Click here for the Harley aural experience!
That sound you hear when a Harley-Davidson engine is idling is a sound that’s known and appreciated by millions of people. It’s unique; only a Harley (or so they say) sounds like it’s saying “potato, potato, potato.” The company even tried to register the sound as a trademark.
Auditory branding has been around for awhile. In 1950, NBC registered the musical notes played on chimes (G-E-C) as a trademark for its broadcasting services. Think the MGM lion’s roar, James Earl Jones intoning “This…is CNN,” and “I’m a Pepper, He’s a Pepper, She’s a Pepper…”
An audio signature is a jingle that you hear repeatedly or a sound clip that’s used to identify a brand. You don’t even have to see it; if you hear even a few bars of it, it might take a few exposures, but you you understand what it represents. And from then on, it’s an earworm. You’ll probably never forget it. (Cue the Perry Mason theme!) It brings visual images to mind. Try it here. When you hear one of these little audio cues you know and hopefully love, you also get a quick visual reminder of the product or service in your brain. mind. Conversely, you can see something graphically and remember auditory cues that you’ve received from that same product or service. I call that a double whammy.
So you’re not the size of Budweiser (“You’ve said it all!”) or a big chip company (“Intel inside”) -you can still do some auditory branding. If you’ve got a chunk of theme music that you use for your tv spots or your YouTube videos -music that you have permission to use, of course) -why not expand your audio brand? Take it and make your own personalized ring tone for your cell phone -and spread it out to your staff members, family, friends and clients. You can start right here at www.makeownringtone.com.
Want an example of the latter? Download our own Mojo Video Ringtone right here. Mojo Ringtone
