Developing Sonic Brand DNA with Michele Arnese

Michele Arnese is the founder of the leading Sonic Branding Agency amp. His team has developed audio brands for clients such as Mercedes-Benz, Mastercard, BMW, UniCredit, and more. We discussed how to build audio brands, sonic identity, and more this week on the On Brand podcast. About Michele Arnese Designed in Italy and assembled in Germany, Michele is a self-driven strategic and creative thinker with a strong entrepreneurial approach: he founded the worldwide leading Sonic Branding Agency amp in 2009. In the field of audio branding, he’s considered one of the world’s foremost experts, with clients including Mercedes-Benz, Mastercard, Deloitte, Porsche, BBVA, Geberit, BMW, UniCredit, MINI, Triumph, The Linde Group, and a range of international awards for his work with amp (among others, four Red Dot Awards in a row and an ADC in silver). He's a member of the prestigious Audio Branding Society and also a Guest Professor at the renowned design university NABA/Nuova Accademia delle Belle Arti in Milan, where he teaches Sound Branding for the Master's Certificate in Sound Design. Episode Highlights “Every brand has a sound. The question is who defines it?” Michele began our exploration of sonic branding with this truth bomb. Is audio branding more of a thing now or has it always been there? “You’re probably asking the wrong guy,” joked Michele, who’s run an audio branding agency since 2009! “But the fragmentation of the brand ecosystem is a big part of the recent activity.” Where do you start with sonic branding? “We had to invent a process. First, you have to analyze the brand. Then we develop sonic principles based on this. We then create mood boards that reflect what we call the sonic brand DNA.” Michele shared how the amp team worked with Mastercard on their new point-of-purchase sonic identity system. Want to hear more about this? I chatted with Mastercard CMO Raja Rajamannar about this here on the On Brand podcast. Listen now. What’s one thing we can do to start our own audio branding journeys? “Open up your brand,” stresses Michele. “Everyone thinks they’re a DJ but you need to start with a design-oriented process supported by data.” What brand has made Michele smile recently? As Michele noted, it’s great when a client can make you smile. He shared a smile from the Super Bowl work his team did for Avocados from Mexico. To learn more, go to ampsoundbranding.com and connect with Michele on LinkedIn. As We Wrap … Listen and subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon/Audible, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn, iHeart, YouTube, and RSS. Rate and review the show—If you like what you’re hearing, be sure to head over to Apple Podcasts and click the 5-star button to rate the show. And, if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review to help others find the show. Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show. On Brand is a part of the Marketing Podcast Network. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices