How many of us can instantly recall what the Airtel logo looks like. However, most will remember the five-note tune that will play in your head each time you hear about Airtel. That’s the power of sonic branding—a rising force in the Indian PR and brand identity toolkit.
At a time when attention spans are measured in scrolls per second, branding strategy has found a sweet spot in the form of sound. Brands today believe that a well-designed sonic identity can do what visuals often can’t: cut through the noise, quite literally.
The Audio Awakening
The country’s digital consumption habits are growing exponentially. Today, the omnipresence of voice assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant, and the surge in short-form audio on Instagram and YouTube has witnessed users engaging with audio content more than ever.
A report by RedSeer Strategy Consultants last year stated that India’s audio content market is likely to touch 540 million by 2027, up from 350 million two years ago. To sum up: people tend to forget the things they read, but rather remember the things they listen to, particularly if there’s a nice catchy tune associated with it.
Currently, sonic branding encompasses the entire design of an audio experience from sound logos, voice cues to ambient tones on apps and websites and other customer interaction points. These brief sound signatures are easily repeatable and become associated with, and represent, a brand’s personality, emotion, and values.
Indian Brands Tuning In
Airtel is a case study in sonic success. The five-note tune composed by maestro A.R. Rahman over a decade ago continues to resonate with people across all age-groups. Airtel added a contemporary touch to the ringtone and made it appealing for the current generation but continues to retain its core sonic DNA.
Jio, with its youthful persona, is dominating the audio game in advertising. Jio’s campaign during the IPL season last year saw a multi-regional advertising strategy which gave a sense of hyper-localism while maintaining national appeal.
Tata Neu, the super-app from the Tata Group, brought in a sonic layer to its brand identity with a calming sound motif, and integrated it across their in-app notifications, and even their customer service calls.
The PR Opportunity: Plugging Into Sound
Picture conducting a product launch and instead of a video montage, the lights turn off and a customised sonic logo is played, triggering instant brand recognition from every attendee. Alternatively, think about the hold music during a media interaction as featuring a brand’s signature theme—subtle yet powerful.
Media kits can also have snippets of sonic branding—voiceovers by the CEO, background music used in advertisements, and even sound design behind customer interactions. Such pieces enable the journalists, influencers and stakeholders to visualise and connect with the brand beyond the graphics and the words.
Beyond the Jingle: The Future of Sound in Storytelling
Sonic branding’s true appeal lies in its ability to stir emotions. A few notes can whisk someone away into a moment, experience, or memory. This is an exciting prospect for PR and marketing professionals in India, as it provides new avenues for multi-sensory narratives.
As we shift further into a voice search, AI content generation, and AR/VR era, having a recognisable sonic persona is as vital as possessing a stellar logo or tagline. Some futurists even go so far as to suggest that the ‘sonic logo’ may surpass the visual logo’s worth in screenless environments.
So, the next time you ponder about your brand’s identity, don’t simply pose the question, “How do we look?” Instead, ask: “How do we sound?”
In short, the future of brand storytelling will not only be read or seen—it will be heard.
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