JAMES MATTHES, CEO, TALKS SONIC BRANDING:
We live in a world where companies and brands are fighting for attention in an increasingly cluttered marketplace, and the ability to stand out is more crucial than ever. Differentiation has never been harder, and sameness has never been more expensive.
We live in a world where companies and brands are fighting for attention in an increasingly cluttered marketplace, and the ability to stand out is more crucial than ever. Differentiation has never been harder, and sameness has never been more expensive.
As a business owner, I’ve been through the journey of understanding the true value of brand identity myself. We instinctively recognise the power of a strong visual presence, but what about sound? Why do we limit branding to what we see, when what we hear can be just as powerful and often far more memorable?
In an environment where audiences scroll past visuals in seconds, sound has the ability to cut through. It doesn’t ask for attention in the same way. It earns it. That is exactly why we created Sonic Branding at Pressure Cooker Studios.
For years, brands have relied on jingles to make an impression, but the reality is that a jingle often feels like a burden rather than an asset. It is usually campaign specific, sometimes dated almost as soon as it launches, and rarely flexible enough to grow with a brand. In a market that demands agility and consistency across multiple platforms, that approach simply no longer works.
Our goal was to create something different. Something that adds real strategic value. A cool sound alone will not do the trick.
The real power lies in developing a sonic identity that captures a brand’s essence, creates emotional connection, strengthens recall, and gives brands a distinctive edge in crowded spaces. When done properly, sonic branding becomes a system, not a single execution. It allows brands to sound consistent whether they are on radio, social media, TV, digital platforms, events, or product experiences.
I have no doubt that everyone reading this has a strong association with a piece of music, and the science backs it up. Audio has a direct connection to the memory centres of the brain.
I still remember sitting in the cinema watching The Dark Knight for the first time. The opening music immediately set the emotional tone for the film. That sound is so deeply embedded in me that I could hear it from another room and know instantly what was playing.
When we compose music for films, we carefully consider every note, every instrument, every tone to ensure it serves the story. So we asked ourselves a simple question: why aren’t brands afforded the same level of care? A brand is not a one-off campaign. It is an evolving narrative. Its sonic identity should evolve with it.
If a company were a film, what would it sound like? How would its values, personality, and ambition translate into audio? This thinking became the foundation of a structured process that allows us to build sonic identities with the same intentionality as visual ones. Not decoration, but authorship.
Globally, many brands have already embraced this shift. They don’t just have logos anymore. They have sonic languages. These brands understand that consistency across sound is not a nice-to-have, it is a competitive advantage. It helps them feel larger, more confident, and more coherent at every touchpoint.
In South Africa, however, adoption has been slower. Sonic branding is often seen as something reserved for global giants or luxury brands with deep pockets. We see this as a missed opportunity. In fact, we believe it is the opposite. Sonic branding is one of the most powerful tools available for brands that want to disrupt, stand out, and punch above their weight.
That belief is what pushed us to rethink not just the creative process, but the business model behind it.
To make sonic branding genuinely accessible, we developed a tiered pricing structure that meets businesses where they are. Whether you are a startup, a scaling company, or an established brand, there is a way to harness this unseen power without needing a global budget. This approach is intentionally disruptive. It removes the idea that strategic sound belongs only to the biggest players, and opens the door for smaller and mid-sized brands to compete with confidence.
As South Africans, we often talk about wanting our brands to be recognised globally. But recognition is built through consistency. Sonic branding is one of the missing pieces for companies looking to close the gap between local presence and international credibility.
I understand the hesitation. When I first encountered the idea of investing in our own brand’s visual identity, I almost choked at the cost. But I believed in the value of the creative work and what it would do for our studios, and I’ve never looked back. Every time we use our branding, whether in a presentation, on our website, or social media, it reinforces our identity. It was the best investment we ever made, making our business feel more professional, polished, and cohesive.
We spent years refining our sonic branding process before bringing it to market. We even tested it on ourselves first, and honestly, it failed. But we have a saying at the studio: we fail every day, until we don’t.
Through that failure, we iterated, refined, and pressure-tested the process until it became robust and repeatable. We have since successfully rolled it out for local companies like Lula and Moonsport, proving that this approach works across different categories and scales.
The world is moving toward a future where brands are not just seen, but heard. Sonic branding is no longer a luxury. It is an unseen power that allows brands to create recognition, emotional connection, and consistency across the entire customer journey.
If you are looking for a way to stand out, sound distinct, and build a brand that people remember – click here.