Beyond the Jingle: How to Make Sonic Branding Sing

So often in advertising, we think of audio branding as a musical sting - a three or four note phrase - tasked with summing up the entirety of a brand’s identity in a short burst. 

I’ve always believed that the audio components that are meant to define a brand can, and should, be taken so much further. 

Think of any great cinematic score: the movie’s overall tone and messaging distinctly colours the entire composition, so that almost any snippet, even heard out of context, recalls the film it belongs to. We can apply the same sonic strategy to our radio, TVC, and online commercials to ensure that a brand’s personality is audible throughout.

That’s exactly what we at Rajakovic Electric strive for in our radio work for Longo’s, a Canadian grocer. In close partnership with the brand, as well as the wonderful creative team at Conflict, we bake a distinct sonic identity into every second of every spot that we release - so far, that’s roughly twelve spots a year for the past four years. 

We achieve this by keeping three key elements consistent.

A Signature Soundtrack

The best way to create a sonic identity is to gather as much relevant information as possible about what the brand and agency have in mind for the messaging type and tone. In this case, Longo’s CEO, Anthony Longo, was set to provide the voiceover, so we knew the music had to be the perfect companion to his unique delivery and personality: playful, sincere, and simple - and the perfect landing pad for a well-timed dad joke.

The original music we composed specifically for Longo’s has underscored every spot we’ve worked on for the past four years; it’s a technique usually reserved for TV series title sequences.

Since the overall track is this distinctive, we can afford to vary the instrumentation to fit the mood at different times of year. Nothing’s more festive than sleigh bells during the holidays!

Above: Longo's 'Peach Tree'

Voiceover

The voiceover for Longo’s is always delivered by its CEO, Anthony Longo. 

Usually, I’d guide a trained actor to fit the brand message, but for Longo’s, we shape every peripheral element to fit a real person’s vibe. This is made especially easy given that the agency’s writers craft the scripts specifically to suit Anthony’s voice and delivery.

As he’s not a seasoned voice actor, his performances convey a relatable charm. I’d encourage everyone to keep things human in this way - if there’s a slightly odd delivery or pronunciation of a word, avoid the temptation to automatically remove it. Some of these little imperfections create a more enjoyable listen. (Imagine editing out all of the mannerisms in a Jeff Goldblum performance, for example.)

Structure and Timing

The final defining consistency comes from structure and timing. In the script, for example, a signature framework can come from an opening greeting, a slight pause for a joke, and a closing brand message. It’s best to keep things short and sweet - wall to wall voiceover in a radio spot can jeopardise a listener’s ability to take away any sort of message.

Once we’re happy with a new read from Anthony, I usually finesse the timing of the music to complement with the structure of the spot. This may require holding off a musical section from coming in until the topic changes in the script, or making sure that there’s a well-timed dropout to bring attention to a joke.

Above: Longo's 'Lobsterfest'

There’s such a huge value to crafting a unique and consistent sonic palette for each brand. It may be the crucial element that provides context for listeners who only catch a snippet; the only vehicle for conveying the brand identity without the name ever having to be spoken.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio.