Understanding Consumer Influence: Audio Branding for the Holidays

“Yeah, there’s a real opportunity here. I mean there’s a trend here in the conversation that we talk about the nostalgia and these spots that keep coming back. There’s equity in that. There’s, I mean, the giant equity. Even in a seasonal piece of music. It really is the subjects that we talk about in for what it boils down to this consistency and persistency. And even if you’re you know, Colleen, you’re 100% right, you know they have to be ready for this, they have to be ready to roll this out to all their touch points and it also has to be their brand. But I mean, think of the immense power that it’s going to wield year after year when it’s implemented consistently.” -- Adam Pleiman

This episode is the second half of my Audio Branding for the Holidays discussion with sonic strategist and author Jeanna Isham, creative director and Grammy-nominated engineer Adam Pleiman, author and creative executive Colleen Fahey, and Soundwise sound strategist John Sanfilippo, as we discuss the changing habits of online consumers, the unique power of audio to tap into holiday nostalgia, and the value of authenticity as machine-generated content becomes the norm in marketing.

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(0:00:01) - Music and Branding for Holidays

As the second half of our discussion starts, we talk about music in advertising, particularly during the holiday season. “I like Colleen’s idea of bringing being a little more worldly,” John says, “and bringing new compositions into the mix. I think we’re due for some new melodies just in the whole Christmas soundscape.” We discuss the impact of music on consumer behavior, referencing the well-known study of playing French music in a wine store to boost sales of French wine, and how the interactive nature of sound on such social media platforms like TikTok can help music marketing go viral. “I would love to see some of these really fun TikTokers that did these creative things with Home Depot,” Jeanna adds. “I’d love to see them come up with something more clever than Jingle Bells.”

(0:08:55) - Sonic Branding’s Power of Emotional Connection

We also examine the power of nostalgia and consistency in sonic branding and discuss the impact of using familiar songs and jingles in commercials. “I mean, there’s a trend here in the conversation that we talk about the nostalgia and these spots that keep coming back,” Adam notes. “There’s equity in that. There’s, I mean, there’s giant equity, even in a seasonal piece of music.” We also touch on the missed opportunity for brands to use their sonic identity to stand out and adapt to different situations, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. “It did show how little personality some of these brands had,” Jeanna says, “because they didn’t know how to portray themselves.” “I often liken it to personal relationships,” John observes, “like, the deeper you can connect with yourself, the deeper you can connect with other people. That’s true in personal relationships and it’s true in business.”

(0:15:13) - Exploring Audio Branding and Cultural Adaptation

We also consider the role of authenticity during the holiday season, and how AI content is becoming both more common and more controversial in the branding industry. Maima also joins the conversation with an intriguing question about striking the right balance between diversity and inclusion in sound, and how to reach the most people while retaining a distinctive voice. “If you’re forcing something,” Jeanna says, “it’s not working. The great thing about audio is that it’s a subtle thing, right, like if you do audio right, you’re not really noticing anything, it just feels right. You know, because it’s again. It’s about expression.” John agrees and, as our holiday discussion comes to a close, adds, “I think that there’s a cyclical thing that happens as well, because if you are authentic and you express yourself in an authentic way, you’re going to attract a certain type of person anyway to your brand.”

Episode Summary