Music Branding — 2023.04.19

Sound Branding and Music Branding: What’s The Difference?

Understand how these tools can drive marketing and help your brand grow

We have previously explained what Sound Branding is and the benefits it can bring to your brand. However, there is another powerful tool for communication, user experience (Sound UX), and improving marketing results. We’re referring to Music Branding, a potent way to create and expand the sonic and musical identity of your brand and foster emotional connections with your audiences.

What is Music Branding?

Have you ever left a store or a public space because the music was unpleasant to your ears? Or have you stayed longer because the music was enjoyable? Sound is everywhere, and it attracts or repels us, even if we’re not consciously aware of it. Music Branding involves creating the ambient music for physical or digital spaces, based on the brand’s personality, purpose, and values, while also considering customers’ perception of the brand.

Before we embark on Music Branding, we conduct a comprehensive study that includes brand diagnosis, competitor analysis, translation of the brand’s personality into musical attributes, and based on this investigation, we establish guidelines that will inform the curation of ambient music in stores and the creation of a radio channel. This radio channel broadcasts relevant sonic content for your business, focusing on providing the best sound experience for users (Sound UX), such as music, messages, jingles, spots, or soundscapes.

How to Implement Music Branding?

The methodology for creating Music Branding follows the same principles as Sound Branding. However, this project is more agile and typically lasts around one month. The ambient music is integrated into a customized radio channel that is played in your physical spaces, stores, or within your company, with the aim of providing customers and employees with the best sound experience.

While Sound Branding involves creating original music tailored to the brand, Music Branding involves curating existing music from artists around the world. From there, we create the ambient music for your stores according to the established guidelines, ensuring it evokes positive emotions in people.

Ambient music stimulates emotions, creates a connection, and activates the brand’s emotional memory in customers and employees, potentially influencing purchasing decisions by up to 28%.

One example we would like to mention is the Music Branding project we developed for St Marche supermarket. We studied the brand, created a selection of ambient music for their stores, and designed an exclusive radio channel that accompanies the customer journey.

One striking element of this project is the verbal communication that has become highly recognized by customers through brand voice messages, delivered in a relaxed and approachable tone, which enhances the shopping experience. Many customers recognize the voice and even engage in conversations with it, requesting the ambient music to be played at their events.

The ambient music accompanies customers in all 21 St Marche stores, located in upscale neighborhoods of São Paulo, such as Brooklin, Alphaville, Higienópolis, and Mooca. The “Brazilian” setting, for instance, ensures the presence of national artists in the playlist, ranging from traditional Brazilian music genres like “chorinho” to contemporary artists such as Céu, Marisa Monte, Celso Fonseca, and Tulipa Ruiz, as well as classic bands like Novos Baianos and Mutantes.

Each brand will have specific needs. If your brand is an advertiser with physical stores, you will require Sound and Music Branding. If you have only points of sale, Music

Branding will be your greatest ally. If your company communicates through digital and traditional media or has a strong internal marketing strategy, you will need Sound Branding. Both tools can help expand your brand’s presence across different platforms.

If you want to dive into Sound Branding and Music Branding, Zanna’s book is available. You can also get to know some of the clients we worked with or get in touch with us.

4 Benefits of Sound Branding for Your Brand

Conhecido também como “identidade sonora”, o Sound Branding é uma ferramenta extremamente útil para aproximar a marca do público e fazer com que ela seja identificada apenas pelo som.