Podcast Summary

The Marketing Architects: "How the Right Music Can Grow Your Brand"

Date: December 30, 2025
Host(s): Lynn Jasper (B), Angela Voss (D), Rob DeMars (C)
Guest: Roscoe Williamson (A), Global Strategy Director at Massive Music

Episode Overview

This episode explores the powerful role of music in building brands and driving business results, grounded in new empirical research. Roscoe Williamson of Massive Music joins the Marketing Architects team to discuss how the use, selection, and design of music in advertising has evolved, what makes music effective for brand growth, and how marketers can apply a research-first approach to music selection. The conversation delves into both the art and science behind sound in marketing, shares noteworthy findings from a landmark IPA/Massive Music study, and offers practical advice for CMOs seeking "sonic advantage."

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Story Behind TikTok's Sonic Logo

[01:17–03:20]

• Roscoe confirms his team created TikTok’s recognizable sonic logo, with a fun “Easter egg”: a dog barking unintentionally left in the final version.
  • "We actually forgot that baked into it was this little dog sound sample... when you take it out, it just doesn't sound quite the same." (A, 02:49)
• The story demonstrates how accident and experimentation can lead to iconic sound branding.

2. Brief History of Music in Advertising

[04:31–08:25]

• Starts with 1920s Wheaties jingle, credited with saving the brand after a sales boost linked to its on-air debut.
• 1950s saw "jingle apocalypse"—overuse diluted effectiveness.
• 1970s introduced curation (like Coca-Cola's "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing").
• 1990s "sonic logos" era: Intel's five-note logo boosted awareness from 4% to 80% in a year.
• Modern brands now create holistic "ecosystems" with product sounds (i.e., TikTok, MasterCard).
  • "We're at the age of the ecosystem... brands have product sounds, voice, music, curation principles…" (A, 07:22)

3. The Massive Music–IPA Study: Purpose & Approach

[08:45–11:14]

• Motivated by need for hard data on music’s effectiveness—not just instinct.
• Prior research (Ipsos, System One) showed sonic assets outperform visual ones, but most research focused on short cues; longer music needed study.
• Study tested 130+ UK TV ads, cross-referencing music performance in ads (via behavioral science and user panels) with business outcomes (via econometric data).

4. Four Key Metrics for Evaluating Music in Ads

[11:14–12:50]

• With help from Prof. Daniel Müllensiefen and IPA's Les Binet, four metrics were chosen:
  • Engagement: Does the music grab emotional attention?
  • Fit: How well does it support the narrative/visuals?
  • Surprise: Does it stand out, feel new/incongruous (but right)?
  • Recall: How memorable is it?
• "Together, they are the psychological engine behind [music effectiveness]." (A, 12:39)

5. Key Findings & Impact on Marketing Effectiveness

[12:50–16:02]

• Engagement: Most engaging music doubled the return on media investment; on average, increased it by 32%.
  • "Virtually nobody is isolating this driver... the most engaging music could actually double the return on media investment." (A, 13:52)
• Fit: Highly fitting music increased willingness to pay by up to 7x.
• Surprise: Most surprising tracks were up to 5x more likely to drive brand fame.
• Recall: Strong recall led to a 4x increase in brand salience.
• Music is not a “nice to have”—it’s a proven driver of effectiveness.

6. Practical Examples from the IPA Study

[16:02–18:28]

• Costa Coffee: Used a re-recorded version of "I Was Made for Loving You" with regular people; scored high on surprise and recall.
  • "Doing re-recordings, reimaginations... of existing music is a really strong way to hit both surprise and recall.” (A, 16:59)
• KFC "Believe in Chicken": Puccini’s "Nessun Dorma" in a kitchen setting—its incongruity made the spot memorable and increased brand fame.
  • "Music that makes the audience think twice...that tends to stay with the audience." (A, 17:55)

7. What Makes Music Engaging?

[18:28–20:07]

• Emotional resonance, contrasting or building structures, clever lyrical fit, unexpected turns, and intentional rather than “wallpaper” music drive engagement.
  • "Does it feel like wallpaper, or is it more intentional?" (A, 19:45)

8. Measuring Creative Effectiveness with Rigor

[20:07–21:50]

• Les Binet’s involvement anchored findings to metrics that matter (ROI, fame, salience, long-term effects).
  • "[Les] made sure we...steered more towards, does this actually change how marketers should think and behave?" (A, 20:58)
• Clarity, minimalism, and focus on actionable learning = key lessons.

9. Advice for CMOs: Getting Music Right

[21:50–23:40]

• If spending >$1M on a campaign, music testing should be non-negotiable—not a matter of personal or agency taste alone.
• Brands should define their “sound”—with curation guidance for various channels, not only flagship assets.
  • "If you can't really define the sound of your brand... then you're missing a trick." (A, 22:33)
• Start small, prioritize impactful areas, and work with specialists.

10. Navigating Subjectivity with Objective Data

[23:40–25:51]

• Music selection often driven by the loudest voice in the room; data-driven pre-testing helps overcome subjectivity.
• Creative teams can use data to bolster bold choices by proving metrics like surprise or recall.

11. The Future of Sonic Branding

[25:51–28:17]

• Next 10 years: AI-generated music and further channel fragmentation will demand more governance and real-time measurement.
  • “Brands are going to want a much better handle on how [music] is performing in real time…and make tweaks in real time.” (A, 27:39)
• Brands will need sonic "guardrails" for influencer and micro-content, along with dashboards for sonic intelligence.

12. Contrarian View: Visual Obsession vs. Sonic Potential

[28:17–29:28]

• Roscoe’s hot take: Brands are still "visually obsessed" and underappreciate the often greater contribution of music.
  • "The industry is still visually obsessed, almost to a fault, and it needs to balance that out with some more sonic obsession." (A, 29:09)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On music’s tangible effect:
  • "Music is definitely not a ‘nice to have’…it’s a genuine driver of effectiveness." (A, 15:59)
• On testing:
  • "You're essentially gambling potentially a six or seven-figure output on personal taste..." (A, 22:20)
• On subjectivity:
  • “So often it is the strongest opinion in the room who gets the music choice across the line.” (A, 24:18)
• On sonic branding’s trajectory:
  • “Everything from what sonic branding becomes in the future...will be more like a sonic language, so to speak." (A, 27:03)

Fun Closing: Favorite Song Picks

[29:34–33:04]

• Roscoe: Frank Sinatra’s “My Way”—for structure, emotion, and adaptability across life moments.
  • “If you listen to it at different parts in your life... it hits in different places...that is the marker of a really amazing piece of music.” (A, 30:32)
• Angela: “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor.
• Rob: “2 Out of 3 Ain’t Bad” by Meatloaf.
• Lynn: “Purple Rain” by Prince—shared story about Prince asking for more rain at a rainy Super Bowl.
  • “He said, can you make it rain harder? And then he went out there and performed Purple Rain.” (B, 32:57)

Recommended Actions for Marketers

• Invest in objective music testing for any campaign with significant spend.
• Define your brand’s sound and develop curation guidelines.
• Treat music selection as strategic, not stylistic—balance creativity with research-backed decisions.
• Prepare for a more complex and data-driven sonic future—expect to manage sonic identity across channels, with real-time measurement and AI in the mix.

Where to Learn More

• Visit massivemusic.com and follow Massive Music on social media for more on branding and sound innovation.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:17] TikTok logo story
• [04:31] History of music in ads
• [09:05] Why measure music?
• [11:14] 4 metrics explained
• [12:56] Findings by metric
• [16:19] Brand examples (Costa Coffee/KFC)
• [19:03] What makes music engaging?
• [22:15] Advice for CMOs
• [25:51] Future of sonic branding, AI
• [28:46] Contrarian viewpoint
• [29:48] Hosts' & guest’s favorite songs