Building a Sonic Identity System with Joe Belliotti

Music industry veteran Joe Belliotti is an expert in sonic branding. While most marketers focus on visuals, brand builders today need to think about the impressions that can be made and emotions that can be evoked through music and sound. Joe and I discussed all of this and more this week on the On Brand podcast.

About Joe Belliotti

Joe Belliotti is CEO of MassiveMusic North America, leading both the New York and the Los Angeles offices. He focuses on amplifying brand content and experiences through bespoke music and building equity through sonic branding and voice design. With more than 20 years of experience in the music and marketing industries, he has helped brands drive business value and shape culture.

As Head of Global Music at The Coca-Cola Company, he created global and scalable platforms, partnerships, and strategies working on global campaigns including the FIFA World Cup, The Olympic Games, Share a Coke and a Song, Product (RED), and the American Music Awards. Joe also founded the Music Division and, earlier in his career, worked in talent development at the music publishing arm of Maverick (a Madonna/Warner Bros. joint venture). Throughout his career, he has worked with hundreds of artists, from emerging talent to the most iconic artists such as Queen, Drake, and Janelle Monae.

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Episode Highlights

What is sonic branding? “Every single brand is making an impression with music and sound.” However, unlike visual communication, most marketers lack the vocabulary to talk about it.

What should a sonic identity system include? While there are many definitions and lists, Joe cited the importance of:

• Sonic logo
• Product UX/UI
• Music, curated music

Beyond Intel ... I noted that the sonic logo example that most of us think of is the Intel Inside tag, however, Joe noted that this is a great example as it helps build what's ultimately an invisible ingredient brand.

Other examples of sonic branding? Joe cited Mcdonald's “I'm Lovin' It” and Mastercard's recent work, which reminded me of my sonic branding conversation with their CMO Raja Rajamannar.

What brand has made Joe smile recently? Joe kept it sonic with a mention of the recent Infiniti ad featuring the Cat Stephens song "Wild World."

To learn more, check out the MassiveMusic website.

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Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!

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