Soundmarks: AT&T, United Airlines, and inventive sonic branding

Twenty Thousand Hertz

Dallas Taylor

Music, Design, Arts, Music Commentary

4.8 • 4.1K Ratings

🗓️ 15 July 2019

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Companies spend a lot of time and effort perfecting the look of their brands. But now what a brand sounds like matters just as much. We trace the history from songs to jingles to what's called sonic branding, following the creative process that led to AT&T’s iconic four-note sound logo. And we'll explore what comes next: multi-sensory marketing. Can sound change how beer tastes? This episode originally aired on Household Name. Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced out of the studios of Defacto Sound, and hosted by Dallas Taylor. Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn. Watch our video shorts on YouTube, and join the discussion on Reddit and Facebook. Become a monthly contributor at 20k.org/donate. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org. Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/soundmarks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to 20,000 Hertz.
0:05.0	I'm Dallas Taylor.
0:07.0	Sonic branding is the process of creating a short, iconic sound that's designed to be an audio representation of a company.
0:16.0	When they're done well, they can represent a brand in a way that visuals just can't. Now, it might seem like making a sound so short would be easy, right?
0:42.3	But that couldn't be further from the truth.
0:44.9	The process can take months, and sound design and music companies may go through hundreds of ideas to finally land on one short sound.
0:52.3	And keep in mind that all of these approvals
0:54.7	have to pass through countless layers
0:56.4	of corporate red tape, boardrooms,
0:58.7	and the personal taste of business people.
1:01.1	It's an intense process where millions and millions
1:03.8	of dollars could hang in the balance.
1:05.9	The Fabulous Podcast Household Name
1:07.7	takes us through the process of creating
1:09.3	one of these iconic audio logos.
1:11.6	And if you live in the U.S., I'm sure you'll recognize it.
1:14.8	I won't give it away, but you'll want to stick around to hear it.
1:18.3	Here's host Dan Bobcough.
1:21.9	Can you identify a brand from a sound?
1:27.2	McDonald's. Mickey D's. McDonald's.
1:27.9	Mickey D's.
1:28.8	McDonald's.
	...

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