When you sit down on the couch after a long day and open up Netflix on your device, you're met with that iconic "Ta-Dum" sound as you're taken through the Netflix logo. You watch your show for hours and hours nonstop, then Netflix gets concerned. So it asks you, "Are you still watching?" It's a simple question, but one that does more than you think. This is how some brands choose to market themselves, through audio and tone of voice.

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Sound is huge. It's one of our most important senses, second to sight. It's an aiding sense that allows for greater comprehension of our environments. With that same mentality, a brand without audio is a brand that lacks in its abilities. Looking at the previous example with Netflix, the audio that plays when the application loads does more than just sound interesting. It creates a cognitive connection, a resonance between what you hear and what you see. Watch Netflix enough and your brain will hear that "Ta-Dum" sound anytime you see the Netflix logo animation play. The same applies with Xbox or PlayStation and their startup sounds. When you hear that low eerie rumble of the old PlayStation, you know where it's coming from. Branded audio is the genius that creates effortless brand recognition.

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Tone of voice refers to the way a person's emotions, personality, character, and attitude are conveyed through their speech. All brands have a certain pattern of speech, whether you realize it or not. Colors and cool graphics go a long way, but the voice of your brand goes even further. Netflix asking if you're still watching 5 hours into a show is a perfect example of a brand embodying a friendly and caring attitude. It's a tone of voice that carries concern for your well-being. Though it's more likely a feature to do with saving bandwidth and data usage, the way this is disguised into their brand is perfect. Netflix could have easily just had a pop-up with large text that says "View time has exceeded 5 hours, click continue to keep watching." Obviously, this sounds more robotic and forced and almost as if the application is demanding something from you. But the simple question of "Are you still watching?" coupled with a simple clean font, allows for the user to not feel so cornered. It's a very seemingly insignificant piece to Netflix's branding, yet it carries so much more weight than you would think.

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Sound and speech are oftentimes fused with one another. Take, for example, McDonald's and their "I'm Lovin' It" jingle combined with their warm and comedic speech. McDonald's has a very bright and illustrative brand identity with their highly saturated colors and soft fonts with graphics printed on their packaging. The way the actors in their commercials speak and the language their marketing team uses. Take a look at this passage from their website describing a new burger they've introduced, "Stacked with two quarter-pound beef patties, three slices of melty white cheddar cheese, crispy and slivered onions, zesty pickles and the new tangy, creamy BIG ARCH Sauce on a new sesame & poppy seed bun. Yeah, it's the most McDonald's McDonald's burger yet." The usage of words like "melty" and "zesty" followed by the all uppercase "BIG ARCH" and finally ending with a sassy yet confidently warm statement. Even the way the passage says, "McDonald's McDonald's burger" adds to the flair. This isn't the only example either. The McDonald's website is filled with this type of language.

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Brands are more than just visual art. It's been this way for decades and is a true testament to how important the sound and voice of a brand is. The Netflix "Ta-Dum" sound or PlayStation's rumbling startup audio aren't just clever sound design pieces, they are conditioning for the user's brain. A way for us to associate sound to sight, the same way we do in everyday life. McDonald's and the way they utilize playful language does more than just add to their visuals, it builds an environment that their consumers can connect back to their products.

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There is no shortage of how brands can become more than just logos and colors. With AI gaining widespread usage and the drastic shift in media from long-form content to short-form content, the future holds massive innovation opportunities for the world of branding. The strongest brands understand that identity is multisensory. It's not just about what people see. It's about what people hear, what they read, and most importantly, what they feel.

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