In rhythm and tune – how important are sound and music for a brand?

Music is perhaps the most universally known art form. It has the ability to inspire not only visual artists, but people in general. It can fill a void and block out the noise of everyday life. But is it really worth spending time on music, rhythm and tone in a business context?

The short answer is: yes.

From Hallingdal’s own «country channel»

For people from Hallingdal, and especially the «cabin hallings», the Easter radio on Radio Hallingdal is a well-known and much-loved phenomenon. Even for Harry Hole. Behind the facade of reports, interviews, auctions, greetings, quizzes and music is a team of volunteers who stitch together ten days of continuous entertainment. In this tradition, music and sound are important elements for bringing people together in a community.

My own experience with radio work started when I was five years old, tagging along with my father, Knut Medhus, who worked as a technician, journalist and later producer. In the early years, admittedly, I was mostly busy doing as I was told – playing «the quiet game». 
Over the years I learned how the right use of music, sound levels (volume), jingles and sound effects can set a mood and engage listeners. Music has followed me all my life, from childhood memories of Kenny Rogers on the car’s cassette player to working as music secretary at Radio Nova in Oslo.

But what does this have to do with «music for businesses»? Music is more than entertainment. It is a tool that can be used strategically in communication and strengthen brand identity. Not everything with the first name «Halling» necessarily has to use country music, even if we are out in the countryside.

Music in corporate film presentations

When it comes to film production, the role of music can be decisive in keeping viewers engaged all the way. The music should not just fill the void of drone footage without sound. It should convey a feeling that strengthens the message of the film. Imagine the following example:

A drone shot shows a quiet mountain landscape at dawn. The birds are chirping, and the four-legged are resting. It is a calm, peaceful mood. The film represents a company offering cabin cleaning, and the images create a sense of early morning stillness before the day’s work begins. The choice of music matters – it supports the story of a business that has to start early to make sure the cabins are clean and tidy before the new owners arrive with the moving van later that day.
To mirror a feeling of calm and harmony, the right choice would be music with a simple structure. Perhaps acoustic instruments like piano or flute. That choice of music would highlight the company’s reliability and the quality of its work. If, on the other hand, you had chosen dubstep or complex musical structures with heavy bass and hard drum hits, it would create a sense of unrest and chaos – which would not match the message of calm and perfection.

Everyone understands that the final cleaning of a cabin before handover – possibly with a developer breathing down your neck and an electrician doing the last finish because the outdoor lamp arrived by courier the night before – is hectic and demanding. But the feeling you – as the manager of the cleaning company – are selling, is harmony and cleanliness. 
Music has the power to shape the audience’s perception and emotions. When you choose the right music for a film production, you reinforce the images and highlight the product or service in question. 
Music becomes a strategic tool for how a message is perceived.

Hallingcast often uses music from catalogues such as Musicbed or Audiio to find the right sound for the pictures. Depending on the budget, we spend anything from a few minutes to several hours finding exactly the music that hits the feeling and elevates the message of the client’s product.

Composed film music for brands

When building strong brands, generic picks from music catalogues are not always enough. Think of brands like Finn.no, Telenor and McDonald’s. If I ask you to close your eyes and think of these brands, you can probably hum their jingle or “sonic logo” by the time you open them again. These unique sound signatures are composed to represent the brand in a way no generic stock music from an online catalogue service can.

Creating such a sonic logo or original film music for a brand is a demanding and complex process that requires specialised expertise. That is why we at Hallingcast have chosen to collaborate with Ådne Lyngstad Nilsen whenever a business wants to build its brand with a unique sound identity that sets it apart from the crowd.

Finally, an internal example

We have worked with sound for several brands, both external and internal. External work includes Skaugum Bestikkfabrikk and Hallingdal Hytteservice, while internally we have developed sonic logos for both Kantefølflak and Hallingcast. In our case we started with a vignette for our early (now antique) films from the green-screen studio, and expanded into interlude music for our live streams. This has given us a recognisable sonic logo that we use consistently in everything we produce in-house.

For the film on our front page (behind the “Watch the film about Hallingcast” button), we commissioned specially composed music from Ådne. The brief for the music went like this:

• The film opens with beautiful drone footage from Hallingdal.
• After a few seconds we cut to a typical interview situation.
• The interviewee struggles to find the words – it is hard to talk about yourself.
• The situation is relieved when the interviewee is interrupted by a phone call (saved by the dong).
• In the background, surprisingly, we see someone doing jump squats.
• The interviewee has to call for help, and the situation suddenly turns more serious.
• The awkward interview gives way to a more heroic scene, where a wise man comes to the rescue.
• A narrator takes over, and the film closes with the Hallingcast notes.

Watch the film about Hallingcast here (sound on):

Even though this film was made “happy go lucky” – extras asked the day before, the script written on post-it notes, the weather unpredictable – the music production was carefully planned. 
The music was tailored to each scene and ends on the same notes as our sonic logo. The film was produced in parallel with the music and carefully edited to match its rhythm and tempo right to the end.

Even though Hallingcast is not as famous as Finn.no or McDonald’s, it is about staying true to the brand and keeping a consistent thread through the whole brand-building process.

For inspiration

We want to inspire other businesses to think strategically about their use of music. With strategic use of music and sound you can make sure your brand stands out and is remembered.

It is about building a sound identity that supports the brand in the long run – not just picking a random piece of music from a catalogue, even though that works perfectly well as the budget option.