People perceive brands as a set of expectations. Beliefs about how a brand will perform, as an extention of their identity. As such, consumers are fuelled by the memories, emotions and stories that hold your brand together.

When confronted with choice, we instinctively seek out those brands we trust. Those that live up to our expectations. Repeatedly. But that’s only half the battle. To become memorable, a brand first needs to be recognised.

Most brands understand that this is achieved through consistency, embracing a distinct look and feel. However, there’s one aspect of human sensory perception that’s holding the most potential: sound.

Music is an illusion. There’s nothing inherent to a combination of notes that makes us smile, sing or dance. It’s only when humans impose meaning on it that music transforms from a given set of frequencies to the powerful force we experience it to be.

Music taps in to our deepest emotions. It triggers whole narratives reflective of our lives, our loves, our fears, our desires. Similarly, music provides us with strong cues to memories that are otherwise more difficult to retrieve. And at its core, music is a shared human experience that connects us to others more easily.

For a simple illusion, that’s one impressive accomplishment.

The road that leads consumers to your brand is paved with associations. Now, given the growing output of branded content and an increasingly audio-enabled future, your brand needs more than a jingle or a sonic logo.

You need your own sound. Your own combination of timbre, pitch and rhythm that makes your brand stand out in an authentic way. Instantly recognisable. To be applied in a coherent way, so any time your audience interacts with your brand, it comes across in a familiar manner.

Yes, it does require an effort to make all of this happen. But making music work for your brand is not expensive. It’s going unnoticed that will cost you.