What Is a Sonic Brand Audit, and When Do You Need One?

A sonic brand audit is a review of everything your brand already sounds like, from adverts and social to hold music, app tones and events, measured against what the brand is supposed to stand for. It shows where the sound is inconsistent, where it's borrowed and where the biggest gains are.

Most brands have never had one. Most are surprised by what they hear.

Every brand already has a sound. In most cases nobody chose it.

An audit looks at four things: the sonic logo, voice, music and the smaller cues like transitions and notifications.

It ends with clear recommendations, ranked by what will make the biggest difference.

It's the first stage of every sonic identity we build, and it can also be done on its own.

The best time for one is before a rebrand, a new market or a new campaign platform.

Think about everywhere your brand makes a sound. The TV ad. The social cutdowns. The hold music. The app notification. The walk-on at the annual conference. The podcast you sponsor.

Now think about who chose each of those. Usually it's a different person each time, working to a different brief, picking from a different library. The brand ends up with a dozen sounds and no identity.

An audit puts them all side by side so you can hear it.

We look at four areas.

Sonic logo. Is there one? Is it used consistently, and in the moments where it would earn recognition?

Voice. Who speaks for the brand in ads, on the phone and in product, and do they sound like the same company?

Music. What's under the ads, the social content and the events? Is any of it owned, or is it all licensed from libraries that anyone else can use too?

Sonic cues. Transitions, whooshes, notifications, UI sounds. They're small, and they're heard more often than anything else.

Then we look at the brand's competitors and its category, because a sound only works if it's distinct from the brands around it.

A clear picture of where the brand sounds consistent and where it doesn't, with the moments that matter most marked out.

Then recommendations. For some brands the answer is a memorable sonic logo. For others it's consistency: a short guide to how the brand uses music would fix most of the problem. Some need original music to replace library tracks, and some are ready for a full sonic identity with guidelines. The audit tells you which, and in what order.

The film here shows where the last of those can lead: the sonic identity we built for Hexagon.

You're rebranding, and the visual identity is getting a full process while sound isn't on the list.

Different agencies are choosing music for different channels and nobody is joining it up.

Your hold music, app sounds or event audio were never actually chosen. They were defaults.

You're launching in new markets and want the brand to sound the same in each.

You're paying for the same library tracks every year with nothing to show for it. Licensed music never becomes yours, however long you use it.

It's the first stage of every sonic identity we build, because you can't plan where a brand should go without knowing where it is. It also works as a standalone piece of work, for brands that want a clear view before committing to anything bigger.

From there the natural next step is a workshop: a couple of hours with your team, listening, comparing and agreeing what the brand should sound like. That's the start of creating a sonic identity. If you're comparing partners for that, read how to choose a sonic branding agency.

The case for doing it is well documented. Ipsos research found that ads using sonic cues were 8.53 times more likely to be top performers (Ipsos, Power of You, 2020). Most brands are leaving that on the table without knowing it.

What is a sonic brand audit?

A review of every sound a brand currently uses, including logo, voice, music and cues, measured against the brand's positioning and its competitors.

What does a sonic brand audit include?

A map of the current sound across channels, a comparison with competitors, and ranked recommendations for what to fix or create.

When should you do a sonic brand audit?

Before a rebrand, a new campaign platform or a launch into new markets, or whenever music is being chosen channel by channel with no overall plan.

Is a sonic audit only for brands that already have a sonic logo?

No. Brands without one benefit most, because the audit shows what they already sound like by accident.

Want to hear what your brand sounds like right now? Speak to the team and let's get in the studio.