Playgroup | Helping brands build genuine brand equity

Actually, no. I've yet to see any form of mass communication that uses touch, taste or smell but when that happens I'm sure the less savoury websites will be the first to use the technology.

What I'm getting at is that audio, sound and music are often the last to be considered in primarily visual media (if at all) and this results in either no sound or badly thought out, cheap sounding effects or loops that are worse than nothing.

Nobody likes a web site that has an annoyingly low quality jingle repeating over and over every time you visit a home page but this does not mean that audio can not be used with more subtlety to enhance a visual style, can not bind together a mix of ideas or simply improve the enjoyment of someone taking in a more tangible visual message.

If you have ever seen the cut of a video presentation or movie before music is added you should have some idea of how much this invisible element contributes to a total experience. Audio and music connect directly with the emotional parts of our minds and bypass many of the filters we have built up through our intellectual experiences. I like to speculate that this is so we could tell the difference between a roaring lion and a clucking chicken as quickly as possible without having to think things through, back when we were living simpler lives. For whatever reason, however, sound connects directly to our feelings.

Many larger companies these days are using music or sound to provide an audio signature, much like a visual logo. Consider, for instance, the Intel 'bing bong bing'. McDonalds originally had the 'I'm lovin' it' music created for a jingle but has ended up using that riff to represent the business for the last few years (or does it just seem like a few years?) I defy you to say those words without that melody running around in your head, however much you don't want it to. The power is in the combination of the sound and the words. 

For something a little less 'cheesy' (see what I did there?) a more sophisticated strategy is called for. Organisations ally themselves to bands, creating a synergy that makes the organisation appear more arty, sophisticated or cool and the bands can concentrate on making music - something that is no longer a given with the current state of the record industry. As the musicians are chosen for their music, there can be more artistic freedom than when a record company is breathing down their necks!

Smaller companies can easily get a piece of this action as music is now easily created in 'project' studios and as long as this is thought of as part of a strategy (and, of course, a suitable budget!) a better total package can be created. Of course, it is possible to buy in library music and sound effects and this can often (but not always) be cheaper but surely it's better to have something original, created for the very purpose? If the audio is produced with the total concept in mind, it will be better in the same way that original photography is often better than stock when used for a specific need.

I believe the key is in getting the audio right, whether it's a melody, sound effects - either for general use or for particular actions on a website, for example - or just background atmosphere in a video. When done properly, the best audio can be almost invisible - if you want it to be! It adds to, no, multiplies the total experience and helps us remember. It also creates a common focus to ensure that all the elements of a message sing the same tune (sorry).

Posted by John on 25 Jun 08, at 10:05 am

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