If you are a brand that targets Muslim audiences, you should consider advertising to Muslims through audio ads. As mentioned in a previous article, ad revenue in the audio digital channel is expected to reach $7.9 billion by 2025.
However, knowing how to advertise to Muslim audiences using audio is vital and it all starts with having a recognizable and consistent sonic brand.
Understanding Sonic Branding
A brand’s utilization of sound across all appropriate touchpoints is referred to as sonic branding. A sonic brand includes audio jingles, soundbites, logos, and sonic trademarks, all of which are brief bursts of sound that can help customers recall companies and interactions with brands.
Apple is a great example of a sonic brand because not only do they have a unique sonic emblem, but they also incorporate sound into every aspect of their products, from Siri’s voice to how their touchpads sound when you use them.
Sonic branding can also be used as a thought leadership tool to drive recognition through audiobooks and other mediums. Such a holistic approach is also known as a sonic signature.
“Two major functions are relevant to highlight when seeking to understand how a sound logo works in the wild: One is namely of a ‘heraldic’ function: drawing the listener’s attention to whatever the logo is a logo for, whether a company, product, organization, service, radio/TV, et cetera, and the other one is regarding identity: Aurally expressing the values of the brand in question.”
Source: UNMUTE, “Sonic Logos on the Rise”
Benefits of Having a Muslim-friendly Sonic Brand
Many benefits of sonic branding are connected to how we as human beings react to sound. Also, the fact that the digital world is moving more and more toward audio content consumption contributes immensely to the benefits brands can reap with sonic branding.
In CMO´s article,” Everything marketers need to know about sonic branding in 2022”, Nadia Cameron states that “86 percent of our decision to engage (or avoid) an associated experience” is impacted by sound.
Starting to use or optimize your sonic brand today will give you an enormous head start against other brands that want to target Muslims. Why? Because voice assistants and smart speakers are on their way to becoming the dominant interaction for businesses instead of the screen. Statista confirms that smart speaker deliveries will reach 400 million in 2025.
You are already creating an entire audio environment that represents your company as a brand. This ecosystem can have no strategy, no ability to own it, and no recall, or it can just be noise. Alternatively, it can evolve into a customized, carefully selected, and musically designed soundscape for you.
Proven benefits of sonic branding according to Harvard Business Review, Millward Brown, University of Leicester, Goldsmiths University of London, and University of Groningen:
- Enhances brand recognition
- Positively influences perception
- Enhances emotional recall
- Creates brand consistency
- Aids in differentiation
- Can result in cost and time savings.
Your company’s sonic branding sounds carry a lot of emotional weight. The right sonic branding tune sets the tone for every interaction your customers have with your company. Because sonic branding connects on a more emotional level with your customers, it can be an effective way to communicate your values and brand purpose.
Sound evokes emotion, so it can convey difficult concepts in a way that your audience can understand. The right sonic logo or audio identity can convey your company’s values and help you communicate more effectively with your Muslim audience.
Despite its utility, digital media lacks the intimacy of face-to-face communication. Because people respond to sound faster than any other form of media (0.146 seconds), the proper acoustic identity could help to deepen your online presence so that you don’t come across as just another faceless corporation trying to capitalize on the enormous growth of the Muslim market.
Strategizing and Creating Your Muslim-friendly Sonic Brand
You should include some critical elements in your sonic branding construction. This strategy should begin by considering the core components of your brand, from the values that you share with the Muslim audience to your tone of voice. Your goal should be about translating these qualities into audio material that interacts with your target audience. Beyond audio logos, sonic branding encompasses a wide range of sounds that represent your company in a variety of contexts, including podcasts, video intros, and advertisements.
Start With a Sonic Brand Audit
You must first determine where you are in order to determine where you want to go with your sonic identity. Sonic brands are the same as traditional brands. Whether or not you are actively developing it, you most likely already have the foundation of a sonic identity in place. For example, it could be the chime you play in the background of your podcasts or the closing remarks you make at the end of each video blog.
Look for any indications of a sonic logo or identity throughout your brand and content assets. Consider the sounds that are already associated with your brand and consider how you may condense the essence of your business into a few seconds of sound.
Define Your Sonic Brand’s Style
Not all, but most Muslims come from cultures that have very strong family ties. Depending on the type of product you offer, you must have some level of consideration that your sonic signature elements are family-friendly. A tune originally from a heavy metal band, for example, would not do well in such an environment.
There are also many Muslims, if not the majority, who prefer not to listen to musical instruments as this goes against their beliefs. For sure the overwhelming majority would also not be comfortable with sexually suggestive tones and sounds.
Two very important articles that you must read before defining your Muslim-friendly sonic brand style are:
- “The Complexity of Advertising to Muslim Consumers Simplified”
- “What You Must Know About Islamic Advertising Principles”
A healthy tip for designing your sonic signatures for your sonic branding: Avoid everyday common sounds like a starting engine as you cannot attain copyright for them. Also, many well-known tunes are already owned by other companies. It’s best to start from scratch.
Define all Possible Touchpoints for Sound Signatures
From the early days of overhead music in stores soothing shoppers as they moved from one aisle to the next, to the bleep of a card machine after a successful transaction, the intentional use of sound cultivates an immersive experience for consumers. Aural cues may replace the physical act of handing over cash in exchange for an item. The “ding” that occurs when a banking app processes a transaction is part of a larger sonic strategy that informs customers that your brand is present even if it is not.
“…sonic branding must be embedded into every possible touchpoint with the consumer.”
Source: Forbes, “Sonic Branding: Why Every Brand Needs It Today”
It is critical to consider all potential locations and times when your brand may be heard by Muslim consumers. As smart speakers become more popular and voice-activated technology permeates more aspects of our daily lives, there are more opportunities than ever to contact listeners through sound. Sound, more than any other form of media, has the ability to activate previously unengaged areas of consumer life.
Conclusion
Audio is overtaking the screen as the most favorable way for consumers to engage with brands. Ad revenue for audio ads is skyrocketing. The Muslim consumer market is potentially the biggest untapped global market with a mammoth growth rate. All of these factors and more show that every brand needs to create a sonic presence that suits the Muslim consumer’s pallet.
Find out all you need to know about advertising to Muslims or contact Muslim Ad Network today for possible partnerships.
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