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Multisense.net – The Institute for Multi Sensory Marketing | 1st of March 2012
“… ComMUSICation combines extensive knowledge with the latest findings from areas such as marketing and neuroscience, a wealth of experience and a dash of British humor.”
Full Article: A translation of the original German review from The Institute for Multi Sensory Marketing.
Concentrated expertise with a personal note: The author, John Groves, is acknowledged on the international scene as a pioneer of Sound Branding. As a composer, music consultant and producer, he has created unforgettable melodies for such brands as Mars, Mentos, Bacardi, Visa and Olympus. In the early 90s, John Groves, an Englishman who was born in Hamburg, began to create and implement Sound Identities for brands and companies on the basis of a strategic system. His book combines extensive knowledge with the latest findings from areas such as marketing and neuroscience, a wealth of experience and a dash of British humor.
The book is in English, but due to the non-academic style and vocabulary, it is easy to understand even for those with an average knowledge of English – especially considering that marketing terminology is full of English terms. Groves, who has hopes for a “better sounding world”, wants to open the (technical) readers eyes and ears to the untapped potential of systematic brand management via sound: “In these days of sharper competition, in a time where every small improvement in the perception of a brand or company could mean in increase in market share, it is strange that the concept of Sound branding is only being grasped by a select few.”
Accordingly, Groves focus is on networked, congruent communication – the real new territory: “Brands have always used music to communicate, haven’t they? True, but Largely as a campaign element – one that comes and goes “Wasted potential” is a main motive for ComMUSICation:” … to promote the awareness and value of a systematic approach of developing sound communication strategies. The book aims to explain the methods and systems available today that take the subjectivity and guesswork out of the music-choosing process in brand communications.”
Against this background, Groves explains in the introduction, the benefits of Sound Branding, based on recent findings in the area of Neuroscience, which accents how humans – as emotional beings – are steered by sensual impressions. The abstract concept of “integrated communication” is replaced by a strategy to synchronize the different sensory channels. As an equal counterpart to visual communication elements which, in the flood of advertising has reached the borders, the use of synchronized sound – from brand-differentiating Sound Logos to catchy advertising melodies and soundscapes – offer significant opportunities in a what is a still largely unused channel, “… music can hit you where it hurts: in your subconscious and in your heart “.
As well as excursions to the other senses, Groves tells in an exciting and easy to follow way, how sound affects us, what messages it conveys, how it triggers associations and (unconsciously) influences us. Quoted from a chapter with the focus is on “Music in (Brand and Corporate) Communications”: “The main point is that music influences our thoughts and moods and can build associations. It is a key to our emotions and a trigger for our memories. If we can understand how it works, we may be able to use it to steer people’s thoughts and emotions. ”
Groves doesn’t only reveal the full potential impact of (advertising) communicating via music or sound; based on a solid base of branding knowledge, he also takes the reader through the process of Sound Branding – step by step: from the definition of brand /corporate values and their translation into recognizable sound, over the analysis of the competition to the defining of the acoustic touch points. We are shown the objective design and judgment parameters in the context of sound identity to ensure: recognition, brand fit, targeting, consistency, identification, differentiation, memorability, flexibility …
For the implementation of a Brand Sound Identity, there are more acoustic touch points available than ever are. Besides the typical Sound Logo, there are a corresponding number of Brand Sound elements, like the: sound icon, sound tattoo, telephone loop, brand voice, company / brand song, jingle, product sound, ringtone, soundscape, web, sound, podcast design elements, TV ending, POS, sound navigation …
“Sound Branding is the structured process of developing, implementing and managing the sound and music that a brand uses for its communications in the form of a Brand Sound Identity.”
The future of Sound Branding looks, according to Groves “rosy”. The demand is constantly growing and gradually developing a wide impact. After global brands have shown the way, national brands and companies are also discovering the potential of this new communication discipline. New marketing and scientific research methods are providing a further boost: “In a few years, it will most probably be standard practice to use Neuro-marketing methods to measure the perception of music. We will just slide the test person into a tube and play them music until the right bit of their brain lights up Easy peasy! And then, finally, I can concentrate just on making music. ”
Musikwoche | 16th of February 2012
“… The reader gains great insights, and quickly realizes that a potentially dry and academic subject matter has been made entertaining and interesting – thanks to the many anecdotes and the entertaining writing style of John Groves.”
A translation of an original review in German from the music magazine “Musikwoche”
http://www.mediabiz.de/musik/news/john-groves-erklaert-worauf-es-beim-sound-branding-ankommt/315816
John Groves explains the workings of Sound Branding.
Hamburg / Cork (Gil) – His first musical memories are of the chimes of the ice-cream vans, that played a simple but catchy melodies. John Groves was seven years old at the time, and by being able to recognize the seller of his favorite ice cream just with his ears, he demonstrated how effective music could be used as a branding tool. Meanwhile, the Englishman who lives in Hamburg, has distinguished himself as a top-class specialist for Sound Branding. In his career as a composer and music producer, he has written an impressive number of jingles and Sound Logos; for chewing gum and coffee filters, for airlines and Credit Cards, and for major brands such as Olympus, Bacardi and Mars. He composed the world famous “Mentos” jingle and produced orchestral TV commercials for Audi, Berliner Kindl and Premiere Digital. John Groves is a master at constructing crisp compositions with high recognition value – the so called “earworms” that are needed for Sound Branding. He shares the essence of his experience in his book, “ComMUSICation – from Pavlov’s Dog to Sound Branding”, which is published in Ireland by the business specialist Oak Tree Press.
The book explains step by step, what Sound Branding is all about. Firstly, it outlines the neurological fundamentals of music perception and puts music in a communicative context. It then describes the role of music in corporate communication, and finishes with a step-by-step walk through the author’s structured system for Sound Branding. The reader gains great insights, and quickly realizes that a potentially dry and academic subject matter has been made entertaining and interesting – thanks to the many anecdotes and the entertaining writing style of John Groves.
Those who work in marketing, advertising, branding or music can learn a lot from this book. It is available for € 40.99 from Amazon (ISBN 978-1-78119-000-5, hardcover 217 pages).
W&V Werben und Verkaufen | 19th of March 2012
“Notes for good jingles
According to composer and producer John Groves, music can achieve so much: it can increase productivity in offices, influence the perception of quality and the willingness to pay more, as well as steering consumers buy French instead of German wine. Music can also trigger memories of a particular brand. But the art is to create music that can make positive associations without being irritating. Groves should know what he is talking about; he has developed jingles for Visa, Bacardi, Mentos, Melitta and many more.”
BASCA Magazine | June 2012
“John Groves retains his evident passion for music’s unique power to convey sophisticated information, born from a childhood delight in the sound of his favourite ice cream van…”
ComMUSICation – From Pavlov’s Dog to Sound Branding
By John Groves (Oak Tree Press)
After a long and notable career at the forefront of sound branding, John Groves retains his evident passion for music’s unique power to convey sophisticated information, born from a childhood delight in the sound of his favourite ice cream van. He builds on his professional expertise with pertinent research findings to put forward an authoritative case for brands to apply the utmost rigour in re-evaluating the way they use music and sound in their communications.
Indeed his text contains a convincing, all but defintive methodology for developing and managing brand sound identities, which even the most hardened sceptic would struggle to dismiss. In so doing, Groves presents a much-needed, coherent antidote to the chronic blind spot of the advertising industry: the subjective, knee-jerk decision-making about music that continues to plague and to de-value its output whilst burdening hundreds of talented composers with a commissioning process so mercurial it reduces their average hourly income to little over minimum wage.
Regrettably, the marketing, advertising and branding professionals most in need of these valuable insights are probably among those readers least willing to tolerate the author’s use of dated references, his irrepressibly garrulous writing style and clumsy gender stereotyping that would not usually evade a good editor.
When it comes to sound branding however, Groves unquestionably knows his stuff and there is much here to absorb those with an interest in the subject. Sadly though, a promising opportunity has been missed to deliver what could have been a game-changing industry text.
Augusta Quiney
HORIZONT – Spießer Alfons | 6th of September 2012
Spießer Alfons recommends “comMUSICation – From Pavlov’s Dog to Sound Branding”
It is the tone that makes the music; and the music sets the tone. That is the basis for Sound Branding. The most famous example of Sound Branding are the chimes of the church bell. John Groves has written down everything about Sound Branding that you will ever need to know if you are involved in radio and TV advertising. The book? “comMUSICation – From Pavlov’s Dog to Sound Branding” (Oak Tree Press, ISBN 978 1 78119 0005, also available as ePub and Kindle version.) And John Groves? Alfons doesn’t know anyone in the industry with more experience and knowledge about music in advertsing than the author, who has composed music for countless spots and – as ADC member – is a much demanded speaker on the subject. Those who really don’t know John Groves can catch up on Wikipedia.
Irish Marketing Journal | 1st of February 2012
ComMUSICation, a new book by John Groves aimed at marketing or brand managers was published earlier this year.
ComMUSICation is a mix of cutting-edge scientific findings and one man’s analytic – and sometimes humorous – views, ending in a show-it-all walk-through of the structured system that is responsible for the sound of some of the world’s most prestigious brands. It is available in print and electronically.
specialist magazine: media spectrum, no 4/2012: Akustische Markenkommunikation mit facettenreichem Klangspektrum
Guest article by Prof. Dr. Karsten Kilian – PDF (German)
WDR 3 Tonart: Kai Löffler about Sound Branding and GROVES, 4th June 2012 (German)
[audio:http://commusication.soundbranding.de/wp-content/uploads/gr/120604_WDR3_Tonart_Loeffler_Groves.mp3|titles= WDR3 Tonart Kai Loeffler]RTE Lyric FM, Culture File on Lyric FM – broadcast, 1st February 2012
[audio:http://commusication.soundbranding.de/wp-content/uploads/gr/RTE_LyricFM_pod.mp3|titles= RTE Lyric FM Culture File on Lyric FM]