A distinct sound identity is one of the fastest ways to make a brand memorable in a physical space. A 2024 narrative review in Psychology & Marketing surveying the sonic-branding research literature found that sonic brand cues were 8.53 times more likely to appear in high-performing ads than in average ones, and that launching a sonic logo was associated with a 38% increase in brand recall.
Sound is one of four atmospheric channels — and the least deliberately used
Philip Kotler's original 1973 framework for retail atmospherics named sound alongside sight, scent and touch as a channel a business can deliberately design. In practice, most venues invest heavily in the visual channel — signage, interiors, color — and leave sound to whatever a phone or a generic streaming account happens to play. The 2024 Psychology & Marketing review makes the case that this gap is a missed opportunity backed by a growing, if still maturing, evidence base.
It works below conscious awareness
The mechanism echoes the retail-music research covered in our companion piece on background music and sales: North, Hargreaves and McKendrick's Nature study found background music shifted what shoppers bought with almost no shopper reporting awareness of the influence. Sonic branding operates on the same principle at the identity level — a consistent sound doesn't need to be consciously noticed to build recognition over repeated exposure.
The Psychology & Marketing review also reports that brands with a recognizable sonic identity see roughly a 5% increase in perceived value and purchase intent, and that among younger audiences, 20% report being more likely to purchase from a brand with a distinctive sonic identity.
The audio-advertising evidence points the same direction
Outside the retail-space context, a 2023 study by audio-measurement firm Veritonic in partnership with Audacy examined radio and podcast ad performance and found that ads carrying a consistent sonic brand element saw a 17% lift in ad recall on radio and a 14% lift on podcasts, alongside gains in purchase intent and perceived trustworthiness. Different medium, same underlying finding: a consistent, deliberate sound identity measurably outperforms one that changes from execution to execution.
Across an academic review of the sonic-branding literature and independent audio-advertising research, the numbers converge on the same point: sonic brand cues are 8.5 times more likely to show up in high-performing ads, sonic logo launches correlate with 38% higher brand recall, and consistent sonic branding drives double-digit recall lifts in audio advertising. A business's sound is not a neutral backdrop — it's an asset that compounds with consistency, the same way a visual identity does.
Sources
- Spence, C. (2024). "Sonic branding: A narrative review at the intersection of art and science." Psychology & Marketing.
- North, A. C., Hargreaves, D. J., & McKendrick, J. (1997). "In-store music affects product choice." Nature, 390, 132.
- Kotler, P. (1973). "Atmospherics as a Marketing Tool." Journal of Retailing, 49(4), 48–64.
- Veritonic & Audacy (2023). Audio ad effectiveness study, reported via Inside Radio.