Our partners at amp have recently released their annual Best Audio Brands ranking in partnership with Aflorithmic, Cyanite, Veritonic, and Social Blade.

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The aim of amp's report is to give CMO’s, brand managers, and marketers insights into which brands successfully used the element of audio to build their sonic brand recognition over the course of 2021. This year they increased that their brand analysis from 100 to 250, and when compared to previous reports they saw a formidable increase in brands adopting strong sonic identity and strategy.How do they measure how brands use sound? They are firm believers in a holistic approach when it comes to using music and sound effectively. Rather than solely focusing on the effectiveness of a single sonic asset such as sonic logo, they analyze the use of sound and music globally across all audible touchpoints. To do this, they rely on extensive desk research, artificial intelligence evaluation, social media monitoring and analysis, expert panels, and comprehensive market research.

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Combining all these different methodologies allows them to create a very accurate picture of how brands are using sound. For example, their Sonic-Radar tool takes a sonic snapshot of a brand across all social media channels, processing data across a 12-months period. The Artificial Intelligence component of Sonic-Radar can analyze music based on parameters such as tonality and genre, allowing them to see if a brand is using similar music on different channels, and gauge the tonality of the music and its fit with the brand. Their Sonic-Radar tool has captured sonic snapshots from over 1000 brands so far. Another important component they consider when looking at brands is the type of music that they use. Do they rely on stock music, custom music or licensed music, or do they have their own music that is unique and owned by the brand? Without further ado, let’s take a look at the top 10 brands in this year’s ranking.

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‍Number 10: HDFC Bank

‍HDFC Bank has a holistic sonic identity, which they use very consistently across all social media channels. If they grow their own music library, we expect them to rise higher in next year’s Best Audio Brands ranking.

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‍Number 9: State Farm Insurance

‍State Farm Insurance sonic logo started over a half a century ago as a jingle. They use it in 92% of all their marketing material. With this kind of commitment to their sonic logo, it is no surprise to see them this high in the ranking.

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‍Number 8: Mercedes-Benz

‍Rather than relying on a traditional sonic logo, like so many within the automotive industry, their sonic identity is woven into most of the music utilized on their digital channels.

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‍Number 7: Nintendo

‍Nintendo's sonic identity builds on the sounds we all love from their classic video games. The Nintendo Switch Sonic Logo fits the product, and they use it consistently on all digital channels.

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‍Number 6: PlayStation

‍Until recently PlayStation had few competing sonic logos. Now, PlayStation has chosen the one and only sonic logo. And, we got to say, it is a classic to hear.

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‍Number 5: Philips

‍Philips launched their sonic identity four years ago. Since then, this sonic identity that was created using sounds captured from Philips’s most iconic product - the lightbulb – has gone from strength to strength.

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‍Number 4: Apple

‍Unique product sounds, refreshed sounds of the Mac operating system, and the voice of Siri, which most of us are very familiar with, have helped keep Apple close to the top of the chart.

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‍Number 3: Audi

‍We see Audi moving up the ranking from fifth to third place. Why? This can be accredited to the decreased use of stock music and increased usage of custom music by over 25%. They keep using their sonic logo consistently just like they have been doing for the last 16 years.

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‍Number 2: Shell

‍Shell’s Sonic Identity just turned 6 years old, and they are as committed to building a strong holistic sonic identity as they were when they first launched it in 2016. The holistic identity contains a woven memorable melody, which is used in their Sonic Logo, and their music tracks.

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‍Number 1: Mastercard

‍At the number one spot sits Mastercard for the third year in a row. With its holistic sonic identity elegantly intertwined into all audible touchpoints, including their payment sound at the cash register, the brand is clearly recognizable. Most importantly they use it throughout all opportunities for the brand to not only be seen but also heard.

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If this has piqued your interest in sonic branding and how the rest of the brands are doing, you can find the full report here.

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About Aflorithmic

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Aflorithmic.ai is a London/Barcelona-based technology company. Its API.audio platform enables fully automated, scalable audio production by using synthetic media, voice cloning, and audio mastering, to then deliver it on any device, such as websites, mobile apps, or smart speakers.

With this Audio-As-A-Service, anybody can create beautiful sounding audio, starting from a simple text to including music and complex audio engineering without any previous experience required.

The team consists of highly skilled specialists in machine learning, software development, voice synthesizing, AI research, audio engineering, and product development.