A sonic logo is a short melody played at the beginning or end of an advert, some examples of this are linked below
“Playing a happy sonic logo resulted in a higher consumer attitude toward the advertisement and toward the brand.”. The idea that a short melody can alter a person’s perception of a brand and influence their buying habits feels to me like an invasive use of sound.
Should companies be able to advertise their products? Yes, of course, in today’s world there would be no competing with other brands without the relentless advertising campaigns. The manipulative techniques used in public relations and branding are sadly necessary to succeed in the current business climate. Should we as consumers be aware of these manipulative techniques used by big brands? Yes, being aware of the ways in which large companies are trying to infiltrate our unconscious minds with branding will allow consumers to see through the branding and try to find the pure information about the products they need.
I could use sonic logos in my satirical adverts in a few different ways, I could parody an existing sonic logo and draw attention to the fact that it is a PR technique using the voiceover, drawing attention to it overtly in this way could provide comic effect as well as information however could be too overt. I could also use a sonic logo multiple times in one advert, to repeat the one melody several times in an advert could be irritating for the audience which would still make them ask the same question, “why do I tolerate these sonic logos?” and be less overt than highlighting it via the voiceover.
P.S. Shaw, D.Sheinin, L.I. Labreque, Small sounds, big impact: sonic logos and their effect on consumer attitudes, emotions, brands and advertising placement, Journal of Product and Brand Management, March 2022