Sound and Brand

Sound has a major impact on how we perceive moments. The effects of different sounds as a soundscape is creating an atmosphere for us, which has a great affect on our perception. If we take the sonic atmosphere of a working space, a fancy restaurant or a premium spa as a qualitative attribute of the places, we must consider this attribute in online space as well.

“As Internet technologies develop, sound will be easily accessible over the Web. It will become a critical component in website design, and will be a differentiating element in the success of websites and brands online. Headspace, a leader in music and sound technology on the Internet, and Cheskin Research, a premiere market research firm, sought to understand how sound impacts brand perception and identity in the Web environment.” (Chelskin Research 1999)

By comparing visual and acoustic stimuli impact on participants in a laboratory experiment (sometimes in familiar environments), Cheskin Research’s findings have been significant to identify impacts of different stimuli or their combined application in a web context.

Their methodology included:
(1) Recognition and Identification, (2) Imagery Communication, (3) Decade Association and (4) Impact of Sound in the Office.

After proceeding in their study and analyzing their results, the scientists from Chelskin Research concluded the findings in the following list:

• The effective use of audio alone can equal the impact of the visual (logo) on brand imagery
  Therefore, those who want to develop a brand presence on the web should be concerned with audio
  However, while an audio representation of a brand is important, it is not a “silver bullet.”
• Brands are more easily identified through visual stimuli
• Audio can have a negative impact on brand imagery

Intel:

• Audio is at parity with visual and combo on imagery attributes
• This shows the potential impact of audio alone on brand imagery

HeadSpace:

• Adding audio to visual (combo) pulls down positive imagery associations with visual representation of the brand

Chelskin Research suggests:
“In an internet environment, the use of audio alone can be as important as a brand’s visual mark in communicating brand attributes. Brand recognition is significant with sound alone. In the future, web developers must consider audio as a part of the entire brand experience.

When designing the audio brand signature, it’s critical that existing brand attributes be understood and that sound express these attributes. Sound can just as easily have a negative impact on brand as a positive impact.”