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"If a picture paints a thousand words, a sound can paint a million — and faster. Music bypasses logic and reaches the heart instantly. That"s what great brands do too." — Daniel Jackson
Even today, when I think of Titan, the music lingers in my memory. It is the music I have grown up with—from the time Titan was a gifting brand with an advertisement showing a father playing Titan music at his daughter"s wedding to the contemporary beats added to the same music in a more recent teacher"s farewell advertisement.
Music has the power to trigger emotional immediacy and is, therefore, a strategic brand asset. Music isn"t just decorative but instrumental in shaping how people feel, remember, and relate to a brand. Sound is identity. The right brand sound triggers memory, trust, and emotion — often before even the logo appears. Music is not just a sensory signal but a core part of a brand"s identity.
Marin Lindstrom"s research has shown that brands using consistent soundscapes see up to 96 percent higher brand recall. He argues that sound should be part of a multisensory brand strategy, not an afterthought. While Byron Sharp focuses on data-driven marketing, he sees audio branding as a tool that improves brand salience and memory structure.
The 5D Framework for music-driven brand building summarises how music enhances brand equity across dimensions:
Music can bypass our mind and go straight to the limbic system, which governs emotion and memory and is activated by music within milliseconds. Unlike language, which is processed linearly, music is experienced holistically — instantly evoking feelings, often before we consciously interpret them. This is why just a few notes can trigger goosebumps, tears, or joy.
Music is an emotional anchor that ties to people, places, and past experiences. The heartbeat, breath, and movement are naturally rhythmic. Music aligns with these bodily rhythms, creating a sense of harmony or catharsis. Upbeat tempos can energise, while slow, minor chords can invite reflection or sadness — mirroring our internal states and helping us feel seen or held. We often feel emotions we cannot articulate. Music expresses nuances of joy, grief, hope, longing, and transcendence beyond language.
Music, therefore, builds stronger brands by making them instantly recognisable, embedding them in emotional memory, helping them connect across generations and cultures, and making brand experiences more immersive, joyful, and intuitive.
Well, who can forget Idea"s "Honey Bunny" song?
About the author: Ashita Aggarwal is Professor of Marketing and Chairperson, Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) and PGDM Business Management (PGDM (BM)), S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR). Views are personal.
First Published: Jun 21, 2025, 09:30
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