Marble Music Manager, Pablo, talks about how brands can use music to create a brand identity and sense of community with their audience.
Self-Express Yourself
Self-expression forms the basis of our personality. It is a process of self discovery that allows us to carve out our individuality and express ourselves to others. Amongst other attributes, people use music to reinforce their identities, and due to it being such a strong passion point for such a wide demographic of people, it can be a powerful tool for any brand who seeks to connect with current and potential consumers on a deeper level.
Similar to fashion, music is a form of self-expression that can create strong bonds between people. Music is powerful and can even create a sense of community amongst individuals with similar tastes. Think about how true hip hop fans are split between Tupac and Biggie, and the effect this choice had on how people in the U.S. acted, spoke and even dressed, and you will understand the influence music can have over a person. Here in the U.K., take it back to 1995 to the battle of the Britpop legends – Blur and Oasis. These two rival bands released a track each on the same day and went head to head in a battle for the charts. The battle split loyal fans like tribes who felt they had to pick one side or the other, also leading to many heated arguments between the fans of, in my eyes, two great bands! This kind of unrivalled loyalty and passion is what any brand would dream to receive from their consumers. And there might just be a way to tap into those passion points…
As a brand, you constantly have to look for new ways in which to solidify bonds with your consumers, and giving them music which they can cherish and share with others, is a great path in creating an emotional bond between your brand and both current and future consumers. Having music which is on-brand is key. The next element involves knowing how and when to deliver the right music to your consumers ears, whether it’s through a social media campaign, a playlist in a retail store, or the right live artist at one of your activations, music gives endless opportunities to impact upon people in a significant manner. Building the right sound for your brand is crucial so that there is a consistency that people can associate to your brand. A strong audio identity can mean that the sound of a certain track, no matter where it’s heard, can bring your brand to the forefront of a person’s mind, and that should be the aim when creating a sonic brand. The role music plays in creating greater consumer interactions should not be underestimated.
Music has a unique way of making people understand emotions better and can be a helpful method for developing someone’s verbal and non-verbal self-expression. The melodies, the dynamics of the sound, how loud or soft people listen, and the tempo you enjoy can all be important indicators in defining what type of person you are and how you portray yourself to others. It is for these reasons that music has become such a prominent tool in therapy, helping people release emotions and discuss how they feel about complicated, and in some cases traumatic issues. This can be the same for any person who finds it hard to express their thoughts and feelings, with music playing a strong role in helping them communicate and connect with others around them. It is then clear that music has powerful emotional qualities and one-of-a-kind characteristics that make it effective in unlocking the expression of ourselves.
A recent study carried out by Spotify named the “Culture Next Trends Report” has highlighted a few of the key defining traits that Gen Z and Millennials have adopted. This study gathered insights from 4,000 respondents that spread across the globe, from Australia to the Philippines, Brazil and Mexico, across the UK, Germany, U.S. and France. The first defining factor was that Gen Zers and Millennials are in touch with their feelings and aren’t afraid to express themselves. Half of the respondents said they feel a strong bond when sharing feelings. Furthermore, they believe music plays a vital role in allowing them to connect with other people and with different cultures, as these generations listen to more international music than ever before, and this once against highlights the connecting value of music that can be applied to audio-branding. Music can play such a vital role in people’s lives, and that is why there are such huge opportunities for brands to positively touch upon people through implementing a relevant and brand-centric music strategy.
Read more about how Marble Music can design your audio identity here.