Memorability through melody 

SCA iQ, SCA’s media research and insights division, in partnership with audio intelligence platform Veritonic, today released the SCA iQ Veritonic Audio Logo Index 2022, a study into audio branding effectiveness and emotional resonance of the audio assets of 44 of Australia’s biggest brands.

Bunnings topped the index for the third consecutive year, while food delivery service Menulog continued its rise to second place after making its debut in the top 10 audio logos last year, with the key to its success said to be using melody in combination with its brand name.

With a Veritonic Audio Score of 86, Bunnings ranked highest across most indicators, including recall, correct identification of the brand and industry, and emotional attributes, including trust, familiarity, and authenticity.

The top 10 performing audio logos were:
1. Bunnings
2. Menulog
3. Chemist Warehouse
4. O’Brien
5. Bob Jane T-Mart
6. AAMI
7. Toyota
8. BCF
9. McDonald’s
10. Telstra

Menulog changed its audio logo in mid-2022 from Snoop Dogg to Katy Perry, which saw the brand rocket up the index.

Chemist Warehouse has risen two places since the 2021 report, while O’Brien was tested for the first time this year and placed fourth.

Audio logos that were melodic reported a higher Veritonic Audio Score of 20 points higher and 63% more memorable than non-melodic logos. 

In addition, Australian brands outperformed UK and US audio logos, with an average recall score of 69% compared to 59% and 57% respectively.

Familiarity also is a key influence on consumer recall and a strong driver of a high-scoring audio logo. All top 10 brands are heavy advertisers and prioritise the placement and use of their audio logos.

SCA National Head of Creativity – The Studio, Matt Dickson, commented on the report, saying, “Audio logos are critical in the important attention economy.”

“Audio logos assist with keeping brands top of mind – Bunnings has been using the same audio brand strategy since 1995, and due to its catchiness and longevity, Australia has a long-term love affair with the Bunnings jingle.

“Melody plays a tremendous role in the power of an audio logo and some brands have successfully transitioned their audio logos without using their brand names, such as Woolworths and Toyota. Toyota stopped using its melodic ‘Oh what a feeling’ audio logo several years ago, but the halo effect of that asset sees the car brand still rating highly.”

The study found that three factors contribute to a successful audio logo:
• Sing it – melody matters – Melodic audio logos were 54% more memorable
• Say it – words matter – when the brand name is mentioned, audio logos are 30% more memorable
• Play it – frequency matters – Frequency is an important part of encoding an audio logo into long-term memory – even in low involvement scenarios.