Your Brain On Sound
Sound Interrupts the “Noise” of Visual Marketing
What is the effect of sound on our brains? Is it more powerful than visual stimulation? Is it a welcomed “distraction” from all the things around us taking up our attention?
Nowadays we have a LOT of visual stimulation. Between all the different computer screens, smart phones, social media platforms, and even around town billboards, we’ve got a lot to look at.
Our eyes get tired from all that information and eventually we need to give them a rest.
Enter sound.
“Sound frees you from being tethered to a screen and allows you to enjoy the real world a little bit more.” says Rachel Lowenstein, Partner and Director of Inclusive Innovation at Mindshare.
This is especially important to note as we begin emerging from our quarantine and stay at home order stupors. We’re all Zoomed and Skyped out and we need some fresh air. We put on our earbuds or our headphones and go for a walk. We draw in a big clean deep breath staring up at the sky while still tuning in to our favorite podcast or playlist.
We still want that digital connection; we just want to be released from how we absorb it.
Sound As A Savior
MindShare put together an online series several years back called Media Dystopia, a hyperbolic view of the future, that I highly recommend. They got a lot of their guesses right!
One episode in particular that caught my eye was Season Two Episode 2 Sound As A Savior. In this episode, Rachel and the team discuss the landscape of our digital present. We are bombarded by visual stimulation through our media devices. It’s a lot. And at a certain point, we need to put it down, untether ourselves from a screen, and step back into reality (and I’m not referring to virtual).
The episode goes on to argue the case for sound. We now have so much sound content out there, through such things as podcasts and music streaming, that we have a real chance to disengage and re-engage in a much more natural form of… engagement.
The human voice was the original media channel; an intuitive natural experience of talking and listening.- Rachel Lowenstein
By giving our screens a break from telling us how a story goes and plays out, we have this opportunity to engage in a much more natural storytelling way; through active listening.
By letting our brains create the visual, we get an experience more naturally catered to ourselves as an individual.
The Original Media Channel
“Audio has this incredible power to not only tap into our memories, but also into our imaginations in a uniquely personalized way.” says Arafel Buzan Consumer Neuroscientist and Lead Researcher at Pollen. “Having an audible branded moment really is the easiest way to increase memory encoding during branding.”
As Rachel puts it, “We are in an audio revolution where audio becomes better within brands.”
Sound is a repeated tonal pattern for subconscious memory that is powerful and effective and brands need to be aware. And alongside this awareness comes technology that can now verify accurate stimulation of emotions with the consumer.
The consumer can now have a tested and verified positive user experience through sound.
“Every brand should have a sound strategy and be thinking about what they stand for in audible environments.” says Rachel.
“There is no one consumer journey anymore.” says Rachel. Not everyone wants a visual ad experience. With the change in consumers behaviors, creating more outlets and experiences of brand awareness through multi sensory application is absolutely crucial.
In fact, younger users are questioning where they want advertising and where they don’t. “They expect brands to provide additive experiences not disruptive experiences.” says Rachel.
How Does Your Brand Fit in an Audible Environment
What should your creative be in audible environments? For one, it should represent you and/or your brand. If it does not, then you are doing the sonic space a disservice as well as wasting your own time.
If there is not a reason for a brands’ presence in sound, then all it’s doing is creating noise.
The purpose of existing in the audible space should be to create a great sonic experience. It should not just be about “being there”. That goes back to our previous discussion in Episode 25 and 26- Pragmatic Sound Marketing with Scot and Susan From Pragmatic Digital about tactic versus strategic.
Every brand should be thinking about what they stand for in audible environments. It should have just as much weight and consideration as their visual representations.
The Power of Audio
Mindshare’s Neuro lab reported summer 2019 that we (society) are obsessed with sight, sound, and emotion. While people surveyed reported that they favored the visual/audio experience over the audio only experience 22% more, their neurological response told differently.
“Neuro research found that while participants thought they wanted one thing, their subconscious feelings wanted something else.” says Arafel. The audio only tests resulted in 21% higher emotional response with 50% more positive emotional peaks. The participants also were three times more likely to have a positive brand association. The study concluded that audio can tap into memories and imagination in a significant and unique way resulting in a higher impactful result.
If we could deconstruct our brand to discover how to utilize this sensory power to tell our story, how much more powerful would the results be for us?
Creative Audio Marketing Examples
Here’s just a few examples of clever uses of sound in marketing that I’ve come across.
HBO’s Westworld Maze Experience was an audio companion to the hit show Westworld created for smart speakers. It was created to promote the second season’s finale while the show was on hiatus. The listener was given an interactive experience with the show characters, an 11,000 line script, 60 storylines, and read by 36 actors (some of which were from the hit show). It allowed already fans of the show to immerse themselves in the Westworld universe in a different way.
Today Explained by Vox has a recurring series of commercials for Kiwi Co. There is a child talking in each and everyone having a dynamic unedited conversation with his audience. It’s authentic and fits in so well with the brand. He truly loves Kiwi Co and as Arafel stated, “The authenticity in the child’s voice is what makes it powerful and makes you want to know more about this brand.”
Sesame Street Elmo Alexa App developers created this app to connect with preschoolers through a universally loveable monster; Elmo. When activated, this smart speaker game gives the listener an option between “playing” letters or hide and seek. If the child chooses letters, Elmo presents his favorite letter and words associated with it. Hide and Seek results in Elmo hiding and a sound playing to “hint” to the child where he is. Then Elmo gives the child choices of where they think he is based on the sounds. A great interactive game of learning and fun for any young child and another great representation of the Sesame Street brand; this time within the sound space.
The Good Place Podcast. I love this podcast as I love the show. It’s a great coupling of behind the scenes and recaps of the NBC hit show episodes put into a podcast narrative. Every episode Mark Evan Jackson (who plays Sean) hosts a plethora of different guests that are in one shape or another tied to the show. Actors, writers, cast members; all come sit down with him at one point and talk about what it is like to be a member of this production. Just like with Westworld, it’s a great way to get more Good Place for those already fans and a great introduction (if listened to in order) to those not familiar with the show.
What all of these examples have in common are that they go beyond a linear story to help engage people in their brand experience.
In Conclusion
The level of intention coming through sound and music is stronger now than it has ever been before. Through audio, a brand has the opportunity to tap into an innate form of storytelling; drawing their audience in in a sincere and unique way.
To learn more about me and my research in sound in marketing, go to www.SoundInMarketing.com. If you are a brand and you are looking to create a sound experience or need a consultation on sound strategy, go to www.DreamrProductions.com and let’s chat further.
Don’t forget to follow me on Medium. You can also find me on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Let’s make this world of sound more intriguing, more unique, and more and more on brand.
