Vincent Tutay, Author at antics@play

Ask most marketers what sonic or sound branding is and chances are they know of this form of marketing or have heard of it. The rise of smart speakers like Amazon’s Echo and Google Nest, have accelerated the adoption of sonic branding. Yet, most brands today, do not have a sonic brand and if they do, it is likely limited in medium. Existing only in the form of either radio ads or television commercials. While none can dispute the importance of sonic branding, the jury is still out on whether brands are equipped enough to harness the extensive emotional and exclusive value of sonic branding done right.

In a previous blog post, we discuss the science behind what makes sonic branding so powerful and effective. They are mnemonic devices aiding in memory making and recall, that connects people with brands as much as visual elements. How then can we as marketers and creatives start laying down the track for a brand’s journey into sonic branding? Read on to learn about the steps we can take in creating a fuller brand experience through sound.

Step 1: Conduct research

Any worthwhile branding and marketing endeavour should have their consumers in mind and sonic branding is no exception. In an era where data is king and user centricity is – uh, another king, research is the tool that will tell any marketer where their brand stands in the eyes of their consumers. From a design thinking perspective, this is where we take a deep dive into our audiences motivations and preoccupations. This is the critical step that determines not only how a brand’s identity is shaped but also where it is experienced. It is the bedrock that the brands’ marketing efforts are built upon.

When viewed with a sonic branding lens, research will tell marketers the sound, mood and tone that best resonates with their audiences. Moreover, studying data on consumers’ media consumption habits will also highlight the best touch points where their sonic branding will hit the right notes.

Step 2: Define your brand’s identity

Sonic branding is after all, a form of branding. This means it is an expression of branding through sound. In order to do this effectively and consistently on brand, it is crucial to define a brand’s identity. This will help determine the personality, values and archetype behind the brand’s sound. Does your brand’s quirky personality require an equally kooky sound? If innovation is a value that your brand prizes, then doesn’t it mean that it should sound as such?

Additionally, brand guides have set the guidelines and rules creatives need to follow when using visual brand assets. Creating tips on using brand sounds guides empowers both marketers and creatives in creating communications. Resulting in brand assets that are consistent and effective.

Step 3: Develop a sonic branding strategy

Now that you know your audiences, identified touch points and have defined your brand, it’s time to incorporate it into your customer experience. This is also where your storytelling flair comes into play. Imagine the consumer journey and how they experience your brand. Does your brand have an animated logo on videos that could be jazzed up with an audio logo? Are there micro-interactions on your website or app that could be made even more memorable through an audio mnemonic? Consider how McDonalds ends videos with that 5-note “I’m lovin’ it” or how the Apple sound greets users every time a device is switched on. These are best examples that brands, and we as marketers should emulate when strategising.

Step 4: Work with a sound designer

Working off of research, identity and strategy, it is important to engage a sound designer that best suit the requirements. A key component to the sonic branding team, the sound designer should collaborate closely with the agency and brand teams in composing a signature sound. Similar to creatives specialising in illustration, 3D artists and the like, sound designers have different specialties as well. Some may be well regarded as jingle composers – creating catchy tunes and memorable lyrics used in advertisements. Some others are sound engineers, experimenting in combining code and non-traditional instruments to come up with a unique sound.

A good example of this is Singapore Airlines. Working closely with an agency, they engaged a sound designer who took their iconic batik motif and used that to create an actual musical instrument used in their sonic branding. The master sound was then used in part or in full, across many touch points in their consumers’ journey. The music was used in their advertisements, to lounge music piped through boarding gates and even on their hotline.

Step 5: Testing and optimising sonic branding

The advantage of living in a hyper connected, always on, data driven world is that brand teams can collate consumer sentiments real time. Social listening tells you what consumers are saying about your brand new sound. Engagement data, likes, shares and clickthroughs all provide valuable information if your consumers are lovin’ it or are changing their tune. Additionally, focus groups can give better qualitative feedback. Armed with these insights, both marketers and creatives can continue optimising. This results in a brand sound that is both consistent with the brand identity and resonates with audiences.

Step 6: Evolve, localise, customise

Finally, let’s take a page out of Mastercard’s branding playbook. Brands looking to evolve their sonic branding further can certainly look into customising their signature sounds. It could be through using native instruments in their local markets. Have a presence in Latin America? Why not remix your sonic branding with Latin beats? Thinking of expanding into Indian markets? Imagine your audio signature played on a sitar. This are just some of the ways where customisation and localisation can enrich a sonic branding experience.

The final notes on sonic branding

While it’s true that sonic branding offers an exciting and engaging new experience for consumers, it is more important to define a brand’s identity first. Developing a brand’s persona, values and personality lends to a more consistent expression of a brand through sound. Then, using storytelling and insights gathered from research, guides marketers and creatives alike on where and how to use sonic branding.

A distinct sonic identity is another aspect of a brand’s expression, similar to a logo. Situations where it is truly effective are where visual branding is less effective, such as on radio, Spotify or in crowded retail environments. It is also useful for us to remember to leverage on the emotional impact of using audio in branding. And to top it all off, continue to optimise, localise and customise. This ensures that any sonic branding efforts continue to engage well and create fuller brand experiences for consumers. The end result? Improvement in brand recall and (hopefully!) increased sales over time. Certainly music to any brand’s ears don’t you think?

Sonic or audio branding may not be a new innovation. In fact, audio was predicted as a marketing trend of 2022. Now, through the rise of Spotify and the increase in the adoption of voice assistants, the spotlight remains firmly on how audio helps in the overall brand experience. Netflix and that ubiquitous “ba-bumm”. McDonald’s and those strategically selected notes of “I’m lovin’ it”. The Windows XP’s start up sound that has also seeped into pop culture through memes and reaction videos. All of these sounds have been embedded in our collective psyches and even pop culture. Much to the envy of many other brands. The common thread that cuts across all these different sounds is that they are undeniably associated with very specific brands. Why is sonic branding so effective and how can brands benefit from having a form of sonic branding? Read on and find out!

What is sonic branding?

No it’s not the video game hero’s branding. In a nutshell, sonic branding simply is the use of sound or music to create a distinctive and recognisable brand identity. It can start as a full song – as in the case of Mastercard. This can also be distilled into an audio logo. A soundbite that is a few seconds long. From Netflix to Don Don Donki, and jingles to sound mnemonic, sonic branding is used to enhance brand awareness and recall. This can then be used across all of the brand’s touch points all tuned to create a consistent and memorable experience for consumers.

The psychology behind sonic branding

The goal of any brand is to make themselves more memorable and to create an emotional connection. How sonic branding supports this is to create a unique audio signature that can easily be associated with a brand and remembered by consumers. Additionally, studies have shown that listening to music actually helps the brain to associate memories with sounds. It even actually helps in laying down new ones. This means that associating a signature sound with a brand actually aids in helping consumers remember them better! Which brand wouldn’t want that?

This phenomenon is actually deeply rooted in how our brains work. Getting information into our brain is easy. What’s difficult is actually recalling and pulling out those data efficiently. How music helps is that the song structure allows someone to recall information better. The melody then provides repetition, which aids in memorisation. To illustrate this point further, let me ask you to try to remember the letter that comes “J”. Chances are, you are probably singing the “ABC” song right now to help you remember.

Another benefit of using sonic branding is the emotional aspect of audio. Music and sound evoke emotions and help in creating deeper connections with listeners. Listening to up tempo, happy beats lifts moods. Sad songs, perfect for breakups. Need to boost your gym session? Try listening to percussive music. Now imagine how McDonalds has associated satisfying hunger pangs with the playful beats of “I’m lovin’ it”. The bottom line is, emotional connection, can make the brand more memorable and increase the likelihood that consumers will recall it later.

Opportunities in sonic branding

In an era of Air pods, Spotify and rich media, sonic branding would also be a missed opportunity to endear yourselves to the notoriously short attention spans, always plugged in Gen Zs. Some brands are incorporating sound into their websites, mobile apps or even the very devices. Reports suggest that the audio media consumption of Gen Zs have steadily increased over recent years. In fact, audio streaming platforms are the second highest consumed form of media for Gen Zs next to social media. Aside from listening to music, they are also consuming podcasts – another avenue to imprint sonic branding. For brands seeking to connect with this generation, aligning sonic branding with Gen Z behaviour and habits on audio platforms might be a good place to start.

Brands innovating with sonic branding

1 The Apple sound

In order to stand out and stay ahead of their competition, brands are constantly innovating to create memorable and emotional connections with their target audience. This could include a variety of sounds, such as music, jingles, sound effects and even simple tones. Do you remember the feeling when you first started up your very first iPhone or Macbook for example? Apple’s startup sound has remain fairly consistent across their devices and over the years. All the more to help you nostalgically remember and relive that feeling.

2 Voice assistants and brand voice

The rise of voice assistants such as Siri and Alexa have given brands a voice – quite literally. This means that brands can even incorporate specific speaking styles, cadences, accents and tones to create, you guessed it, a distinct brand voice. This means that through audio, the brand’s personality can certainly shine through when determining the nuances of how a voice assistant sounds like. Sonic branding certainly has given a new meaning to brand voice and persona. Moreover, brands have already begun to optimise their websites so that these voice assistants are able to serve up their content better.

3 Chill vibes with Starbucks

Ambient soundscapes are also audio canvasses that brands have experimented with to create a specific atmosphere or mood. Starbucks for example, have used audio to great effect when creating an experience for their consumers. More often than not, most of their cafés use soft background music to create a relaxing and inviting atmosphere. Layered with the smell of freshly brewed coffee and the chill vibes of their interiors, they have hit a trifecta of senses when engaging with their customers.

4 Sonic branding your food deliveries

Sonic branding have practical operations applications as well. The next time you visit your favourite bubble tea store, pay attention to certain alert tones that play at random intervals. This actually signals store staff that either a Grab food, Uber eats, Deliveroo or Food Panda request has come in. All with their own distinct branded sounds.

5 Localising your signature sound

As with any form of branding, consistency is also key in sonic branding. A sonic logo used across multiple platforms, such as video ads in advertising, in-store experiences and even websites help create a cohesive brand experience. This also reinforces how consumers remember and associate sound with a brand. Mastercard recently has embarked on an extensive sonic branding exercise along with their rebranding. What started out as a master track then spawned tonal versions used on payment devices in-store. Mastercard has also taken this to another level by localising their signature sound using native instruments from their local markets.

Branded auditory experience

The benefits of sonic branding is truly undeniable. Many brands have already embarked on their journey to incorporate audio in building a richer, more experiential brand. As marketers, brand recall is the metaphorical foot in the door when it comes to aiding marketing efforts. After all, consumers who already remember your brand are more likely to make a purchase.

In embarking on building an auditory experience for your brand, consider a few factors. Have you built a robust brand guide that aids in determining what your brand sounds like in terms of personality? What are the touch points available to your brand? In your marketing funnel? Are there opportunities for sonic branding experiences on any of these touch points?

Determining these factors and how your brand stacks up are the first crucial steps. While it does take time to build enough equity for any form of branding, associating sound with brands actually aids in the neural memory making process. And the end results would mean your consumers remember you better and an overall richer branding experience. Sounds good?

NFTs exploded into world stage in 2021, birthing hypes that catapulted artists like Beeple to command a $69 million dollar price tag at Christie’s. NFTs as well as the metaverse, have been the buzzwords in marketing trends for 2021 and 2022. Since then a whole slew of artists and brands, hopped onto the band wagon and started experimenting within this space. But this scene however is still in its infancy. The world is focused on NFT trading and price speculation right now. However, marketers should start looking deeper – at the utility of NFTs and it’s possible application in marketing.

To really understand how we can use NFTs in marketing, we need to first understand how it works. And while we don’t necessarily need to go into the nitty gritty, techno jargon-riddled explanations, a working knowledge should suffice for us to dip our toes into the NFT scene.

What are NFTs

Most NFTs are a form of digital art. But what makes them unique is that digital proof of ownership, information on how to experience these NFTs, its creator and date of creation are all stored securely on a blockchain. As an example, the real value of a painting does not truly reside on the kind of paint used or the wood used in its frame. Rather, it is the signature of the artists and its verifiable authenticity that truly makes a Da Vinci original, different from its gift shop counterpart.

The digital signature is then stored as a “token” on a blockchain-like cryptocurrency. But what makes NFTs different is that it is non-fungible. They are unique. This means that one token’s value may be vastly different from other token. To illustrate this, imagine a $2 note in your wallet. This note is interchangeable with another $2 note in the same wallet or even your friends’. But a photo of your significant other in your wallet may hold a certain value to only you and maybe a handful of people you are close to. This photo also has a limited “print run”. Only a few people may have a copy of this photo.

Now turn that physical wallet into a digitally encrypted one and voila! That $2 note is your cryptocurrency, the photo – an NFT and the wallet, a crypto wallet. Currently, people are only looking at tradability and investments. Much like collectibles. But a quick look at top performing NFTs today reveal that consumers are slowly starting to demand more from NFTs than mere eye candy.

How brands have been using them

While NFTs have propelled a creator economy and truly have given control back to creators and artists, brands too have started to listen and experiment with NFTs. Let’s take a look at some of them shall we?

NFTs and NIKE x RTFKT

Crypto Nike Kicks

Those may look like random letters thrown together, but Nike’s move to purchase an NFT studio signals the brand’s commitment to innovating with digital wearables and the greater Web3 community as a whole. This resulted in the brand’s first ever digital sneakers named Cryptokicks. Firstly, they’ve also focused on the longevity and utility of NFTs in their approach to their involvement in the NFT ecosystem. Secondly, they’ve integrated their NFTs into their whole Web3 roadmap – by making kicks for their presence in the metaverse. Through this, Nike successfully tapped into the sneaker culture and found a niche in the “intersection of sport, creativity, gaming and culture,” says Nike CEO and President John Donahoe.

Adidas and NFTs

Hot on Nike’s heels (heh see what I did there?) is of course Adidas. They used NFTs as a marketing tool to give holders access to both physical wearables and other digital utilities. This collection netted the brand $23.4 million in a single afternoon! Further signalling the performance of tokens that provide both utility and aesthetics – across physical and digital.

NFT and exclusivity

The limited nature of NFTs also lend it an air of exclusivity. As such, storied winery Robert Mondavi and their foray into NFTs could be a match made in digital vineyard heaven. With only 1996 bottles in the world, each NFT of the wine unlocks a redemption of an actual bottle of wine. Coupled with authenticity verification technology built into NFTs, this also helps wine enthusiasts verify the authenticity of the wines. A godsend in an industry flooded with counterfeit wines and a glassful of win for NFT utility.

NFTs in your marketing mix

Based on just the few examples above, what really sets apart the success of brand’s marketing with NFTs is simply utility. The baseline is certainly aesthetics, sure, but consumers are demanding more for them to part with their hard earned cash. Functional NFTs, have some form of utility that could be exclusive guaranteed access to future events, physical merchandise, digital assets incorporated into metaverse platforms or all of the above!

Consider NFTs as part of your arsenal of CRM tools. Blockchain ledgers can quickly show how people have been trading or holding on to their branded NFTs. The volume of movement could give insights to how your consumers value the utility you provide in your NFTs. Giving you valuable data to optimise and customise campaigns.

This can also aid in account based marketing efforts. By growing your community of branded NFT holders, you have a guaranteed pool of consumers that already are your brand’s fans. While you craft customised campaigns for NFT holders, you are in effect building an element of exclusivity, desirability and hype for your brand. Which marketer would not want that?

NFT scene in Singapore

While the adoption of NFTs worldwide have been steadily growing, its adoption in Singapore is still relatively low. In fact, a study by Triple A shows that only 4.92% of Singaporeans own cyptocurrency. This however, can be seen as an opportunity. An opportunity for brands in Singapore to blaze the trail and make a mark in the local scene. It gives brands valuable knowledge and insights in the business applications of blockchain technologies and blockchain as a service (BAAS). Most importantly, it arms marketers with one of the integral tools to move into the burgeoning Web3 arena.

The market may now be divided on their opinions of NFTs. Whether nifty or nasty, NFTs should be seen simply as technology. A tool that when wielded with finesse, empathy, genuine storytelling, a strong foundation of the consumer journey and consumer personas, could be the nifty tool that propels your brand into Web3.

One of the biggest buzz words in the late 2021 and early 2022 is of course the metaverse. With Facebook loudly proclaiming their name change to Meta, the world was abuzz with the possibilities. Combined with the sudden interest in NFTs, the metaverse has been predicted as one of the marketing trends for 2022. But what exactly is the metaverse? How are marketers out there putting the “Me” in metaverse?

What is the matrix metaverse?

Neil Stephenson first coined the term in his novel, “Snow Crash” in 1992. His metaverse is a seamlessly linked and constantly evolving world. Users can create a world that branches off from the main one. They can populate it with things of their own creation. This however, is not a new concept. Massively multiplayer online games and virtual experiences like “Second Life” already tout these experiences. But these can only be considered the early iterations of a metaverse. In its ideal form, the metaverse should feature worlds and platforms that are interlinked.

The internet can simply be understood as a collection of interconnected websites. This evolved into practically everyone having an online presence. All thanks to social media. You can consume this version of the internet from your smart TVs, tablets and of course your phones. The metaverse aims to not only link all of these but have us consume these in a virtual world parallel to ours.

Going down the rabbit hole

Imagine this. You are flying across the metaverse on your device of choice. A social notification pops up on the interface. It’s of a picture of your friend drinking a new Soju flavour. You glide over to a floating vending machine. You order the drink and pay for it securely. A virtual Soju bottle appears in your avatar’s inventory and you continue on your merry way. Meanwhile, your order is processed. Minutes later a drone delivers the bottle to your home.

Sounds farfetched? Let’s consider the technologies involved. Devices streaming rich media? Check. Presence and integration of social media? Check. Online shopping and secure payments? Check. Virtual proof of ownership (NFTs and blockchain)? Double check. The reality is that these may not be as fantastical as you think.

Meta may have tried to immediately “own” the term metaverse via their rename. But in reality, many other tech brands are already hard at work investing in and creating digital worlds. Others are developing technology that enables easier creation and consumption of content in a virtual space. Brands have recognised this. In fact, a few early adopters have already begun to make their presence known in this parallel universe. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Metaverse trailblazers

Atari as a brand needs no special introduction. This brand’s pixel aesthetic found an unlikely home in a digital space saturated with bleeding edge graphics. Atari partnered with The Sandbox – a platform that allowed its users to create their own worlds. They can create their own game assets and share it with the world. Perhaps the appeal was due to nostalgia marketing, gamification or both. But as a result, game makers on the platform were able to integrate Atari assets into games they created. At the same time, it brought Atari back into the limelight and people’s hearts.

Roblox, Gucci and me

Another brand making waves in the metaverse is Gucci. Their presence in Roblox immerses virtual visitors to the Gucci Garden. This was an actual physical exhibit in Florence. The recreation of this space in Roblox, opens up the experience to everyone around the world. They also added a gamified experience for visitors by hiding limited edition NFTs in the garden. This allowed visitors to “put on” Gucci branded items on their avatars. They can share and trade with friends. Players showed off their limited edition Gucci swag. In effect, endearing an old brand to younger audiences.

Like other new digital media like AR and the QR code, the metaverse also gave many industries the boost it needed. Especially in the midst of lockdowns and the pandemic. In education, the Metaverse School provided teachers with such a boost. For example, teachers were able to “bring” their students to forests or other exotic locations to teach geography. All in the comfort of their own homes. As a result, teachers and students alike benefited from a classroom experience all taken up a notch. Are you a Travis Scott fan? If so, Fortnite held a musical treat for fans by having the artist perform in a virtual concert.

A brave new world

The metaverse truly is a platform with limitless possibilities. Users are better able to express their identity by customising their avatars. It allows the creation of communities. Regardless of nationality. It allows for representation through voting via NFTs.

There are many available platforms out there each providing different capabilities. Decentraland enables users to vote for the growth of their world. The Sandbox and Roblox allow users to create games for other users. Spatial.io and Stageverse are platforms best suited for concerts and exhibits. Therefore it is up to us marketers to discern which platforms works best for the brand’s needs. But more importantly, it gives us a sparkly new tool to tell more immersive stories.

On one hand, the metaverse may play a big part in a brand’s digital presence in the future. But for a truly integrated experience, marketers should first consider other aspects too. Storytelling plays a big factor. But ultimately, we should ensure each consumer touchpoint is robust. Only then can we start integrating these into a metaverse. Is your brand metaverse ready?

The lockdowns in 2020 saw marketers pivot their marketing strategies by adapting new technologies to survive. 2021 expanded on these technologies through creative application to stand out online. What then does 2022 bring in terms of marketing trends? What should we as marketers leverage and build upon in this next normal? In no order of importance, and by no means exhaustive, read on and find out 7 marketing trends to watch out for in 2022!

“X” marks another spot in marketing trends

2022 now brings another “X” to the mix. TX or Total Experience, is a marketing trend that values employee experience as highly as customer experience. What does this mean for brands and their marketing strategies? Brands need to realise that their front facing employees are their brand ambassadors. Customer interaction with in-store staff can make the difference between a good experience to a great one.

Employee experience and customer experience should jive

This means that brands need to support front line staff with innovations and technologies that would empower them in their customer interactions. In 2021, we’ve seen technologies that have made the digital interactions and purchases easy for consumers. In order to build on this, brands then should translate these conveniences down to their employees as more physical stores start to open. Above all, as the world opens up, the in-store experience should keep up with customer experiences online in order to make the overall interaction with the brand a seamless and memorable one.

Seize the Data

More and more things are becoming part of the Internet of things (heh!). And as 5G networks and cloud technologies become more and more commonplace, data centric marketing should be on the forefront of marketers minds. As a result, it is no surprise that data remains a key marketing trend in recent years. But with the impending demise of the “cookie”, marketers will soon be hard-pressed to rely on third party data to power campaigns.

Data is your best friend

Instead brands should consider looking into investing in first party data in order to adapt. Firstly, marketers should align customer experience goals with business objectives. From here, a clear and coordinated plan to choose what data to collect, analyse and measure should be derived. Secondly, brands should provide value to consumers in exchange for their data. Making consumers see the value of sharing their data, be it through loyalty programs, exclusive offers or relevant content, makes it more palatable for consumers to share their information. And of course, data governance should also be a big factor in gaining consumer trust.

Thirdly, collected data should be analysed and tested. Eli Lilly, a large pharmaceutical company, used data gathered to improve personalisation in the customer experience. They did this by collecting data across purchase points and testing their findings on one of their brands. Finally, optimise, optimise, optimise. Because with data, business and marketing strategies can be refined making campaigns more efficient and cost-effective.

Data can also be used offline to identify new business opportunities and offerings. Giants such as Netflix have used it to bring original content to consumers. While Starbucks have used data to even predict the success of potential store locations.

The home shopping channel but make it social livestreaming

Remember the guilty pleasures of shopping on the Home Shopping Channel? Then you have a glimpse of why social commerce and live-streaming have gotten a firm hold on millennials and Gen Zs. The pandemic have shifted the e-commerce needle ahead by 5 years and in China alone, shopstreaming now account for $60 billion worth of goods each year.

Home Shopping Channel 2.0

Shoppable content on social networks such as Instagram, Facebook and even Youtube allow consumers to purchase while they consume content. This effectively merges entertainment and convenience into one slick experience. Moreover, the potential to add social experiences, direct interactions with their community, along with their favourite (and trusted!) influencers, make social commerce a marketing trend to hop on and watch out for in 2022.

Online shopping 3.0

Brands have already augmented experiences by enabling virtual try-ons and even digitally enhanced immersive physical spaces. While traditionally, these technologies have been associated with a hefty price-tag, AR apps and hardware are fast becoming more affordable. In effect, AR and VR will continue to enhance consumer experience and prove to be another marketing trend to look out for in 2022.

Beam me up Metaverse

Toward the end of 2021, Facebook’s name change grabbed the world’s attention and focused it firmly into the metaverse. This, combined with NFTs – another big craze – might be the key ingredients into heralding a new frontier in online shopping and brand experiences. While consumers may not immediately find themselves doing their shopping fully in the metaverse, brands such as Gucci, Balenciaga and Stella Artois are already making their mark.

Even if brands may not fully go into shopping in the metaverse or enhancing with augmented reality, the key word to take away would be seamlessness. Brands should ensure a seamless experience. From online to offline. This is sure to remain a key marketing trend in years to come.

Make Greta Thunberg proud

Incorporating ESG into marketing isn’t exactly a new trend but a new norm. More than ever, consumers now look for brands that practice what they preach and whose values they resonate with. Doing this isn’t just about using diversely casted images on social media or websites. It’s about walking the walk, and talking the talk.

Make it count

This practice should permeate every aspect of the brand. This means building inclusive workplace cultures, developing a relationship with diverse members of their community, the environment, and above all, to be authentic. Today’s consumers are now more savvy about their buying habits and it’s effect on society and the environment. And with the internet at their fingertips, they are more than equipped to take more care in choosing the brands they associate with.

Marketing for social impact really goes beyond just marketing. But publicising the things the brand are doing to make a difference could be more effective than advertising products especially now.

Keep videos short and sweet

TikTok, Instagram stories and Facebook Live. What do they all have in common? Short form videos. As more platforms provide opportunity for snackable rich media content, more and more brands are reaping its benefits. Studies have shown that short form videos have the highest ROI of any social media strategy.

Keep playing it short

Any savvy marketer should take note to incorporate this marketing trend into their marketing strategies. This type of video content format certainly captures the notoriously short attention span of today’s consumers. Which accounts for TikTok and Snapchat’s quick growth and captured the attentions of marketers worldwide.

2022 will continue to see short form videos in more diverse marketing efforts. Consider incorporating data to drive retargeting of video ads. Influencers can also be tapped to create videos that reach a specific fanbase. And if you’re feeling particularly bold, why not incorporate another of the 2022 marketing trends and make your videos shoppable?

Turn up the volume on branded audio

In 2021, the invite only audio based chatroom, Clubhouse, saw quick growth. Soon, Twitter and Instagram Rooms jumped on the audio bandwagon and belted out their own spaces for live discussion. Screen fatigue and the flexibility of listening to audio have all contributed to the growing demand for audio content. This growth is only set to continue as a marketing trend for 2022.

Hear me roar!

Google is now adding podcasts to its page rankings. This means that having audio content on your brand’s website, will not only provide your consumers with content that is on trend, but will also help improve your SEO rankings. Another audio based trend that’s predicted to make a big impact is voice search. Coupled with the growing number of users of voice powered home devices like Google Home or Amazon’s Echo, 2022 should be the year that your brand is heard!

Marketing trends are good and all but…

Brands should still strive to incorporate engaging and authentic storytelling in all marketing efforts. They should not be seen as simply riding on a trend. Rather, these trends should be seen as making storytelling richer. These stories should then also be backed up by insightful and sound strategies. What trend would you try in 2022? And how would you make it fit your brand?

While the world slowly picks itself up from lockdowns and slow economies, digital experiences are moving faster than ever. QR codes have experienced a renaissance due to its use in contact tracing and vaccination certificates. After shuttering physical stores, more brands have now moved online and strengthened their e-commerce presence. App and online based delivery is now a must for F&B. It is now very important for brands to look out for more immersive ways to engage consumers online. As a result, brands are discovering another weapon in their digital arsenal: Augmented reality. What exactly is augmented reality or AR? What does it mean for your brand? And more importantly, how can it enrich your consumers’ experience?

Use AR to address consumers concerns while giving an immersive experience

What is AR?

In a nutshell, AR enhances the real world with computer generated experiences. AR blends digital objects seamlessly over the physical world. It allows users to interact with these digital assets. These can range from static 2D, and 3D graphics to more complex scripted interactions. Advancements in hardware and software technologies have made AR even more accessible. Chances are, the phone you have on your hand right now contain the key elements in accessing and even creating AR. As long as you have an internet connection and a phone camera, you’re all set!

Tools to create AR are now more readily available than ever. Adobe as a brand, needs no introduction. Adobe Aero marks its latest foray into AR. It enables the creation of AR experiences, combine it with 3D or even animation. Full integration via the cloud means inter-compatibility between the more “traditional” Adobe softwares. More importantly it enables the sharing of these experiences to marketers for ease of collaboration and approvals.

Facebook and Instagram have also released Spark AR, an open platform that allows the creation of social AR experiences. With a robust community of AR enthusiasts and constant improvements on the software, Spark AR is the largest platform for mobile AR. From filters to quizzes, it combines the reach of social media and AR technology to create interactive content that is instantly shareable. And any marketer worth their salt knows that interactive content results to higher engagement.

Augment your brand’s reality with AR through social media

Your consumers, the pandemic and augmented reality

AR is immersive. A good example of AR’s popularity with consumers is the wildly successful Pokemon Go. It turned the whole world into a global pokemon playground. How many of your walks have turned into impromptu pokemon catching sessions? Mine have been too many to count! More importantly, it exposed the world to the potential of AR. In effect, its success birthed a whole slew of AR powered games. And brands have begun to take serious note.

As a result of lockdowns and physical store closures, IBM reports that the move to digital shopping has accelerated by 5 years. And even with stores reopening, overcrowding, hygiene and safe distancing are still key concerns among consumers. In a Nielsen survey, 51% of consumers worldwide said that they are willing to use AR to assess products. Because of this, more and more brands are turning to AR as a solution to help consumers in their purchase decisions.

Give your brand’s storytelling another dimension with AR

Brands and augmented reality

More and more marketers have heard their consumers, and we see more brands turn to AR. Brands like beauty and cosmetics giant Sephora is no stranger to pushing the needle on digital retail. With AR, Sephora lets consumers “try-on” different shades of make-up. All with a simple tap. This effectively solves the hygiene factor and makes for an interactive buying experience. Singapore’s home grown furniture brand Castlery for instance, enabled consumers to virtually place furniture in their own homes. They paired this with a smooth well considered user interface and experience, seamlessly allowing consumers to add these furnitures they “tried on” into their shopping carts.

AR’s presence is also keenly felt in social media. While providing hours and hours of fun and entertainment, brands have also tapped on branded filters, whether to increase brand awareness or even push trial and sales. Kylie Jenner released an Instagram filter that allowed the virtual try-on of her new line of lipsticks. Asset management house Schroders have often paired their yearly CNY ang bao packets with AR powered experiences. Whether its a cheeky AR monkey or watching flowers bloom before your eyes, AR provided Schroders a branded experience that merged print and digital seamlessly.

Check out antics@play on Facebook and Instagram for our branded filters!

Augmented storytelling

AR doesn’t only work for e-commerce and online. The immersive nature of AR means that physical experiences can take on new richness and depth – ripe for storytelling. Experiences at physical locations such as showrooms, exhibits and even retail stores, can be augmented by overlaying digital assets through AR. Consider augmenting physical displays or installations with digital rich media assets for an educational and informative experience. The National Museum of Singapore did just this. In an art exhibit, they leveraged on AR to transform artworks into 3D animations. Visitors can immerse themselves into the story and the artworks’ world – literally bringing artworks to life.

Products too can come to life using AR. Glenlivet elevated the whiskey experience by having the hologram of a master distiller guide consumers through tasting notes. They carefully considered their TA’s consumer journey and identified (quite tastefully heh!) where AR might best serve to augment the experience. Similarly, brands should always keep their target audience, their journeys and the story they want to tell, well in mind when considering AR experiences. At the end of the day, AR should be seen as a medium to enrich storytelling. Not a means by itself.

What story should your brand tell? What experiences do you want your consumers to experience? Whatever they may be, augment your brand’s reality and your consumer’s experience by storytelling through AR. It will surely be a powerful tool in building a more immersive brand for the digital age.

Ahh the QR code. Love it or love to hate it? Despite having a lukewarm response when it first launched, you’re bound to see and interact with one everywhere. The pandemic has shifted people’s mindset in that they are now more accustomed to this technology. Gone are the days where people ignore this ubiquitous black and white box. From contactless payments to contact tracing, QR codes have seen a renaissance and is here to stay in the post pandemic world. Brands should take this as an opportunity and leverage on this technology.

QR codes enable “phygital” (no I didn’t just make this up) experiences by bridging the physical world and a digital one. The inherent interactivity when engaging with a QR code allows us to tell layers of stories. First, you read a prompt telling you why you need to scan the code, and then you whip out your phone to scan it. This leads you to the second level of engagement wether it’s reading a menu or making a payment. But this could just be the beginning.

Data Tracking

Invented more than 20 years ago, the QR code was originally used to track car parts. And as an advanced form of barcode, it holds significantly more data than a normal barcode. It’s like the green and black lines of binary that makes up The Matrix, but without Keanu Reeves. What this means for brands and marketers is that utilising these in campaigns allow for performance data to be collated. With dynamic QR codes, data such as the location, number and time of the scans can tracked, as well as the operating system of the device used. It can help gauge interests, and through analysis, determine preferences and patterns. Much like embedding a pixel or a cookie in digital mediums. This can then be used to shape integrated digital marketing strategies downstream.

Environmental Impact

Restaurants were the first few adopters of the QR code during the pandemic. CDCs worldwide advised in avoiding the handling of reusable items such as menus. Physical printed menus being replaced by digital ones, saw the upside of alleviating not only financial costs but environmental ones as well. A digital menu also empowers brands to update menus on the fly without the wastes of reprinting.

QR codes are also utilised in contactless payments. And with the advent of cashless P2P services, paper based receipts and bills have started giving way to digital ones as well.

Storytelling

The use of QR codes as a supporting role in communication should inspire both creatives and marketers into new uses for this old tech. Brand stories too lengthy on a space constrained medium like packaging can still be told thru QR codes. In a society where people are more socially conscious than ever, brand values are critical for brand affinity. Where an ingredient is sourced is as equally important to ingredient information or how manufacturer’s support its workers. Telling people the story of how the product they hold ended up in the palm of their hands ensures a better engaged consumer. And I’m sure we all know how important brand storytelling is.

QR codes also provide an instant link between the consumers and the brand’s social media, blog or even look book. This gives consumers a peek into the lifestyle a brand represents or a community it supports.

The key in leveraging on QR codes lie in the consumer journey. Now that the point and scan behaviour has been conditioned in all of us, we need to make sure how we use QR codes, support an overall experience. Not just adding for the sake of it. For an old dog, the QR code still has a lot more tricks left up its sleeve. The fun part is in how we can tease out new ways of playing with it.

We live in an age where increasingly “woke” consumers are tuning in more and more to brands that resonate with their social beliefs. With the rise of social activism, be it BLM, LGBTQIA+, Gender and/or Race Equality or Climate Change, brands can no longer remain silent. As brand custodians, marketers and creatives, we should realise the power we have over consumer choices. And with great power comes great (social) responsibility. Marketing for social impact means that we not only strengthen customer relationships but also perpetuate positive social change.

As the realities of global issues are becoming more apparent, we need to build up brands and ourselves to weather and grow through shifts in global perspectives. Brands can provide an additional outlet for consumers to express their voice in these issues. Aligning the brands’ social purpose or mission with their consumers social beliefs makes for a win-win situation. More importantly, it improves the charities’ beneficiaries lives and makes better social impact.

This realignment is not as simple as donating funds to a charity. For a more meaningful and lasting social impact in your marketing strategies, brands need to sync what the brand stands for, with what it stands UP for. We need to consider many aspects of the social cause, business and brand, in order to align them successfully. While at the same time, avoiding potential long term negative effects. Here are 4 tips to consider in order to create marketing strategies that integrate social impact.

Fit your brand’s persona with a social cause for maximum impact

Looking into your brand’s archetype, persona, and heritage may be a good starting point in determining social cause. Ask yourself, if your brand is a person, what are its values? A deep dive into this helps you identify the social needs your brand is well positioned to address. Take Dove for example. A natural extension to its core line of products was to champion all kinds of beauty. Their marketing and messaging strategies effectively increased its social impact and resonance with its persona and main audience.

Maybe you’re an outdoor sporting brand, manufacturing hiking gear and equipment. Then perhaps aligning your marketing with environmental causes might fit with your brand’s persona and core buyer personas. This effectively elevates the customer-brand connection from a transactional one into one that helps consumers become part of a larger movement. And it’s also because consumers want to make a social impact as well.

Transform me into we

The cause your brand champions should permeate all levels of your organisation. Make it a team effort. By embracing a social cause, your brand also provides your team with a purpose. This energizes work and adds meaning to everything that you do. As ambassadors to your brand, your team is an additional medium your brand can tap to champion both business goals and social purpose.

This also extends to business partners that the brand associates itself with. Other companies adopting a similar cause may provide an excellent opportunity when considering co-branding to jointly advance marketing and social cause objectives. If nothing else, be the brand that inspires other brands to adopt a cause, create a domino effect and make an even bigger social impact.

Put the social in social impact

Social media can be another great vehicle to reflect the social cause your brand has chosen to embrace. Start incorporating your social cause message into your social media strategy and content marketing for greater impact. It provides a creative way to express your brand’s views outside of product or tactical messages. Social media also helps expose your cause to a large audience making an impact that can be seen globally. Showcasing your cause on social media also helps build up your brand’s persona as one whose goals are not necessarily only sales oriented. This helps consumers see your brand as a “person”, with its own sets of personality and beliefs that they can relate to. Which leads us to the next most important point.

Go all the way

It should go without saying that a social cause should be embraced holistically and authentically. Practice what you preach. If racial equality is your brand’s social cause then not only should you align yourself with and support charitable organisations, but also practice equitable HR policies. Marketers and creatives alike should strive to overcome psychological biases. This enables them to then push out marketing materials and all types of advertising free from discrimination. Especially in this day and age where information is readily available at our fingertips, consumers can more easily suss out if your support for a social cause is faked. Being accused of greenwashing by your audience is damaging to your brand’s reputation.

Brand custodians, marketers and creatives all want for high engagement with their brands and advertising campaigns. What better way to do it than appealing to consumers’ social beliefs and then following it through with tangible results that benefit real people in need.

We now are living in pivotal times of social and economic upheaval. How well brands react to these changes will prove their resilience, relevance and even, creativity. But this has never been a better time to seize this as what it is – an opportunity for brands to have a social purpose alongside a business one. People are craving for change and we as marketers need to recognise the power consumers wield with their purchasing habits and our influence over them.

Design thinking, user experience, customer experience, what do all these buzzwords have in common? If you say, human centricity, you’re actually only half right. While it’s true that human / user centric thinking influences these things, the skill we’d need to hone in order to practise, say for example design thinking, is empathy.

What exactly is empathy?

“Empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself.” – Mohsin Hamid

In a nutshell, it is our ability to feel and experience the world through other people’s lenses. It is a skill that requires us to really dig deep into our own personal experiences and find a connection with the issues people face. This empowers creatives and marketers alike to develop integrated marketing strategies and solutions which evoke emotions and resonance with their intended audience.

How empathy helps

Empathy helps when developing UX writing, web design and even ideating what vlogs to produce. It will also come in handy when you’re determining the motivations of Gen Zs or what exactly makes a Millennial tick. Knowing these things are critical to get them to interact with the brand. Is it a gut wrenching video that pulls at the heartstrings? An ad that light heartedly pokes at relatable everyday life?

Phygital? No problem, empathy also comes into play when strategising media, omnichannel marketing solutions and customer experience. Ask yourself, if I was in my target audience’s shoes, how would I behave in terms of consuming content?

Whatever the output, empathy remains a key component in driving emotions because brands knowing the right thing to say at the right moment, generates more impact. And in a world where authenticity is lauded and engagement – marketing gold, you can already guess how important this skill is. In fact, this is one of the key things hiring managers look out for in potential hires.

While it may sound like putting this into practise is a daunting task (and it is!) don’t worry, I feel you. But the good news is that empathy is innate in all of us. We may just be out of shape. There are many frameworks out there that use this to great effect but before you dive into design thinking, you need to limber up. Here are 3 tips to warm up those empathic muscles.

Tip 1: Leave your ego at the door

We need to understand deeply. In most of our formative years and professional lives, being firm in our opinions is seen as a valued trait. But in order to truly understand and empathise, we need to tame our egos because when we don’t, we tend to discount the feelings of others. And in terms of marketing and brand communications, this may come across as out of touch at best, and insensitive at its worst. This also involves letting go of preconceived notions and our assumptions. Being neutral, non-judgemental and checking our biases. It is a tall order I know, but with practice, this will become second nature.

Tip 2: Listen & observe

Listen actively. As a kid with a short attention span, my dad always told me, “You’re hearing me but are you listening?” Actively listening means being present and listening with all of your senses. Sometimes paying attention to what people don’t say is as important as what they do say. When observing your intended audience during mystery shopping, focus groups and interviews, look out for body language, and learn to interpret these signs to enrich your insights. Using these insights when writing briefs, developing your marketing mix and even brand building makes all other efforts that much more effective and relevant.

Tip 3: Care & be sincere

“No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.” – Theodore Roosevelt.

Sympathy is the first step. It is easy to feel the plight of consumers and users but empathy requires us to go deeper. It means offering something authentic and tangible. And when insights are built on these, marketing efforts will be richly rewarded. And while this requires effort, it builds long term relationships with consumers who could potentially become brand ambassadors.

Take for example, Dove’s Real Beauty campaigns. Based on their gathered insights, they found out that only 4% of women globally find themselves beautiful and 54% agree that they are their own worst critic. How did they take these findings and craft it into a compelling narrative homed into the heart of the problem while championing a transformative outlook on true beauty?

The Dove Real Beauty Sketches elicited an emotional response in women all across the world, who realised that the biggest pressure to be beautiful is the one they put on themselves. The video launched in key markets in U.S, Canada, Brazil and Australia quickly grew to become the one of the most watched video on YouTube.

The takeaway

At the end of the day, empathy is all about immersing yourself. It is true that the whats and the hows are important, but ultimately it is the whys that shape those two. First, we need to understand the background of our intended audience. Then comes understanding their behaviour and how they do things. Dig deeper into these and you’ll get to the root of the problem, their motivations. The whys. Another example of the importance of empathy is in user experience design. It is the first crucial phase in Design Thinking, Empathise.

While empathy helps with creating more effective and creative marketers by building better connections, it also helps us in all aspects of our career development. In briefings, discussions and professional relationships, it helps foster collaboration and rapport. And more importantly, especially living in a world reeling from the effects of a pandemic, a little empathy helps us rebuild a better society as well as make us better members of it. We all need it now more than ever. As brand custodians, marketers and creatives, we’ve got skin in the game.

3D mock-up of antics branded beer can against a purple ombre background

One of the hottest design trends predicted for 2019 is 3D design. As 3D design software becomes more accessible and acceptance and demand for augmented reality increases, 3D design looks to be more than yet another trend.

What 3D design means for your marketing efforts

Adobe Dimension gives creative agencies, marketers and businesses, another toy to play with. To dream bigger and visualise ideas once too costly to mockup to get stakeholders excited. Whether adding life to designs or developing new ways brands communicate. In the grand scheme of things, it opens fresh and exciting ways for brand storytelling.

3D design and typography

The strength of 3D design in storytelling is all the more apparent when developing ad campaigns. 3D typography isn’t the newest kid on the block. But take a moment to imagine: The headlines of your next big campaign, composed of abstract 3D-rendered shapes and objects.

Give new meaning to your visuals as it works seamlessly with copy. This, combined with another 2019 trend of bold and loud colours, has the potential to make designs not only pop off the page or screen but adds a level of depth that you’ll want to reach out and touch.

Make your customers’ experience 3D

3D design opens up new avenues to explore when it comes to expressing your brand’s identity and development. Fancy your very own cinematic splash screen? Combine 3D with animation, and you have an animated logo. Specifically, a 3D one that lets your brand express its unique personality. Need another reason to hop on the 3D bandwagon? The hottest social media platforms are exploring 3D formats. Remember that 3D post that had you staring at your phone, spinning around on the spot?

Bridge experiences through multiple touch points

Take it a step further and throw augmented reality into the mix. With tech giants Facebook, Google and Apple developing their own AR Kits, you can now integrate 3D design, both static and animated, across channels. Give customers a seamless journey from digital to print and even on-ground. Want to see it in action? Download Artivive and check out our logo through the app. See first-hand how the many tools at your disposal can be combined to create differentiated experiences.

With powerful new tools in our toolkit, creatives can dream up compositions rendered entirely in 3D. The tools give us more control during the design process, allowing us to manipulate angles, lighting and placement. Now we can get the perfect shot without having a photoshoot. For startups and small businesses, this could be what you need to produce your next product shot of a prototype to get stakeholders onboard with a new idea. No physical product or prototype yet? Don’t fret. 3D design is the solution you need.

It’s easy to get carried away with all these shiny new toys at our disposal. While they give us new ways to bring your story to life, your story is what engages your consumers. Whatever story your brand wants to tell, add a new dimension to it.