Mastercard booms with launch of sonic identity melody

You may no longer be able to see Mastercard, but you will certainly be in a position to hear Mastercard.

Days after dropping the name from its logo, Mastercard is at it again pushing brand expression to new frontiers.

The American multinational financial services firm has debuted its sonic brand identity, a melody geared to familiarise its consumers with the company.

“Sound adds a powerful new dimension to our brand identity and a critical component to how people recognise Mastercard today and in the future,” said Raja Rajamannar, chief marketing and communications officer, Mastercard.

It comes days after Mastercard announced it was dropping the name from its logo, leaving the interlocking red and yellow circles to represent the brand. This in effect turned the firm’s logo into a symbol brand.

We usually don’t like to name drop, but we think we can make an exception… https://t.co/dBYylvH0MF pic.twitter.com/Qk2Qa4ZJlc

— Mastercard (@Mastercard) January 7, 2019

The Mastercard tune has been developed by musicians, artists and agencies from across the globe, including musical innovator Mike Shinoda of American rock group Linkin Park.

According to a press statement from Mastercard, the new melody is “distinct and authentic, yet adaptable globally and across genres.”

“What I love most about the Mastercard melody, is just how flexible and adaptable it is across genres and cultures,” said Shinoda.

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The firm says sound identity is important at a time when voice shopping is on the rise.

A survey in 2018 by OC&C Strategy Consultants claims data that shows voice shopping will grow to Ksh4 trillion by 2022. As of February 2018, it stood at Ksh200 billion.

“With the explosion of podcasts, music streaming, and smart speakers, an audio strategy is no longer a “nice-to-have” for brands – it’s a necessity. A sonic identity — the audio calling card for a brand,” said said Matt Lieber, Cofounder and President, Gimlet.

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