves consuming new forms of media, analyzing
trends and turning these findings into leads, and eventually, TV shows and films such as the Are
You Afraid of the Dark? series as well as the To All he Bos Ie Loed Before film and its
sequels now on Netflix.

Key Questions:

Holly Palmer: What is your relationship to the world of podcasting on a personal level?
Considering factors like when, how and where you listen, as well as whether you think it is
supplementary or complementary to other forms of entertainment you consume?

34

Kaelyn Moore: Personally, I listen to a lot of podcasts outside of work. I always have something
on hen Im cleaning, geing read for bed, or righ hen I ake p and am geing read for
the day. They cover a wide array of topics (news, true crime, educational, comedy, etc) and I
tend to listen at about 1.5 speed, because I get frustrated if I feel like I could be reading the
informaion faser han Im lisening o i. Is probabl an efficienc hing. For me, lisening o
podcasts fills a different bucket for me than traditional scripted television. I tend to gravitate
towards real events and educational podcasts, whereas television serves more of a narrative or
escapist purpose.

Holly Palmer: Have you been impacted or influenced by the audio advertisements you hear in
podcasts? Do you think this has a substantial impression? Why or why not?

Kaelyn Moore: Since he ads are on podcass Im ineresed in, he end o be for hings I may
potentially buy as though they are tailor made for my personal taste. There have been many
imes Ie sed discon codes Ie heard in adio ads for pro ducts I ended up buying. I think
when the hosts integrate the promotions into their podcast sort of making it sound like a
naral conersaional plg, raher han oo scriped, has hen i reall ges me. No dissimilar
to advertorial v. editorial articles - someimes o don noice he difference righ aa, and
has hen he are effecie.

Holly Palmer: In terms of the business of entertainment, what are you looking for in a podcast?
What podcasts stand out to you, and why? Also where do you see all of this headed in the future?

35

Kaelyn Moore: Ace Enerainmen prodces ong adl films like To All The Bos I Loed
Before (on Nefli), so Im alas looking for scriped dramas fearing ong people ih
catchy hooks, typically in the genre space, and not created by companies that have production
arms.

Enerainmen eecies are so desperae for IP ha someimes hell make podcass
themselves just as a way to generate IP. You see this in podcast companies like Q Code, which is
the podcasting arm of Automatik, a production company that has a TV deal with Amazon.
Before hose podcass een ge released, someimes here alread se p as seasons of
television on Amazon.

Podcass aren limied b prodcion bdges o ell sories, s o ones that feature interesting
orlds ha aren oo epensie are reall enicing. If ore js elling a sor ih adio, o
can set the whole thing in space and not need $10 million an episode like you would in
eleision. Tha means heres a on of great things to mine, but not everything is viable. A lot of
scriped podcass also don hae hge adiences. I hink ha ill change in he ne fe ears,
b righ no heres no adio dramas ha hae an adience like Game of Thrones.

Holly Palmer: What do you think makes audio as a form of storytelling so effective, especially
compared to other media formats?

36

Kaelyn Moore: Theres acall a lo ha makes i an ineffecie ehicle for sorelling. Yo
can sho anhing, so a lo of or sc rip ends p being characers eplaining has
happening. Production value has gone up a lot over the last few years and now there's a lot more
sond design happening, and sage acors ha haen been orking in coid hae made heir
way to podcasting, so for not a lot of money you can have a pretty high quality product. Audio
dramas are also grea becase o can aach reall high leel alen becase hell onl need o
work for a day, and they can record their whole part at home.

Holly Palmer: At what point do you think podcasting will hit a wall? Do you think its
effectiveness as a fresh and new form of storytelling level out? Why or why not?

Kaelyn Moore: Thas a grea qesion and as of righ no, Im no sre. Theres a lo of ne
formats popping p in enerainmen, and ere alas ring o figre o ha is a fad s. ha
has legs. Quibi was pouring billions of dollars into top level talent, and it completely failed. Then
you have something like Tik Tok, which anyone can make and you are incredibly limited in your
conen becase o onl hae 60 seconds, and in some as has he mos imporan plaform
in entertainment right now (sorry, Netflix). Unscripted podcasts will be around forever. I think
True Crime is the denim jacket of entertainment- ill neer go o of sle - and podcasts are so
perfect for that type of story. I think people also legitimately enjoy getting their news from a
sorce he can lisen o on he go. Im no coninced ha people ill eer leae heir sreaming
devices to listen to a story on a podcast.

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Part Four: Evolving Social Audio-Communication Landscapes

Taking a closer look at the landscape of podcasting, we can see the hierarchy of players
and their corresponding audience size. From largest reach to smallest reach: Media companies
like iHeart Media, The New York Times, NPR and Slate. Podcast production companies like
Gimlet, Wondery, WaitWhat and Cadence13. Large independent podcasts, often run by
celebrities like Joe Rogan, Tim Ferris, etc. Non-Media business and non-profits like Duolingo,
HubSpot and HBR. And then the hobbyist creator: anyone can create a podcast about whatever
he an, gien he prodcion needs are so minimal. This is he orld of ha ell call
traditional podcasting, the podcasting we are most familiar with, the podcasting that is streamed
radio talk shows, news reporting and a whole world of storytelling, but what happens when it
becomes social?

To find o, ell sar b aking a brief look a he crren offerings, and hen go deeper
into insights gathered based on the emergence and use of several existing audio-based social
media plaforms, inclding Clbhose, Discord, Waae, Spoon, Riffr and Tiers Adio
Spaces sill in deelopmen.

Discord: A community based social network app that allows users to create and join what it calls
serers'' or on -going chat rooms. Servers can be either private or public. Discord began as a big
point of connection between gamers in the esports community, but has since expanded beyond

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that. While chat rooms can be audio only, users can also screenshare, share content, text and
video chat as well.

Waave: Different from the others, Waave is an app that enables users to upload their audio
content and create easily shareable videos for posting to other social media platforms. This
makes it more of an audio-video content creation tool for social platforms.

Spoon: An adio lie sreaming and podcas plaform. On heir ebsie, Spoon saes ha i is
an audio live streaming platform that makes sharing your voice easy. Listen to live streams,
msic, podcass, and chill ih ne friends!

Riffr: A Micro -Podcasing App. Riffr enables sers o easil record and edi heir on shor
form podcasts, and post it to the site under a variety of categories that listeners can search and
browse, as well as the ability to share it with followers - hence he social par of he app
experience (Riffr.com).

Te Ad Sace: Similar o Clbhose, b eising nder he name Spaces is anoher
social-audio experience in its nascent testing phase - allowing a small number of users to enter
and se i firs. Annoncing is release, Tier saed ha the human voice can bring a layer of
connectivity to Twitter through emotion, nuance and empathy often lost in text. We see this with
voice tweets & voice dms. sometimes 280 isn't enough, and voice gives people another way to
join he conersaion.

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Clubhouse: A social-networking app that was just released globally on Android platforms
(Cohen, 2021), where users can join chat rooms created by other users on a number of topics.
While participation is a big part of the user experience, it is hierarchical, and gives the moderator
control over who is brought out of the audience and onto the speaker panel.

On March 17th, 2021, Clubhouse celebrated its one-year anniversary. After only being
active for a single year, it has risen to success and prominence with nearly 13 million downloads
from the Apple store alone, this is substantial especially because the app is currently invite-only.

40

In addition to opening up to everyone, Clubhouse plans to begin a program to promote voices to
help them gain prominence in the app and to also monetize their efforts - this will insure these
voices stay loyal to Clubhouse as other larger social media companies like Twitter begin to
launch their own platforms. (Brito, 2021).

Though there is still speculation into why social audio platforms are seeing such success,
i is belieed o be in par de o he pandemics imp ac on eerones social lies, as e look for
new, safe ways to engage on a more personal level, as well as just the ever-evolving nature of
our technological landscape (See Section Three for details).

Regardless of the reason, Clubhouse is certainly rife with opportunities for brands
looking to connect with their customers, as well as a way to build new relationships. In a sea of
brands on Linkedin, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, Clubhouse provides a fresh opportunity to
connect in a new, intimate way.

For example, IHOP recently opened a room on Clubhouse where you could listen to their
new thick cut bacon sizzle on the grill all day creating an enticing and creative sensory
eperience for anone in he form or room as i is referred o on he a pp. This is not dissimilar
o Chilis faorie sile sonic eperience, e i proes ha here is sill room for
experimentation and simple sound opportunities across emerging platforms (Williams, 2021).
Furthermore, an intellectual property attorney was answering questions from an audience in a
Clubhouse room dedicated to startups and by the end of the conversation, she had connected with
20 new clients. This specific example is just one that shows the platform enables real-world

41

connections that lead to business opportunities. Additionally, the former CEO and president of
Focs Brands (paren compan of Cinnabon), Ka Cole, hoss a eekl office hors room o
give people business advice and also send listeners free Cinnabons, which, according to a source
for the Social Media Examiner, in a feat of successful brand awareness had pretty much every
room on Clubhouse chatting about Cinnabon. And finally, brands are now entering the space as
sponsors for rooms. Bite Toothpaste sponsored a room where the company founders shared their
story, and they gained 30 new customers (Stelzner, 2021).

Part Five: Effectively using Music in Podcasts:

“We don't add the music until we know exactly what we want to say. First, figure out what your
story is, write and record it, and then add the score.” - The Students’ Podcast, NPR

In every element of branding, the choices made need to connect to the story you are
trying to tell in order to forge an authentic emotional link between the brand and its consumer
audience. With the audio and music it is no different. When considering what kind of music to
use in their podcasts, the team at NPR always starts with the story first - what is the theme? The
mood? The message they are looking to convey? Sometimes, the answer is no music at all, and
oher imes msic is added and reall enhances he liseners eperience, b i is alas a case
by case basis (Pierre, 2020).

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Ramtin Arablouei, a composer and co-host and co-producer of NPR's podcast
Throughline, stresses the importance of how less is actually more when it comes to music in
podcasts. He says that you want something that reflects the emotions of the podcast, but that
doesn ake aa, or oerhelm he lisener, ho is here for he conen of he podcas, no he
supplementary music that plays in the intro and outro (Sound Design 101, 2020). This concept is
in line ih Joel Beckermans (Composer and Fonder of Made Msic Sdio) saemen ha
sound is never neutral, so while it can enhance and boost customer retention rates significantly, it
is a powerful tool that needs to be used carefully.

All this considered, there are ways to use music in podcasts to hook the listener,
differentiate segments of the show, as well as from other podcasts with similar themes, and to
create a one-of-a-kind listening experience. The first thing to understand is that the music used in
a podcast is another version of a sonic strategy that is composed of different, smaller pieces. In
podcasts, there are typically 3 main subtypes:

Intro Music:
Intro music is the opening song at the beginning of the podcast, and often fades out as the voices
of the storytellers fade in. Briana Craig, the DJ who created all the music in the Messy.fm
library, says tha inro msic is criicall imporan becase i 's the first piece of audio that the
listener is going to hear, so it's important to solidify a distinct mood and sound to represent that
pariclar podcas sho or song.

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Segment Change Music:
Segment change music signals that one segment has ended and that the show is moving onto the
next one. It is used to mark a transition, so that the listener understands the podcast is continuing,
but changing gears.

Outro Music:
Outro music is the piece played at the very end of the episode. Craig states that effective outro
music is reductive, in that it is a song that slowly diminishes so that at the end of the track, only
the main melody remains. This gives the listener a feeling of closure, so that they know the
episode is done, and who produced it.

(Beck, 2018).

Section Three: The Future of Sound and Branding
Part One: New Intuitive Tech Opens Up Space for Sound Experiences

“After years of visual dominance, people are now ready to enter a new era – the Decade of
Sound. Technology is a powerful enabler for this shift as it intensifies and diversifies how we
listen.” — Harman “Future of Listening” Report, August 2019.

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Audio communication is having a major comeback, and voice-first technology like
Alexa, Siri and Google Home are a driving force, but the power and the ease of voice technology
also appeals to our most natural instincts. In fact, HARMAN and Futuresource Consulting
conducted a study with more than 8,000 consumers across six countries concerning he fre of
lisening and he resls onl confirmed he rise of adio echnolog and is impac on or
emotions: 91% believe music eases everyday pressures, 90% consider sound an integral part of
life, and 57% report their music consumption has increased compared to a year ago (Harman,
2019).

The focus of the future will be on intuitive interactions with technology. The generations
that have grown up fully immersed in the age of internet and mobile, hand held technology are so
used to its convenience, that they embrace voice enabled technology that allows them to
naturally converse with their digital assistants without the need to swipe, click or tap. Kit
Yarrow, author of Decoding the New Consumer Mind, found that intuitive technology caters to
or miniscle aenion spans becase e don hae he paience for more analog forms of
interaction (Yarrow, 2014). Wavemaker, a global media agency, has been tracking how
consumers and brands are using voice technology and have found that while most people who
own voice assistants are relatively limited in the way they use them (60% use them for music
onl), here is also an appeie for eperimenaion (Saon, 2018). I rns o ha arond 12%
of people are using voice assistants to order food and taxi services, while the same percentage
ask for brand information through them. It also turns out that. 13% of people have learned
something new through their assistants, whether it be through asking a question or listening to
audio content (Saxon, 2018).

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In a more touchless, intuitive and voice first world, an opportunity opens up for brands to
differentiate themselves using sonic branding. Made Music, a Global Sonic Studio, stresses the
imporance of he eperience no js he singlar sond or isa l cue, which is the direction
technology is headed as well to larger, more connected, more immersive experiences.

On the branding side, many companies are utilizing voice technology to great creative
and conenien effec hrogh Amaons Alea. For e ample, Dominos allos sers o order
their pizza and talk to its AI-powered brand character, Dom, who is fun, often cheeky and
increasingly interactive in terms of responding to customer questions (Saxon, 2018). Patron
Tequila also recently partnered with Amazon to bring its recipe library to consumers through
voice activation (Williams 2017). And Tide (the laundry detergent brand), offers highly detailed,
step-by-step voice instructions on how to remove over 200 kinds of stains (Kalyan, 2018).

A recent example of where we are headed, as well as an opportunity to use sonic
branding and identity within a larger experience in order to forge an emotional connection lies in
BMWs aomoie sclpre ha he brand debed a he 2020 Consmer Elecronics Sho w
(CES). The BMW i Interaction EASE is a physical prototype concept that illustrates the future of
autonomous driving and embedded, touchless, eye tracking technology. The technology is meant
to disappear into the natural materials in order to create a gentle, ephemeral presence of its
Inelligen Personal Assisan ha gides o hrogh he space and he eperience. Wha does
sound have to do with this? The BMW team actually commissioned famous cinematic film
composer, Hans Zimmer, to create a soundscape for the Interaction EASE. Zimmer states that

46

sond nderlines he sol of eerhing (Zimmer, 2020) in a video talking about working with
the BMW team to create the sounds of the future in relation to electric mobility - cars that make
virtually no sound, and are a blank slate for automotive sonic brand opportunities.
For Zimmer, that goal was to create sounds that "support the unique BMW experience."

Part Two: [Interview]: Natalie Linden, Creative Lead + Project Manager,
Designworks, A BMW Group Company
Natalie Linden is a Project Manager that specializes in model builds at Designworks, A
BMW Grop Compan. One of he compans core fncions is o sere as a fre -first think
tank for he BMW grop, and has been inoled in he design of some of BMWs mos frisic
concepts. They have a unique perspective on the future of sound experiences as leading team
members on the design of the BMW i Interaction EASE automotive sculpture that debuted at
CES 2020. The sculpture embodies the future of embedded, screen-less technology that relies
heavily on sound experiences that were created and composed by Renzo Vitale and Hans
Zimmer.

Key Questions:

Holly Palmer: Can you talk a little bit about the sound experience in the EASE sculpture? What
was the aim? What was the outcome?

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Natalie Linden: The goal for the sound experience in the BMW i Interaction EASE was to
create an environment where the user/passenger can curate their sound experience. They have
the option to remove all exterior sound and even visuals of the outside world and fully immerse
themselves into the sculpture. Our goal was to exhibit how we see vehicle autonomy in the
fre and ho ha ill change peoples relaionships ith their cars, the outside world and their
sound experience.

Holly Palmer: Why do you think BMW chose to partner with Hans Zimmer?

Natalie Linden: BMWs primar goal is alas qali of boh prodc and ep erience with a
partner like Hans Zimmer, BMW will ensure that the sound engineering for our vehicles is
eacl ha. As a eam, e joked ha i had o be Hans Zimmer becase hes German, b in
reality the decision making process was a lot deeper than that. Zimmer is one of the most prolific
film composers in the world, and he specializes in combining electronic music with traditional
orchestral works. We felt that this kind of genre mixing is exactly where we are headed on a user
experience level - where we are embedding natural materials (the orchestra) and technology
(electronic music) to create the most comfortable, natural and human friendly environments we
can.

Holly Palmer: In terms of sound and brands, what opportunities exist in the future? What do
you see happening next?

Natalie Linden: Sound opportunities in the future for automotive brands in particular is
interesting. For so long people have used sound cues to indicate the power of an engine or even

48

to tell them if their car is on/off or if something is wrong. Electrification removes this sound
pollion and gies he aomaker he chance o creae a sond ideni b also ms
appropriael compensae for he lack of sond. Is a oid ha ms be filled and carefl
orchestration of that sound is crucial to the overall experience a customer will have with their
vehicle.

Holly Palmer: Being familiar with the BMW Brand, what do you think an electric car might
sound like in the future, and why? Are their trend influences that indicate one direction over
another?

Natalie Linden: BMW specifically is known for quality and performance. Our cars go fast, the louder
they are the faster they are. This is why we have created sub-brands like M and i. M is performance a
driers car, hil e i is or elecric brand hich is leading s ino a more ssainable and eco -friendly
future. Over time, I believe our main focus will continue in that direction and sound design can be part of
how we communicate our message of performance and quality in a new way.

Holly Palmer: What do you expect/what would you like to see in terms of brand sounds as users
and as future thinkers? How would this change the way we interact with our tech as well as each
other?

Natalie Linden: Referring back to EASE another primary focus for us was to show how you
could interact with your technology without the use of buttons or touch screens. For example
navigating with hand gestures, your gaze and of course, your voice. This will be how our
relationship with our tech will start to change over time and in the vehicle is a great opportunity.

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Part Four: COVID19 Era Impacted Sonic Branding and Sound Experiences
“If you can’t make your audience feel something authentic right now, you’re getting left behind.
And nobody wants to be known as a pre-COVID brand.” — Made Music Studio.

Though sound in branding was already on the rise prior to the outbreak of the COVID19
pandemic in March of 2020, it may be the event that propels it into even greater relevance.

We know that sound provides a direct connective line to our heartstrings, moving us in
ways we cannot perceive even well enough to provide accurate information when questioned
about it directly. And yet, sound is being used to influence our behavior because audio cues can
reach us faster than any other sensory experience, as well as being capable of us in times when
we are multitasking or somewhere where we may not be able to look at a screen, give something
our full attention, or in times when the only thing that feels right in the world is to disappear into
noise.

Sound is a powerful medium, and during COVID it has served as a meaningful point of
connection often the only touchstone people isolated in city apartments can have with their
neighbors and the outside world. All across the globe, people have leaned out their balconies and
sat on their porches and shared music with their neighbors, whether it be a solo performance or a
call and response style choir where people sing together out their open windows. In many

50

locations, 8pm would strike and people would go out onto their balconies and porches and bang
on pots and pans while cheering to show their support for all the frontline workers out there
laboring to keep us healthy and safe.

While Zendims 2 mines of Zen podcas can definiel be caegoried ino he realm
of an experiential branding opportunity it is providing an accompaniment to a routine
commonly adhered to morning and night, that was before the prominence of podcasts, for brands
at least, a dead space. The podcast provides entertainment, as well as shaping the experience of
brshing ones eeh, ih he aim of enhancing he liseners eperience, hile also bilding a
lasting relationship with a current or potential customer. Expanding on this, Sound Artist, Ellen
Reid, has created sound experiences to accompany park-goers. Her audio-accompaniment to
nature walks has a direct link to wellness, a state people were craving in a seemingly never
ending, event-packed year. By necessity, being outdoors in the lockdown became one of the best
ways to get out and stay active while remaining safe and socially distant. Similarly, sound baths
and meditation podcasts have been on the rise over the past year as well (Vankin 2021).

For brands, the era of COVID has caused a kind of reckoning. People, now more than ever, are
looking for moments of humanity, and have no patience for inauthenticity or attempts at
pretending everything is fine and just as it was before the pandemic.

It was shown through a study done with Sentient Decision Science in 2020, globally
recognized pioneer in the automation of behavioral science, that brands with sonic logos that
conveyed calm yet determined hopefulness did better than those that had fun, pop-like tunes.

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Many brands took this suggestion in the wrong direction though, and instead of leaning heavily
into their brand purpose, they used sad, meaningless music in their advertising in an attempt to
feel empathetic and relevant, which only ended up hurting their campaigns. For a trip back to
early 2020, here is a video Microsoft Sam created of all the sad, meaningless melodies brands
used in ads when they were unsuccessfully trying to convey understanding to their consumers
eperiencing lockdons: Every COVID19 Commercial is exactly the same. Similarl
ineffective were Ads produced before the lockdown, which were so deeply incongruous with the
times we were experiencing that they were impossible to connect with.

While these brand mistakes highlight many creative choices, not just sound, Made Music
Studio zeroes in on some ways to avoid these inauthentic pitfalls in the future:

1. Think of your brand as the hero in the present historic moment in time, and consider its
role and persona. For example, is it a serious leader, comedic relief, a comforting friend,
pet or relative? Once you define its role, then you can choose the music that best reflects
this in the current moment. An incredibly strong and well received example of
storytelling and music choice recently is his Ad, iled For When Is Time b Era
gum. Era sed Is All Coming Back b Celine Dion o accompan a moing
comeback story - both for Extra, a product that largely relies on human-human interaction
for its product to sell, but for all of us as well.
2. Silence is powerful, and it is deeply human. Not every single moment needs a sound, and
brands that understand this leave space for us to rest without ad clutter. In the age of

52

COVID19, the less things feel produced, the more empathetic they feel polished is
simply not where we are right now.
3. Music and sound can be healing, so tone is particularly important to consider. People are
trapped in their apartment and houses every single day, often in close quarters with
famil members in as hee neer eperienced before, adding a lo of ne and
chaotic energy to their lives. Brands need to be considerate of this, and adapt their tones
o be empaheic, friendl, real, conersaional and self -aare. No elling. (Made
Music Studio, 2020).

Conclusion: Why Audio is the Future of Branding: A Summation of
Findings.

"You know when someone says that a piece of music 'touched me' or 'moved me,' it's very literal.
The sound of my voice enters your ear canal and it's moving your eardrum. That's a very
intimate act. I am very literally touching you, and when you speak to me, you are literally
touching me.” — Daniel Bernard Roumain, Composer and Violinist.

In her book, The Poer of Msic, Elena Mannes sdies ho deepl rooed hmanis
connection to music goes. Through a series of interviews, Mannes discovers that even though
sound is often overlooked as a powerful tool because of the visual-centric nature of our world, it
is now known that the ear actually has advantages over the eye. For example, the eye can be
controlled you can shut it, or look the other way using only your natural body control,

53

whereas the ear is not possible to turn off without the aid of headphones or other external
devices. Sound literally penetrates the human body, and on top of that, we also respond to it
faster than any other sense (Mannes, 2011).

Sound is now being used to highlight a broad variety of product experiences, from
appliances to cars to our nature walks. Made Music Studio, a studio composed of experts in sonic
branding, believe that as our lives become increasingly digitally connected, and the flow of
information is able to happen more intangibly, we will rely less on visual cues of recognition and
more on audio. For example, now that we have Apple pay and other digital wallet platforms, we
don een need o se he phsical card ih our bank logo on it all we need to do is tap our
phone to a kiosk, and the transaction is over. While we were already on the more convenient,
touchless track before 2020, the need for cleanliness has only accelerated it. A statistic that
bolsters this is that, according to Voicebot.ai, there are approximately 66 million smart speakers
like Google Home and Alexa in the U.S., with more than 25% of the country owning one.
Additionally, 64% of Americans now listen to audio for an average of 50 minutes per day (IAB,
2020).

As discussed in the above sections, there are a lot of new players entering the audio
branding arena in a multitude of formats. Below is a summary of key information useful for the
strategic communicator looking to employ audio in their branding strategies.

Emotion is Power:

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Always remember that sonic experiences are emotional at their core. Made Music Studio
in conjunction with Sentient Decision Science found an 86% correlation between how sound
makes people feel and whether or not they would want to avoid or repeat the experience in the
future.

Consider the Parts and the Sum:

A cohesive sonic identity is more important than a catchy jingle or sonic logo used at the
end of ads. The power of sonic branding lies in its ability to tap into consumer emotions in a
variety of circumstances and experiences, so while a sonic logo at the end of a podcast may be
sccessfl in ha momen, i on be as sccessfl in eer momen. A brands sonic ideni
should be cohesive and connect across all customer touchpoints and interactions. The goal is to
hae each piece be a par of one oerarching ssem ha ells he brands specific sor. To sa
true to this goal, it is important to ask what emotions and behaviors you want to trigger in each
environment that your brand appears in for example, what should your app sound like when it
sends a notification? Every scenario needs to be considered, from hold soundtracks to stage
entrance music.

Just like a complete visual identity, a sonic one needs careful consideration, time and
resorces o deelop so ha i can effeciel ell a brands sor. And js like isal sraegies,
sonic strategies must be capable of changing to fit the needs of the time. To be able to evolve
with its customers and brand as big shifts happen. Made Music Studio uses the example of iconic
visual logos, like the Nike swoosh as examples of components that have generated steady

55

recognition over time it is built to last, but does change color, placement and animation to
bring it new life in new circumstances (Design Rush, 2020).

Stay On Brand and Consider Cultural Ethos:

As with any other brand messaging tactic, you must tell your story in an authentic way
that also resonates with the current time. We now know that using artists just to reach their fan
base is ineffecie and can backfire if he ariss image and ales do no align ih or brands
image and ales. In Pepsis case, sing Ldacris onl o pll him he second he faced
criticism from popular media ha didn agree ih ha Ldacris sood for made Pepsi look like
i didn hae an idea ha i sood for. While his as bad in 2002, i is safe o sa ha as
consumers become more sensitive to brand authenticity 90% of millennials designate
authenticity as a crucial factor when deciding which brands to patronize, and the statistics stay
high with 85% of Gen Xers and 80% of Boomers finding authenticity as important as well
(Dudley 2021) his kind of misake cold be enogh o deasae a brand s image today.

Space for Creative Experimentation:

Audio opportunities are growing exponentially due to many factors: The rise of touchless
technology, screen fatigue, the prominence of devices with voice technology, the data that shows
how effective sound can be in creating emotional connections, the age of electric, autonomous
mobility, and how it is a medium that allows us to take in new information while multitasking.
As this growth continues, we see a rise in new platforms, like social audio apps like Clubhouse,

56

as well as brands that are finding creative ways to authentically engage their audiences through
podcasting. Zendium toothpaste provides healthy entertainment for the 2 minutes it should take
to brush your teeth, and Casper, the mattress company, hosts a podcast that focuses on the
science of sleep and dreaming. These are just two examples of the ways in which strategic
communicators can create meaningful and on-brand audio content.

Making the Business Case:
As Greg Boosin, Executive Vice Presiden of Masercard saed o can close or ees,
b o can close or ears. While here are man creaie opporniies in odas digiall
interactive landscape to inject a brand sonic identity, the bottom line is that music and sound
impacts emotion, which incites behavioral change in consumers. This is the why attached to the
how. Sonic branding is proven to be capable of reaching consumers faster than visuals,
increasing brand recall and recognition, influencing shoppers to shop longer and bar-goers to
drink faster and as a result, buy more product, improve consumer trust, and increase a
consmers illingness o pa and improe heir mood hile doing i.

I Cc: D M O he Sd Re

Soundout, a leader in music testing, found that by the end of 2020, 50% of all web
searches were voice activated, and there were more than four billion devices with voice
technology. A trend they estimate will double to eight billion in only three years (Soundout,
2020). Knowing sound technology is growing exponentially, and that it has the power to
influence our behavior as shown in studies referenced above, such as French music boosting

57

French wine sales, powerful songs creating more confident speakers, and the comedic failure of
Frio Las composable Sn Chips bag makes it a powerful tool in branding, capable of
reaching consumers while they engage in activities that usually make them difficult to brands to
reach. As eplored in he aboe secions, sond impacs peoples mood s, sparks an emotional
response, and influences behavior, and if done effectively, can drive consumer action, strengthen
brand loyalty, differentiate a company from competitors, grab consumer attention without visual
cues, and inspire a positive emotional connection to a brand. This opens up a world of audio
experiential storytelling opportunities and that will help brands build connections with their
consumers, or rather, their listeners.

As a modern communicator now aware of the prevalence of voice technology, the power
of sond and ho o se i, don nderesimae sonic brandings abili o creae a srong and
lasting emotional connection between consumer and brand in ways that are scientifically more
effective than other forms of strategic branding. Simpl p, in odas increasingl sond -
drien, compeiie orld, a brands ideni is insfficien iho he sraegic se of msic and
sond. Sonic ideni is a sond sraeg ha encompasses all ochpoins of he brands ser
experience, and quite literally, gives it a voice that lays a foundation for creating emotional
connections that will transform brand experiences.
“Sound, I believe, is the next frontier in business, storytelling and movements. It’s an untapped
layer of opportunity... But sound hasn’t been harnessed at scale — as a tool for human
connection. The people who realize this will benefit tremendously.” — Joel Beckerman,
Founder, Composer and Producer at Made Music, A Global Sonic Studio

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Asset Metadata

Creator Palmer, Holly Brianna (author)

Core Title The future of branding: capturing audiences through sound experiences & podcasting, an exploratory guide for today's strategic communicator

School Annenberg School for Communication

Degree Master of Arts

Degree Program Strategic Public Relations

Degree Conferral Date 2021-08

Publication Date 07/25/2021

Defense Date 07/22/2021

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag audio landscapes,branding,Future,intuitive technology,jingle,multisensory,OAI-PMH Harvest,podcasting,social media,sonic branding,sonic identity,sonic studio,sound experiences,sound strategy,strategic communication

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Leveque, Matthew K. (committee chair), Cook, Fred (committee member), Jones, Stephen (committee member)

Creator Email hbpalmer@usc.edu,hollybrianna8@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-oUC15621175

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Rights Palmer, Holly Brianna

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

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