If you read this blog enough, you know some of the topics are recurring. I don’t deny that. There are some issues that are of paramount importance to radio (and the me), and hopefully by extension, to you. I certainly get an indication of that when I review the metrics.
Some posts resonate more than others, and that’s OK. There are no ads here, so page views and open rates technically don’t matter. And that’s why I don’t mind the posts that “underperform” the average. Some things need to be said IMO. It’s not a popularity contest.
However, Paul often jokes there are a dozen topics I recycle in one form or another in this space. So, if he’s right, let’s let audio signatures be the “13th topic.” I don’t write about them often. But when I do, I usually get lots of nods, but not much reaction. Most agree, but the fly in the ointment is implementation.
Most like the idea of a radio station (or show or company) creating a sound ID or signature – a way to deliver a subtle but memorable reminder of a brand, service, organization, or product.
But coming up with an effective audio signature is a whole other issue. Most stations don’t know where to start.
Coming up with just the right “sticky” sound that matches a brand’s essence is hard work. It usually requires a team to suss out the dynamics of a brand, and then (somehow) translate it to a sound.
In that spirit, I’ve pulled a few audio clips for you. The good news is that none is more than 5 seconds long.
When it comes to creating an effective, evocative and memorable sound signature, even many of the big boys and girls have struck out. Pandora is a great example. Ostensibly with a sizable budget and a team, this is the best they came up:
Not exactly groundbreaking. And that’s the case with most “sonic signatures.” They either don’t match the brand, they sound obtrusive or weird, or they’re just lame. When you come across a winner – the Netflix opener or Intel’s tones, for example – you make the most out of it.
The HBO sounder is a good example, preceding their original programming for decades. It remains one of the best-testing audio logos out there – according to whom.
According to Veritonic.
Veritonic is a company I’ve written about before. I’ve been on panels with their team, encouraging radio to jump into this space with both feet. As the audio options multiply for consumers, it is not just helpful when a brand stands out and is instantly identifiable – it’s essential. That what a great sound signature can do.
Every year, they field their Audio Logo Index, ranking these audio IDs for overall effectiveness based on criteria that include creative resonance, uniqueness, trustworthiness, and innovation. And of course, the key is association with the brand. Overall 2,800 U.S. respondents take part in the survey.
Invariably, some of the dullest verticals – like insurance – tend to occupy the top spots, but fast food restaurants (QSRs) are right up there, too. It’s essential these businesses provide an effective way to showcase their brands, while making them memorable. Sound signatures are on of the tools.
The winner this year? Folger’s. Their sound signature – you may call it a jingle – is the standout. Yes, you’ve heard it before – many times.
How is this not a jingle? Sound signatures are typically shorter, hoping to become “earworms” – getting stuck in consumers’ heads.
Veritonic divides their report by business vertical, and the “entertainment” segment is especially interesting, led overall by NBC and Netflix, the most memorable brands.
A new entrant this year is Audacy, the only company with its roots in radio that Veritonic included (perhaps because they’re one of the few marketing themselves this way.
While the Audacy brand debuted this year, it tested above average in “likability,” but lower in “uniqueness.” Here’s their sound signature:
You can download a copy of Veritonic’s study here
As brands become more sophisticated and numerous, there’s a flurry of activity around getting attention – from customers and investors. Wikipedia is the newest brand to take a shot at developing a stronger identify. How often do you end up using their information – without making the association.
Fast Company’s Rob Walker tells the story in “Why Wikipedia Wants a ‘Sound Logo.'” Unlike other brands who develop these short-form audio IDs, Wikipedia is doubling-down on its specialty – crowd-sourced content.
The definition of wiki is a website that allows visitors to make changes, contributions, or corrections. By design, a competition where Wikipedians come up with their concept of a sound signature fits the brand
They ran an open call for submissions, and the deadline was yesterday.
The project’s has yielded some “interesting” entrants catalogued on SoundCloud. You can check them out here. One of my favorites is from Rab Music Lab called “The World In 4 Seconds.”
Whether these Wiki consumer-generated audio signatures pass muster or not, the idea of letting the site’s user base create an audio signature is an interesting concept – and something a well-branded radio station could do. And listeners could vote on the finalists.
An audio signature actually created by a local listener would stand out just because. And it could create an aural point of differentiation for a radio station competing against myriad options in the audio space.
I keep hearing radio veterans tell me the medium was where audio began. And that no one knows how to create audio better than radio producers.
So, let’s stop talking about it, and put it to the test.
Where’s your sound signature?
Thanks to Dave Beasing and his Sound That Brands company that produces podcasts for organizations, companies, and brands.
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Scott Cason says
To this day I still associate HBO’s signature with the Sopranos.
Fred Jacobs says
Funny – I always think “Curb Your Enthusiasm” is coming up. It sure works.
Alan Peterson says
On the Eastern side of the U.S., radio’s best signatures (IMO) are/were for WGY, WABC, and WNEW. Many years later, they retain deep roots in my sonic memory.
Fred Jacobs says
Alan, thanks for the comment.
Dave Logan says
When we launched XM, Lee Abrams reached out to renowned keyboard wizard Larry Fast who played with his own band Synergy and worked with icons like Peter Gabriel, Foreigner, Hall & Oates, Tony Levin and many more. We wanted a simple audio signature akin to what Brian Eno created for Microsoft Windows. Once we got Larry’s work, and it was very cool, we turned it over to our Audio Architects (a.k.a. Production Directors) and they crafted versions to fit the personality of our individual channels. By design, we had hired a bunch of musicians for some of these roles but even the non-musical among us were able to slice and dice their way around Larry’s original notes and create a specific audio logo for each format. Their work produced a catchy uniformity across all our channels.
I still think the best audio logo I ever had was the foghorn we featured on KFOG. It had been used since the days when the station was Beautiful Music. Once you heard it, you immediately knew which station it was. We used it liberally and in many different ways. When we tested it in focus groups and auditorium settings, everyone knew what it was.
Here’s fun fact: One day I found the original reel-to-reel recording of the foghorn and was surprised to discover it didn’t come from a horn in the Bay Area but from one stationed atop a mountain on Colorado. Some sounds are universal.
Fred Jacobs says
Dave, great comments about XM and the KFOG foghorn – and the story of how it originated.
I was blessed at WRIF to have Arthur’s BABY! I can’t take credit for that – it was all him. I just helped get it on a bumper sticker!
Tommy B says
Comments will ensue…well done. But even though some creative services directors might actually be creating audio signatures, I would argue that most radio people just reach for the image library. The real audio brand creators would be film composers and jingle writers. How ’bout JAWS. Just a couple notes. Or Close Encounters maybe. Both are short audio signatures that EVERYONE knows. They belong to the same group as many of those famous TV tags. Composers create music, no matter how short. Everyone else just re-arranges it.
Fred Jacobs says
Good points, Tommy. Thanks for chiming in.
Clark Smidt says
The NBC Chimes!
Fred Jacobs says
For probably 70 years!
Alan Peterson says
No sonic signature is as simple as the re-entry sounder for “Morning Joe” on MSNBC: It’s a simple single tap of a pair of claves.
Here’s hoping the guy who “wrote” and recorded that sounder gets a royalty every time it is played.
Jerry says
I the “sounder” for the CBS radio network on WBBM-AM also the news sounder for WLS-AM (during the Musicradio days) also stands out.
Decades TV had a Laugh-In binge a couple of weeks ago complete with the NBC Peacock and theme at the beginning. (Queue Gary Owens….)
Dave Mason says
Audio signatures are a “must have” for many products. The HBO movie theme (written by fellow Rochesterian Ferdinand J. Smith) has endured since the 80s in many shapes and forms. The a capella Drake jingles created by Johnny Mann still stand out. ABC Radio in the day had its original “theme” created by Johnson-Siday, and then there was the ABC Contemporary Network sounder . . or even “INTEL” – that sounder that (apparently) has to run every time the word is muttered. If the goal is to give the consumer a memorable experience, the logo must be unique and the product should be freakin’ AWESOME. In 2022, we sometimes have the former, but the latter fails to deliver on the promise. I’m just sayin’.
David Manzi says
I definitely see the need for audio signatures in radio in the same way the TV networks had to start putting their logos in the corner of the screen a few years ago. There was simply no way in a post three-channel world (or even Bruce Springsteen’s 57-channel world) that anyone could possibly remember all the TV stations they were watching. I remember how much we all hated those being on the screen when they started. I even remember a Simpsons opening where they all get up from the couch, throw the logo to the floor and start stomping on it! But here I was watching the Simpsons this past Sunday so many years later and not even noticing the Fox logo in the corner. Maybe that’s the key. Something noticeable…without being too noticeable.
Tito López says
Here you can hear the audio signature we use at Radio Uno in Colombia.
It is easily recognizable. It is almost not even necessary to mention the name of the radio station because everyone identifies the station when listening to it.
Here’s the link: https://soundcloud.com/titolopez-2/radio-uno-marcador-pito
Fred Jacobs says
Those are the best kinds of signatures – when the sound alone connects you with the station. Thanks for sending it along.
hifi5000 says
There is one public station I listen that has a kind of branding that is simple.That station is KCRW out of Santa Monica,CA.
The branding they use is very subtle,where the DJ would say the call letters in between songs during a show.The DJ would not say anything else such as the time or the name of the song played before.The DJ would just say “KCRW”and continue playing the selected pieces.No yelling or whistling is used.The call letters would be said in a calm conversational voice.
I noticed this branding a few years ago on all music programs.I do notice it more on weekends as I am listening a little more closely to the programs.