Small sounds, big impact: sonic logos and their effect on consumer attitudes, emotions, brands and advertising placement

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to show how sonic logos, despite their brief exposure time, resonate with consumers’ emotions and attitudes in a manner that until now has been attributed to only longer background music in advertising. The moderating role of sonic logo placement within the ad (beginning versus ending) and the mediating role of emotion felt after exposure to the brand and advertisement are also explored. Design/methodology/approach An expansion on sonic logo research is completed through two experiments testing nine hypotheses. A pretest is also conducted to create two orthogonal sonic logos (sad sonic logo and happy sonic logo) which are then used in the two experiments. Findings Participants had higher attitude scores for an advertisement that had a happy sonic logo over the ad that had a sad sonic logo. These consumer attitudes are mediated by emotion felt because of the exposure to the brand and advertisement and are moderated by placement of the sonic logo within the ad. Placement drove more positive consumer attitudes of a sad sonic logo at the beginning and a happy sonic logo at the end of the advertisement. Practical implications Given the short nature of a sonic logo, sonic logo placement in the advertisement is shown to change consumer perceptions. This effect uncovers an important aspect of placement of the sonic logo in the advertisement which gives practitioners a means of application. Furthermore, consumer emotions drive these strong attitudes despite the short exposure times of the sonic logo. Originality/value This paper expands upon the limited sonic logo research and shows how the short exposure time of a sonic logo can have the same emotional qualities as long-form music, previously reserved for background music in advertising. In addition, by uncovering the mediating relationship of emotion felt after exposure to the brand and advertisement, it is shown how these short audio branding elements can help shape emotion and consumer attitude toward brands. Finally, altering placement of the sonic logo can enhance consumer attitudes of the advertisement and brand.

The role of sonic logos in enhancing brand recall and recognition

“…That logic would seem to be supported by a recent study by Anglada-Tort, Schofield, Trahan, and Müllensiefen (2022), which shows that associating a well-known musical cue with a product can positively influence the customer's choice of brand. Another thing to keep in mind about this is the latest research by Scott et al (2022) which indicates that happy sonic logos work better at the conclusion of an advertisement to improve the attitude of consumers toward the brand, while sad sonic logos work better at the beginning.…”

Sonic branding: A narrative review at the intersection of art and science

“…Volumes have been written on the relationship between music, sound, emotions, and mood, and how this research might be used to develop taxonomies of sound and emotion (Hu, 2010;Kim et al, 2010;Vandana et al, 2019), including the impact of the design of sonic assets on the listener's emotions and brand perception (Bonde & Hansen, 2013;Mas, 2019;Mas et al, 2021;Scott et al, 2022). As music and sound have the power to evoke emotions and memories, More generally, semiotics refers to the study of the meaning of signs (Barthes, 1977;Chandler, 2017;Danesi, 2013;Mick, 1986;Plasschaert, 1995).…”

“…they can be used to create emotional connections with brands which can, in turn, increase brand salience and recall (Iyer & Aggarwal, 2019;Scott et al, 2022;Wazir & Wazir, 2015). Studies drawn from the fields of music/auditory cognition have revealed how specific auditory elements, such as timbre, pitch, and rhythm, can all influence brand perception (Mas, 2019;Mas et al, 2021;Techawachirakul et al, 2023b;Zoghaib et al, 2023; see also Motoki, Park, et al, 2023).…”

“…Volumes have been written on the relationship between music, sound, emotions, and mood, and how this research might be used to develop taxonomies of sound and emotion (Hu, 2010; Kim et al, 2010; Vandana et al, 2019), including the impact of the design of sonic assets on the listener's emotions and brand perception (Bonde & Hansen, 2013; Mas, 2019; Mas et al, 2021; Scott et al, 2022). As music and sound have the power to evoke emotions and memories, they can be used to create emotional connections with brands which can, in turn, increase brand salience and recall (Iyer & Aggarwal, 2019; Scott et al, 2022; Wazir & Wazir, 2015). Studies drawn from the fields of music/auditory cognition have revealed how specific auditory elements, such as timbre, pitch, and rhythm, can all influence brand perception (Mas, 2019; Mas et al, 2021; Techawachirakul et al, 2023b; Zoghaib et al, 2023; see also Motoki, Pathak, et al, 2022; Motoki, Park, et al, 2023).…”

“…In turn, the distinct sonic assets that are used to create a holistic sonic identity are also referred to by a variety of monikers. These include the sonic logo (a short sequence of notes, sound effects, and/or vocalizations that, when heard, helps to bring a brand top‐of‐mind for those consumers who hear it), which can also be referred to as audio logos, sound logos, “mogos” (i.e., music logos), and “sogos” (i.e., sound logos; Kim, 2020; Krishnan et al, 2012; Scott et al, 2022; Techawachirakul et al, 2023b), as well as brand themes, brand voices, functional sounds, soundscapes, and even distinctive product sounds (Keller & Spence, 2023). These sonic assets can be used individually, or in combination, to help establish a sonic brand identity.…”