Editor’s Note: Quotes from Lynne Biggar, Visa’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer and Lauren Nagel, Group Creative Director at Pandora are included in this article written by author Katie Richards from Adweek.
Sound is a powerful tool that can trigger specific memories or emotions. It’s a staple for marketers who have used jingles […] to connect emotionally with consumers, whether on TV or radio. But as technology like Amazon’s Echo or the Google Home Assistant become more embedded in our daily lives, it’s becoming increasingly important for brands to create those same emotional connections without visuals, just sound.
Visa found that sound could make consumers feel safe and secure in their transactions, and that 81% of shoppers would have a more positive reaction to Visa if it incorporated sound or animation into its marketing or shopping experience. […] The brand released a special sound in December. After using a Visa card, either in a digital or physical store, customers hear a chime of sorts, signifying a secure, speedy transaction. Eighty-three percent of respondents said Visa’s new sound sparked a positive perception of the brand.
“As you think about payments becoming much less frictionless, potentially more embedded in experiences and new places, we started to think about how the Visa brand might manifest itself in formats that are quite different from a shop or a digital website,” said Lynne Biggar, Visa’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer. That could be in your car, in your home, through your smart home devices or even a Fitbit, she explained.
“We are now in a currency of language and sound, as opposed to screens,” said Lauren Nagel, Group Creative Director at Pandora. “I think for a lot of folks the sound of your brand is still a bit of an afterthought, and as we move more toward a voice-activated world, sound is becoming even more important.”
Richards, K. (2018, January 14). As Voice Continues Its Rise, Marketers Are Turning to Sonic Branding. Adweek.