A Sonic Branding Collective

ALJAZEERA ENGLISH engaged Sonic Lens to modernize their brand, align consumer perception with their status as a best-in-class award-winning global news network, and reflect their unique role as the ‘voice of the voiceless’ across everything they do. Aljazeera’s existing sonic branding was limited in how it could be used and did not evoke the essence of their unique brand. Our goal was to create a more contemporary sound with universal appeal that takes the best from the global news landscape and infuses Aljazeera's essence. We created the most comprehensive audio toolkit in the industry made of signature tracks, style tracks, mnemonics, and sound design elements that holistically and subliminally reinforce the brand. Awards include: - Gold : Music+Sound Award "Best Original Composition in Branding" - Gold : NY Film + TV Awards "Best Channel Branding" - Gold : Promax Global Excellence '20 "Interstitial & Program Wraps Campaign" - Shortlist : D&AD Pencil "Best Audio Branding" - Silver : NY Film + TV Awards "Best Original Music in Sonic Branding" - Bronze : NY Film + TV Awards "Best Original Music in Idents" - 2 x Finalists : Promax Global Excellence

Sonic Lens audio rebrand of DISNEY JUNIOR EMEA won 2 x PROMAX UK GOLD for "Best Kids", was nominated for PROMAX GLOBAL EXCELLENCE for "Best use of Music with Lyrics", and was a finalist at 2020 MUSIC+SOUND AWARDS for "Best original composition in a TV trailer or promo". "We had the pleasure of working Marco and his team at Sonic Lens who created a comprehensive musical and sound design package for the Disney Junior channel & social platforms as part of an EMEA rebrand project. This included a master track, several idents, music video and a memorable mnemonic. Music and sound was at the front of our thinking as vitally important for a preschool kids audience. We needed to create an earworm that was uplifting, fun and would help us define our new brand positioning. Throughout the project, the attention to detail was astounding. They used extensive data and research to test sounds and musical styles. This helped the creative process and ensured we explored several routes and through a process of elimination focused on the right tracks and sounds. This was a new approach for us. It enabled us to pinpoint specific connection points with our audience with laser accuracy and deliver on key objectives on our original brief. As a collaboration this was one of the most enjoyable projects I have ever worked on. I wouldn't hesitate in recommending Marco and his team at Sonic Lens. Music and Sound can define a brand and we had incredibly positive feedback from both our audience and internally at the Walt Disney Company." Andrew Cort EMEA Creative Director Creative Services, Media Networks, Walt Disney Company

Global rebrand of JP Morgan Chase. Recording session at Abbey Road with composer John Lunn (of Downton Abbey fame) and the London Symphony Orchestra. JPMorgan Chase needed to own a piece of music to define their new, more human persona.  I worked with top Hollywood composers who competed to create a regal and beautiful anthem which would trickle down in various styles and genres into all of their communications and ads.  We ended up selecting John Lunn who scored the famous Downton Abbey tv series and recording the London Symphony Orchestra and a full choir at London's famous Abbey Road Studio.

OXYGEN engaged Sonic Lens to power a first of its kind Sonic Identity System for NBC’s fastest growing and truly multi-platform network. Within months this system was fully recognized by their total audience and fully integrated across all channels - linear, social, digital, podcasts, etc in a flexible, distinct manner. A comprehensive library of 'sonic clues' around the crime genre adds a 'theater of the mind' dimension to all visual branding, working with modular melodic elements and a 1s ‘earcon’. Oxygen now has the most holistic, cross platform, and award-winning sonic identity system in TV. Winner "Best sound design in branding" at global Music+Sound Awards.

Powered by Sonic Lens we worked with A&E Networks to create an audio brand for the History Channel. It had to sit comfortably alongside both programming of immense production value and gritty, reality shows, and everything in between. To achieve this flexibility, while still creating an ownable system, Sonic Lens used classic rock, a pioneering spirit and the notion of time as inspirations. Judges thought it was a well-developed strategy that linked history together with music. “A bold, but sensible approach,” said one. “The result is very convincing.” Project description: History Channel produces a lot of original content across both reality and historical drama and was looking to create a sonic identity system to tie all of their content across both worlds together organically.  Given the HBO-like quality of original dramas such as Vikings or Project Blue Book, History needed an extremely flexible audio signature that could feel very 'premium' across different genres and also fit comfortably with all their authentic real world content across a wide variety of reality programming.  As the proliferation of screens and channels has caused viewing habits to shift away from linear and perception of content to become more commoditized, brand attribution could no longer be taken for granted and the need for a flexible sonic identity system that could represent the essence of the History brand, help cement greater brand attribution across all channels, connect a wide portfolio of varied content under one master brand, and even drive engagement across social media became a challenge in need of a sophisticated approach.  The solution had to be a perfect distillation of all their strategic branding and marketing needs into a simple musical idea that could work like a skeleton key across linear and beyond. We relied upon 'music intelligence', a process that puts strategy first, to first position the brand in the competitive landscape and then uncover the most potent sonic ingredients and structure for an audio signature.  TransformAwards '21 "Best use of audio branding" and Music+Sound '21 "Best composition in branding" finalist.

WundermanThompson worked closely with Sonic Lens to power the sonic branding that would spur their tremendous growth cycle into the QSR space. “They helped us move from bold, southern and bluesy into bold, epic and impactful. Their proprietary process called “Music Intelligence” enabled us to craft a smarter, more holistic music strategy. They took an analytic approach by converting “sonic landscapes” to data, which enabled a more strategic approach to sonic branding. They created a unique style of Wu Tang Clan meets spaghetti western based on specific cause/effect findings which worked perfectly. Creative precision is more than a nice to have. Having it at the heart of their process really set them apart as well as the resulting work that came out of it.”