The “Earcon”

I have recently been reading ‘The Brand Gap’ by Marty Neumeier. It’s an interesting book and what makes it even better is that it’s an easy read. Neumeier gets to the point quickly and backs his statements up with advert examples and diagrams.

There’s a section in the book where he discusses the ‘Earcon’ I’d never heard this term used before. An ‘earcon’ is the auditory counterpart of a company’s icon; this is when a company is recognised by its sound or song. When you see a company’s icon you will instantly know who they are, the ‘earcon’ works in the same way but when you hear a song you immediately think of the company it is connected with.

As soon as I hear the song“Here come the girls!” all I think of is ‘Boots’ for me that song has no other meaning it just belongs to ‘Boots’.

 Here are some other songs that I found make people think of a brand straight away:

Justin Timberlake, ‘I’m Loving It’ = McDonalds

Elena Kats-Chernin, ‘Eliza’s Aria’ = Lloyds TSB

The New Seekers, ‘I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing, In Perfect Harmony’ makes my parents think of Coca-Cola. But is it the fizzing sound you get when you open a can/bottle of Coke that’s Coke’s real ‘earcon’? I always find when I hear someone opening a can of Coke I want to buy one…

A brands trademark nowadays has to be multi dimensional. It’s no longer just about the logo but about their sound, service, the experience they create, the interior of their store… The company tries to interact with all the senses of the customer to form an emotional unforgettable bond that will result in brand loyalty.