Is this the year you go all-in with your sonic brand? From in-person experiences to augmented reality and AI-integration, brands are tuning into their audiences more than ever using music, leading to deep emotional connections. Personalization and authenticity are on the rise, as is brand music incorporating human touch. 2025 isn’t just about making your brand sound good – it’s about creating audio that speaks uniquely to audience segments with sound they can feel. Stephen Arnold Music – The World Leader in Sonic Branding® – breaks down 5 sonic branding trends to keep your eye (er… ear) on this year.
Sonic Invasion
From sonic logos to real-world activations, brands are tapping into the power of sound to deepen storytelling across more touchpoints. Last year we noted the rise of sensory branding, a trend that continues to grow in 2025 as brands seek to engage audiences beyond visual communications through sound, touch, smell, and taste. Given the versatility of sound and its impact on emotion, brands are broadening their library of audio assets to cater more precisely to the various channels of the marketing multiverse.
It’s not uncommon for a brand to have a sonic logo, a full-length melody for major campaigns, shorter versions for advertisements and socials, variations for retail engagements and in-person activations, and brief sound cues for app notifications or online confirmations, all derived from a core musical theme. Now’s the time to start thinking about how your brand audio translates across touchpoints.
Personalized Audio Experiences
Leveraging data analytics and AI, companies are crafting personalized soundscapes tailored to individual consumer preferences – in the same way social feeds serve up content based on interests. In this way, audio resonates on a personal level, enhancing engagement and strengthening emotional connection with consumers.
For instance, companies like Chase and Dunkin’ are experimenting with dynamic advertising that utilizes site and search activity to deliver more personalized audio ads, e.g. during your favorite podcast. Spotify’s ‘DJ X’ uses search and consumption history to dial in endless playlists of music you’re sure to love. Google uses similar data to spin up ads and recommended videos on YouTube. Innovative brands are expanding their sonic libraries to engage specific audiences in the moment.
Immersive Sound
Advances in visual and audio technology are immersing audiences in everyday experiences like never before. Use of UHD displays and projections, AR and VR technology, and spatial audio and pin-point audio beams, is upping the experiential game for everything from brand experiences, to sporting events, to themed entertainment.
Rich auditory environments blending music, sound design, and spatial audio are significantly enhancing user experiences – e.g. retail innovation with Nike + HYPERVSN; opening night celebration at Utah Hockey Club; interacting with hit films and shows at Netflix House; playing your favorite games (for real) at Super Nintendo World. Across the board, immersive entertainment is on the rise, and leading brands are all over it creating activations, retail experiences, tradeshow exhibits, pop-ups, themed entertainment, and more. If you’re looking to dive in too, you’re going to need emotion-inducing audio that emphasizes your storytelling.
Authentic + Unrefined
While AI is making it possible for brands to deliver more personalized sound, there is also a growing trend toward greater authenticity in music. Brands especially, are seeking more stripped-down, unrefined sounds to evoke a human, trustworthy feel.
We’ve seen direct evidence of this in recent sports branding projects such as TGL Golf and the Dallas Mavs, both of whom sought hype-worthy anthems, while incorporating the realism of human-played orchestral instruments. With music, something special happens when you incorporate human touch – fingers on strings and air from the lungs bring an emotional component you just can’t replicate. Authenticity will go a long way to building brand trust in 2025.
Adoption by Smaller Brands
You don’t have to be a big brand to make some noise. While major corporations have long utilized sonic branding, smaller businesses are now recognizing its value and incorporating unique audio elements into their brand strategies. With lower barriers to entry and demonstrated success, it’s time for smaller businesses to make their sonic mark.
More and more we’re hearing from the likes of local coffee chains, startup confectionery franchises, e-commerce beauty brands, and others seeking sonic brands. Often these companies start small with a sonic logo, a shortform brand anthem for socials, or simply an audio style guide to keep their music selections consistent. Small brands are poised and ready to turn up the volume this year.
If you’ve been thinking about your brand’s sound strategy for a while, 2025 is the year to amp it up and make it sing. Whether you’re dialing in unique audio by marketing channel, creating immersive experiences, or embracing the authenticity of real instruments, the brands that make the biggest impact won’t just incorporate sound, they’ll create distinct sonic moments that speak to audiences on a personal level.
Russell Boiarsky is the Director/Brand Strategy at Stephen Arnold Music (SAM), The World Leader in Sonic Branding®, which creates audio branding for leading companies worldwide including CNN, Sony Interactive, Airbnb, The Weather Channel, ESPN and more.
Russell Boiarsky is Director of Brand Strategy for Stephen Arnold Music (SAM). Russell is a passionate musician and marketing professional who works closely with leadership to guide the positioning and presentation of our brand. With nearly two decades of experience in brand strategy and development, Russell has honed the art of building brands using music. He has led numerous strategic and marketing teams and served as CMO for a renowned interactive music agency developing brand experiences worldwide for companies like Hard Rock, Google, Bose, Virgin, EY, Samsung, and Rolls-Royce. An accomplished musician, Russell has released numerous original albums and is an award-winning composer for theater.
