Sounds Like a Distinctive Brand Asset: 3 Ways to Increase the Neuro-Richness of Your Campaign Using Audio

The Neuro-Rich Series: Part 1
This is the first piece in a new series around developing neuro-rich assets to ensure your brand is as memorable as possible.

Marketing science has shown that a, “neuro-rich campaign heightens the long-term processing of the campaign in memory.” But, whilst the findings are new, the techniques are something that advertising creatives have been drawing upon for many years.

We start our series on neuro-rich assets with one of the most effective, yet often overlooked elements; audio. Here are 3 different ways that you can use sounds to build a memorable brand.

Bring Back the Jingle

It’s amazing how the jingle has been largely dismissed as an old technique in today’s advertising given they were, and still are, so powerful. So powerful in fact, that we can recall jingles that haven’t run in decades:

The classic jingles are what the German’s call an Ohrwurm (earworm). They stick in your head long after the ad has played. And, beyond the music itself, many use the brand name to ensure that it’s more likely to be linked to the brand.

We’re big fans of the jingle and believe with the right production partners you can develop jingles that are both fresh and long-lasting.

Here’s a new one we developed for our client Right2Drive:

The Sound of Music  

Just like the jingle, music in general can be a powerful asset for a brand. If it’s a licensed music track there are some important questions that need to be asked. Can the brand own it as a distinctive asset? Is it something that will be viable over a number of years or is it just a great fit for the idea itself?

The perfect but very rare outcome is when the song itself becomes associated with the brand. At the very least though, ensure that it isn’t going to be associated with another brand. So, if another brand has used it before just avoid it altogether.

Say Your Name, Say Your Name

In the age of the mobile it’s amazing how many brands forget to do something as simple as having a VO say the brand’s name at the end of a TVC. By ticking this simple box, it means that even if you only have the partial attention of a viewer who’s also browsing on their mobile, there’s still a chance of the brand being attributed to the spot.

The ScienceFiction Tip:
Treat your TVC like a radio ad to ensure you’ve got all bases covered.