The Story

To follow-up briefly on my post from a couple weeks ago about using sound to build brands, I wanted to share a perfect, powerful and simple example. This example comes to us courtesy of our favorite source of good examples: Umpqua Bank.

All brands must ask themselves a simple question: What does my brand sound like? Umpqua Bank answered this question with a simple, yet unique answer: Umpqua Bank sounds like local music.

While I’ve long known about the Bank’s Discover Local Music project, I had my first real interaction with it the other day. Though the mechanics of it weren’t mindblowing (it’s not exactly the next iTunes), the meaning behind it, from a branding perspective, really was.

The takeaway? Using sound in your brand doesn’t have to mean literal sounds like ocean waves, or radio jingles. Sound can be a way to pay off your other core values and prove your story. In this case, “local” was a key part of the Umpqua story, and the Discover Local Music program is a sweet way to prove the story.

What does your brand sound like?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 10th, 2007 at 3:59 pm and is filed under Bank Branding, Credit Union Branding, Bank Marketing, Branding, Multisensory Marketing and 5 Senses Branding. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.