Puligadda and VanBergen studied acoustic logos. The research team found that “The instrument used to play a brand’s sound logo influences perceived brand personality. . . . A sound logo's instrument and a visual logo's design can have similarly strong influences on brand personality perceptions. . . . One attribute of auditory information is timbre, which describes the identity of a sound source (an instrument, voices, etc.). Extensive literature investigating effects of timbre outside of marketing contexts shows that different instruments convey different emotions, personalities, and . . . . the instrument used in a brand’s sound logo influences the brand’s personality perceptions (specifically perceived sophistication and ruggedness); b) these influences are due to visceral and conceptual effects of instrumentation; and c) a sound logo’s instrument is just as influential as a visual logo’s design on brand personality perceptions. . . . brands benefit from the congruence of sound and visual logos.” The sound of pianos was linked to sophistication and the synth bass and electric guitar were tied to ruggedness.
Sanjay Puligadda and Noah VanBergen. 2023. “The Influence of Sound Logo Instruments on Brand Personality Perceptions: An Investiation of Brand Ruggedness and Sophistication.” Journal of Business Research, vol. 156, 113531, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.113531