The Sound of Luxury: How Sonic Branding is Shaping Brand Identity

For owners of Ferrari's new all-electric Luce, the sound of the engine is a key consideration. However, significant attention has also been paid to the sounds within the cabin, a task undertaken by Emmy-winning composer Nick Wood. "From the engine start to indicators and warning tones, these are very simple noises. But they had to have a Ferrari feel to them, not sound generic like your open fridge door," Wood explains, referring to the Luce's "sonic universe" he designed. Each sound is crafted from live recordings of organic sources – including pianos, cellos, percussive elements, and the distinctive growl of vintage Ferraris – all meticulously manipulated in Wood's Tokyo studio. "The importance of sound can come across as so nebulous that it can be hard to validate," Wood notes. "Brands are unsure about how to approach it. They’re all about cool video but have, until recently, no consistent identity for the way they sound. But, from product sounds – like those the Luce makes – to the music played at events, the idea of what’s called sonic branding is something more of them are waking up to." Wood, a pioneer in the field, has previously collaborated with brands such as Chanel, Fiat, Uniqlo, Apple, and the spa at Claridge’s hotel, creating sound pieces ranging from a few seconds to several hours. The concept of brands associating themselves with a sound is not new. Russell Boiarsky of Stephen Arnold Music, a firm that has developed sonic identities for Airbnb, CNN, and UPS, points out that the first radio jingle, for General Mills’ Wheaties cereal, aired a century ago. "But the difference is that jingles were meant to be earworms that you couldn’t forget whether you liked them or not, which is not always a positive thing. Sonic branding is about expressing the values of a brand through sound," Boiarsky clarifies. Examples like Netflix’s startup "ta-dum," designed to evoke drama, or McDonald’s "I’m Lovin’ It" riff, intended to convey fun and positivity, illustrate successful sonic branding. Boiarsky adds, "The challenges are that it’s already a noisy world, so brands don’t want to bombard their customers with yet more." The emergence of a "sound-off economy," where individuals opt for silent devices, and the limited attention spans of audiences, present further hurdles. "And audiences are already stretched thin for attention, so brands may have less than a couple of seconds to cut through." Nevertheless, studies indicate that effective sonic branding can be highly impactful. Hearing is one of the brain's fastest processing senses, and sound is deeply linked to emotion and memory. As Wood highlights, sounds can endure in our minds long after visual elements fade, allowing associated brands to resonate deeply. At London's Claridge’s hotel, sound is an integral part of the luxury experience. Repetition aids in embedding brand associations, though as few as five exposures might suffice if a sound is expertly designed. Research is increasingly substantiating the effectiveness of sonic branding, moving it beyond subjective perception. "Brands are excited to hear that there is science behind this, that it’s not just witchcraft," Boiarsky remarks. Stephen Arnold Music collaborates with SoundOut, a UK-based platform specializing in music testing and sonic brand analysis, to ensure sonic logos and tracks align with brand personality, emotional impact, and distinctiveness. Their annual benchmark study tracks recognition and recall of sonic brands, and the company is now utilizing AI models to correlate specific sounds with particular emotions. Ferrari's all-electric Luce features a distinct sonic identity, with elements like its indicators and warning tones crafted to embody the marque's character. Boiarsky emphasizes that such insights are not intended for aggressive manipulation, unlike the historical use of background "muzak." Instead, he views AI as a tool to augment a composer's creativity, similar to how AI can generate music that may lack the essential human touch for lasting appeal. This philosophy drives Stephen Arnold Music to often record with orchestras, seeking an authentic sound, even when synthesisers could be used. The human element is also personally significant, as both Wood and Boiarsky are recording artists. Unmute, a Copenhagen-based "creative sound agency," shares this approach, having developed the sound logo for Imax cinemas globally. This agency recently spent a year creating a new sonic identity for Danske Bank, Denmark's largest retail bank, aiming for a suitably Nordic feel without sounding generic. They even commissioned a bespoke piano with unique audio cues, featuring two strings per note instead of the standard one to three, producing what they describe as a "cleaner" sound. This instrument is now a feature in the bank's headquarters lobby. Chris Watson recorded alligators for National Geographic’s sonic identity, created by Syn with guitarist David Torn. "The work here is to translate a brand into meaningful sound, which will become part of that brand for years to come, so actually it’s a very big decision, rather like changing a logo," explains Unmute co-founder and sonic director Simon Kringel. While sound has only gained recognition as a core brand element in the last five years, Kringel anticipates its importance will grow as our lives become more digital. It is no coincidence that many recognizable sonic brands belong to technology companies like Google and Nintendo, which have had a head start. "The move from print to digital platforms, and the fact that the way we interact with so many brands now is through websites and increasingly ‘gamified’ apps, means that the opportunity for sound is there, as well as the need for a sonic identity and user-friendliness," Kringel states. "The questions for any brand to understand are: ‘How do we sound as a company?’, ‘How do we sound different from our competitors?’ and ‘How can people make a connection to us when they’re only listening?’"