In Good Companies

These days, everyone is vying for our attention. We’re bombarded with videos, tweets, billboards, commercials–every company is trying to catch our eye. One way to break through the clutter is to focus on ears instead. It’s called “sonic branding” and it’s increasingly how businesses cut through the noise and distinguish themselves to customers. But what is sonic branding? 

To get the whole story, we talked to Stephanie Hunt and Lucas Murray, two members of global sonic branding agency Made Music Studio. Made Music has been carrying the sonic branding torch for almost 25 years; they know what it takes to create sounds that resonate with customers. Stephanie and Lucas walk us through the science and psychology of audio and the process of building a successful sonic identity. 

That’s a process that we at Cadence know well because we’ve gone through it ourselves. In 2021, when Cadence and BancorpSouth merged, part of our massive rebrand was the development of a sonic identity with Made Music Studio. The leader on the Cadence side was Chief Marketing Officer and friend of the podcast, Jackie Hooper. She’ll tell us about the opportunities and challenges of building a sonic brand–plus, how to successfully roll one out, which Stephanie says is half the battle.

Together we’ll dissect the elements of our own sonic identity and give you the tools to implement one for your business. So listen up! It’s time for In Good Companies to face the music.

Highlights:
  • Sonic brand: more than just a jingle (2:51)
  • Why Cadence pursued a sonic brand (6:20)
  • The psychology of sound (7:26)
  • All the places where a customer interacts with sound (8:48)
  • Everyone has a sonic identity (9:48)
  • What makes a sonic identity system successful (12:19)
  • Cadence sonic theme breakdown (13:55)
  • How rollout contributes to the success of a sonic brand (19:01)
  • Contextualizing your sonic identity (21:49)
  • The ham sandwich test (23:55)
  • Sonic branding for smaller companies (25:29)

Links:

Feedback:
If you have questions about the show or topics you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producers, sheena.cochran@cadencebank.com or danielle.kernell@cadencebank.com.

What is In Good Companies?

Starting and running a business or managing one isn’t for the faint of heart. You’re balancing internal and external forces in a continually changing landscape. You’re building strategies, and banking on the future – no matter what it holds. This is where Cadence Bank’s In Good Companies comes in. We share our wealth of knowledge, and insights from noted industry experts, to guide you through the forces shaping business today.

We’re back for Season 6, and this time, we’re setting our sights on the future of work. We’re asking the big questions, like:

What will your career look like in 2030? Or 2050, even?
How is ESG shaping the future of companies?
And how can we leverage AI to our advantage?

We bring together experts from across the board, from Silicon Valley to multinationals like EY, to help you stay on the cutting edge of business. And we get to know those who are building the future of our companies; because at Cadence Bank, we want to hear the human side of every success story.

Hosting our stellar range of guests this season is our new host, Ari Marin. He is a Cadence Bank Senior Vice President and family enterprise advisor, whose specialty is consulting with family-owned and small businesses. Ari’s idea of “good company” is being around creative, insightful people with unique and inspirational stories. For Season 6, he brings in his curiosity and ambition to In Good Companies, to lead discussions with our guests, and bring listeners across the U.S. all the information they need, in one place, in under 30 minutes.

Ready to launch into the future? Then join us!