Before smartphones took us captive, people just had solid bricks that were practically indestructible. Back then, owning a phone wasn’t about swiping, streaming, or downloading hundreds of useless apps. It was simply about staying connected and reachable on the go.
Dads treated their phones like sacred wands. They didn’t care about showing off brand logos the way we do now. No, they strapped their phones to their belts like ammo magazines in a Rambo movie, ready to draw at the first sound of a ringtone.
And the ringtone was? Exactly, you guessed it right.
That Nokia Tune wasn’t just a ringtone. It was a signal, an identity that made Nokia the iconic brand it was. I’m not gonna bore with the history and all that stuff. But the tune became so iconic that, at its peak, it was heard over 1.8 billion times per day, making it probably the most played tune in history. This wasn’t just a ringtone. It was a sonic logo, a powerful proof that sometimes, all a brand needs is a few notes and the confidence to make the world listen. Literally.
Sonic branding or audio branding if you will, is the use of sound to reinforce brand identity. It’s the auditory equivalent of a logo, colour palette, and typography, conveying a brand’s essence through music, tones, and voice.
You see, sound is a powerful emotional trigger. It evokes memory, meaning, and instant recognition, often faster and more instinctively than visuals. That’s what creates the true magic of sonic branding.
Sound sticks. It cuts through the clutter, bypasses logic, and hits you right in the gut. Take the ice cream truck jingle, for example, it doesn’t need an explanation. It’s just a simple melody that makes kids sprint. The BBC countdown doesn’t need a voiceover, yet it instantly puts you on alert for global news. The 20th Century Fox fanfare or the Netflix ta-dum doesn’t just start movies, it builds anticipation. A promise that something good is about to start.
And the Nokia Tune didn’t just ring. It told the world someone important was getting a call, even if it was just their cousin calling to say “hi” for no reason. But that’s branding, turning something ordinary into a moment.
But Nokia Tune wasn’t a fluke. No, it followed the core principles of successful sonic branding.
It was simple, so simple you could hum it after hearing it just once. It was consistent, featured across nearly every Nokia device for over a decade, reinforcing brand familiarity. It was emotional; for many, it marked the first time they ever held a mobile phone. That emotional imprint created a lasting affinity. And it was distinct, standing out from every other ringtone of its time, making it unmistakably Nokia.
That’s the secret sauce of audio branding. Be deliberate, be intentional, and know exactly what you want to achieve. Most importantly, be patient. Let your sound grow, settle in, and do its job over time. That’s why it’s absurd when marketers say, “Ugh, why are we still using that same jingle from last year? We need something fresh! Something WOW!” as if a brand’s identity were a pair of socks that needs changing daily. No. That’s not how this works. That mindset completely misses the point like David Beckham’s penalty against Turkey. Patience isn’t just a key. It’s a strategy.
Sadly, sonic branding is the emotional shortcut most brands overlook. Today, branding isn’t just about looking good, it’s multisensory. We scroll, swipe, listen, and even talk to our devices. We’re not just seeing brands anymore; we’re hearing them and engaging with them. And in a world flooded with logos, reels, pop-ups, and whatever TikTok throws at us, sound offers a direct path to memory and emotion.
The Nokia Tune might not be ringing in our pockets anymore, but its legacy still rings in our minds. It taught the branding world that sound is not an afterthought, but a key part of brand identity. And perhaps more importantly, it proved that a simple sound can carry the weight of a brand just as powerfully as a logo.
So, the next time you design a brand, don’t just think about how it looks, think about how it sounds.
