Is sound as important for a brand as its visual identity?

Close your eyes for a second and think of a brand. Before the logo even appears in your mind, a sound has probably arrived first, the opening tune of a streaming service, the notification tone of a banking app, or a jingle from a commercial. That is the power of Sound Branding, and in 2027 it moves from a supporting role to the leading one in brand strategy.

In the early years of the industry, Sound Branding was understood almost as a synonym for the jingle: a short piece of music, an advertising tool, that stuck “in the consumer’s head.” Years of technical work and market education were necessary for a deeper understanding to emerge.

Sound is a brand asset, on the same strategic level as the visual logo, the color palette, and the tone of voice. There are still brands that have not recognized this potential, but the data from 2027 show, in no uncertain terms, the cost of ignoring sound.

The size of the problem: "sonic anonymity"

The Best Audio Brands 2026 report, by Sonic Branding agency Amp, now part of the WPP group, analyzed over 150 global brands and arrived at an uncomfortable picture of the market: on average, brands use stock music in 61.9% of all their content.

The result, according to the report itself, is that most brands become sonically interchangeable, nearly anonymous, amid the noise.

Bjorn Thorleifsson, director of research and insights at Amp, puts the problem directly: brands are confusing “unique audio” with “audio that belongs to the brand.” It is the difference between playing a beautiful track and actually having a recognizable brand voice, something that can only be built through strategic repetition over time, like a signature.

The good news is that the study itself points the way: A-rated brands do not rely on generic music. Around 30% of the audio they use is proprietary and, according to Thorleifsson, “they don’t just sound good, they sound like themselves.” Among the highlights of the 2026 ranking are names like Mastercard, Shell, and Swiss Re.

Trend 1: From sound logo to 360° sound communication

The first and most important shift for 2027 is conceptual: Sound Branding is no longer just a three-second sound logo, but a 360° sound communication platform between brand and audience, present at every touchpoint, from the app to customer service, from the physical store to the video ad.

The Amp report reinforces this reading by showing that, even with fragmentation, 73% of the brands studied already incorporate the sound logo as part of a broader sound strategy, a sign that the piece has begun to connect to a larger system rather than existing in isolation.

Trend 2: Brand voice brings brands to life

If in previous years the debate revolved around melodies and jingles, 2027 poses a more uncomfortable question for marketing teams: what is the brand voice?

Voice assistants, connected cars, ATMs, banking apps, and smart speakers make voice interaction the new entry point for virtually everything, yet few brands have paused to consciously design how they want to sound when they speak.

Everything a brand conveys through sound, including the voice that represents it in a virtual assistant or in an IVR customer service system, is Sound Branding. Not surprisingly, the Amp report itself already catalogs voice branding as part of the strategic repertoire of leading agencies in the sector, alongside sound logos and interface sounds (UX/UI).

Ignoring this territory means giving up one of the most immediate recognition channels that exist: the voice is, literally, the most human way for a brand to introduce itself.

Trend 3: Artificial Intelligence as an assistant, not a composer

Generative AI dominates the predictions for 2027, but the consensus among the most respected agencies in the sector is more nuanced than the hype suggests.

According to Stephen Arnold Music, which calls itself “The World Leader in Sonic Branding” and has created sonic identities for brands such as CNN, Airbnb, and ESPN: 2027 will be the year when more brands experiment with AI-driven adaptations of their sound assets, even though the human element remains essential for a successful campaign.

Another industry analysis, published on LBB, used an interesting term for this moment: “Modular Sound Systems,” in which AI serves as a production assistant.

A human creates the creative core of the brand’s music, and technology enters afterward, multiplying that foundation into thousands of consistent variations for apps, social media, and personalized ads. AI works as a tireless studio assistant, but it does not replace the artist who signs the work.

Trend 5: Immersive and spatial audio leaving the lab

Spatial and directional audio, until recently confined to niche experiences, is gaining scale in retail environments, stadiums, exhibitions, and theme parks. Stephen Arnold Music describes this movement as part of a search for emotional depth: directional sound and immersive sound design are already used to guide attention, reinforce narratives, and create emotional depth in retail environments and major sporting events.

The sound curation of a physical store, in this sense, increasingly resembles a film soundtrack, it may be subtle, but it is responsible for much of the emotion that stays in the memory of those who passed through it.

What to do about these trends?

The first step is a shift in perspective. As long as the sound of your brand is treated as an isolated item on the branding checklist, it will never deliver its full potential.

Acting on these trends means broadening the view.

It is about developing a 360° sound experience, present in the customer service voice, in the app sound, in the playlist or music curation at the point of sale, and also in the strategic absence of sound. Silence.

And perhaps the most important point: treating the launch of a sound with the same strategic seriousness as any visual asset, positioning asset, or even a product launch.

This means thinking about communication strategies and plans for the launch of this new brand asset, with clear objectives, planned dissemination, and results measurement.

2027 does not call for just a sound logo or a catchy tune in the ad. It calls for a new way of listening to your own brand across every touchpoint, consistently.

Zanna Sound combines the science of sound and brand strategy to create authentic and scalable sonic identities. Get in touch.