- Two thirds of top radio spenders use consistent sonic device, voice or music sting including McDonald’s, British Gas and Vodafone
- Radiocentre to explore why audio matters more than ever at Tuning In Midlands event
Two thirds of the top radio advertisers – including renowned brands like McDonald’s, British Gas and Vodafone – now use consistent sonic devices such as voice or music stings in their branding. There are different ways to invest in brand sound from a distinctive piece of music, or a well-known voice, Amazon uses the actual sound of the bell to advertise its Ring video doorbell.
Brands from WeBuyAnyCar to HSBC and Jet2 are investing in audio branding because having a distinctive sonic has never been more important. 2020 is expected to be the year of audio. At the world’s biggest tech show, CES, in Las Vegas last week, voice and audio dominated the exhibitions. Amazon announced that the number of Alexa voice assistant devices has doubled over the past year, with “hundreds of millions of Alexa-enabled devices” owned by customers. Meanwhile, Google, which now has more than 500 million monthly Google Assistant users, announced a text reader – another step in turning the internet into an audio experience as people listen to web pages, blogs and social media posts rather than read them.
A distinctive sonic acts as an effortless brand identifier. From the chirpy and often varied sign-off ident of McDonald’s uses to British Gas’ music bed, it’s an effective way to communicate a brand’s personality and to generate cut through at a time when an audience’s attention is being fought for across more platforms than ever before.
Why having an audio identity is important for brands, and tips on how to create a distinctive sound, will form part of a presentation by Global’s Regional Creative Director Simon Forster, at Radiocentre’s Tuning In Midlands conference in Birmingham on Wednesday 22 January. He will explore how audio can help brands grow the personal connection to consumers, in a speaker line-up that also includes Queen of British Soul Beverley Knight.
Other speakers at Tuning In Midlands include:
- Beverley Knight in conversation with Greatest Hits Radio’s Pat Sharp
- Laurence Harrison, Radioplayer Automotive Partnerships Director
- Mark Barber MBE, Radiocentre Planning Director
- Matt Payton, Radiocentre External Affairs Director
- Pardeep Heer, MediaCom Business Director
- Siobhan Kenny, Radiocentre CEO
Tuning In Midlands is free to attend and tickets are available now.
