Folgers coffee, whose audio ad had a recall score of 94 and beat out all other spots created by consumer packaged goods companies, came out on top of Veritonic’s annual ranking of top audio logos.
“Although they've had an audio logo for a long time, this year was the first year that they were included in our report,” said Veritonic CEO Scott Simonelli. “It ranked number one based on consumer response, topping the charts for trustworthiness, familiarity, likability, innovation and uniqueness.”
Folgers was followed by three insurance companies -- State Farm, Liberty Mutual and Farmers Insurance -- with KFC rounding out the top five on Veritonic’s annual Audio Logo Index.
Each year Veritonic ranks the top audio logos for overall effectiveness, as measured by logo recall, correct association to the brand and industry, and creative resonance -- a measure of such elements as uniqueness, trustworthiness, and innovation. The 2022 report is based on the responses from more than 2,800 panelists.
Overall, Veritonic says the ads it measured with audio logos scored an average 70 on familiarity, ad trustworthiness and innovation, with a score of 73 for both likability and being unique.
On average, respondents recognized QSR/restaurant logos at a higher percentage than any other industry with four making the top ten -- KFC (No. 5), Little Caesars (No. 6), Red Robin (No. 9) and Arby’s (No. 10). Veritonic says recall for restaurant ads was significantly greater than the overall average with the Little Caesar’s ad scoring an 89 on recall and the KFC ad getting an 88 compared to an average recall score of 57 recall rate across all audio advertising. And consumers scored restaurant ads 16-points above the Index average for positive emotional resonance.
The insurance category has traditionally been among the best-performing, and 2022 is no different. Veritonic says this year multiple insurance brands scored towards the top of the Index overall for their memorable and likable sonic brands. It credits not only their consistent use, but also following Veritonic’s advice to use the audio early and often, by including it at the beginning and end of ads, and across channels -- such as in their television commercials.
“State Farm’s consistent use of its audio logo in its ads has paid off—consumers found it most trustworthy, familiar, likable, and innovative,” the report says. Veritonic says State Farm’s audio ads have a 91 recall score, which tied with Liberty Mutual, with Farmers close behind with a 90. Overall, insurance ads had a recall score of 73 compared to an average of 57 across all product categories.
More Brands Using Audio Logos
The past several years have seen a revival of audio advertising usage by consumer packaged goods companies, and Smucker-owned Folgers atop the Audio Logo Index this year will likely spark conversations in corporate boardrooms. Overall, Veritonic measured 87 brands in the U.S. this year compared to 64 a year ago.
“We found more new entrants to the market this year than we did in 2021,” said Simonelli. Among the new additions are big advertisers such as General Motors, Lexus, Miller Lite, ABC, Discover and Hulu. Several other brands modified their audio logos since a year ago, including McDonald’s, Kay Jewelers, Nissan, Popeye’s and O’Rielly Auto Parts.
“We are certainly seeing incremental growth when it comes to brands understanding the need for a robust audio identity and the investment necessary to make that happen,” Simonelli said. “This year appears to be transformational for sonic branding, as an increasing number of large brands are realizing that an audio identity only starts with a memorable audio logo. There are many other pieces of an audio identity that can and are being layered in to take full advantage of the reach and attention that the medium has.”
Why Some Audio Logos Work Better
Through the years, Veritonic’s Audio Logo Index has demonstrated that melodic audio logos and those that contain a brand mention are more recognizable among consumers. That holds true again this year. Among audio logos that contain a brand name, 45% of those surveyed were able to correctly identify the brand associated with the logo compared to 6% when the logo did not include the brand name.
The survey also found that 20% were able to correctly identify the brand when the audio logo was melodic -- twice the rate when the logo was nonmelodic.
“The short answer is that music, and more specifically the melody within it, involves multiple parts of the brain in a way that is distinct from any other type of stimulant,” explained Simonelli. He pointed to research that shows music provokes areas of the brain involved in emotion, speech, and reward while other research shows memorability is boosted even further when it involves melodies that can be followed by the human voice.
Some advertisers have gotten the message. Veritonic says among the audio logos it tested, 78% were melodic. Yet only 29% mentioned the brand by name.
But consistency may be just as influential for success in sonic branding. Veritonic says brands that consistently use their logo have 88% higher recall than those that don’t. And they have a 10% higher overall score for creative resonance.
Download a copy of the 2022 Audio Logo Index HERE.