Welcome to the Sound in Marketing podcast. The Sound Marketing Podcast explores and defines sound on purpose, in marketing and in advertising. I'm your host, Jeanna Isham, owner and founder of Dreamr Productions and Sound in Marketing Learning. I create, consult and educate individuals and brands on the power of sound in marketing. This season's title is Sonic Branding: Case Studies, Context and Clarity.
Every episode will start with a what if brand case study focusing on one of the many audio touchpoints available. The episode will then conclude with a real life or fake, if necessary, corresponding case study to bring even more light and context to the narrative. In the race for brand attention. Sound on purpose makes all the difference. Sound done right is a brand's best friend. Sound done wrong is a brand's worst nightmare.
This episode is about how music playlists can convey a brand's mission and inspire customers to passionately support and champion those brands, whether they are at the office, home, carpooling or clubbing. They hear those songs again and they instantly snap back to where that song mattered most. Cue the dream sequence. The ultimate playlist.
We start our story with Purses By Moms, a small but growing company in West L.A. focusing on hand-stitched bags and wallets made by stay at home moms in the L.A. County area. As some of you may know, raising kids in an expensive location is super hard. Every dollar counts, and when you eliminate one income to care for a newborn, it becomes even harder. During those formative years, you have two options. One, one of you becomes a stay at home parent or two.
You both work and put pretty much an entire paycheck into the pocket of a child care provider every month. Paula Winslow's mission was to provide crafty moms who found themselves staying home with a small income during those newborn and toddler years. As Paula told her customers, Purses by Moms is about helping moms find purpose beyond parenting- an outlet with an income. The model allowed each mom to receive free training, a small commission for their work, and an outlet for creativity.
Paula would provide the training and fabric and the moms would work on the bags during nap times and playdates. For those moms who wanted to go beyond, they could become trainers. This would earn them an additional stipend and free Paula up to focus more on operations. Her dream was to expand the business to other expensive cities across America and provide more struggling moms with an outlet and an income.
Everyone in the community knew about Purses By Moms and loved the mission, but beyond that, Paula was relatively unknown. In order to expand, she needed a drastic influx in clientele and heavier word of mouth. Her efforts on social media just weren't cutting it. Her saving grace was her location. Her shop was adjacent to The Grove, a tourist and celebrity heavy mall in West L.A.. Out of towners and the occasional celebrity sometimes wandered across the street to peruse her merchandise.
Everyone would be excited about the quality and design of the merchandise. But once the transaction was done, they moved on. They'd lovingly clutch their clutch or pad their purse with their belongings, then go about their day. The memory of the experience would simply slip away. The message and mission was missed.
Paula was convinced that if she could find a way to make that memory and mission statement unforgettable (sticky, one might say) they'd return and also spread the word like crazy to all of their friends. Paula put together a request for proposal to boost recognition of her brand's purpose and inspire passionate advocacy among her customers. She knew that better communication of her unique mission would send her customers off as loyall brand advocates.
As I myself have two children who are now in school, I remember how hard that season was. I loved that I was able to raise my kiddos, but I was bored a lot and frustrated that the career minded Jeanna was put on hold. Finding any distractions from Winnie the Pooh and Cheerios was always a huge blessing. I got to writing my proposal. Dreamr Productions proposed an emotional connection. We would compile the ultimate playlist that inspired shoppers with mission driven music.
In addition to and as a reinforcement of the music. We would also research and write copy for the stores end caps that proved the mission was actively happening. This copy would be messages from the purse makers themselves. It would include their name and picture, their kiddos ages, their own personal testimonials, and conclude with that woman's favorite track from Paula's playlist. The purpose would be to bring context to customers through the copy and memory inducing moods through the music.
Paula loved the idea. We explained that what we needed to do was to find a culmination of tracks that inspired, as there were no popular tracks that I knew of that spelled out her specific mission we'd need to focus on adjacent messaging songs that focused on women empowerment, hope, purpose, passion, and community. The end cap copy would link the music to the message. The customer subconsciously would take it in.
The music was that sticky thing that would follow them out of the store and remind them of the brand mission. The next time that song came on the radio, some of the songs we chose for the playlist were Brave by Sara Bareilles, Respect by Aretha Franklin., Lean on Me by Bill Withers. I Am Woman by Helen Reddy, You've Got a Friend by Carole King. and With a Little Help from My Friends by The Beatles. Some tracks were voiced by women, but not all of them.
It was just important that the message was on mission and not angry. Paula wanted to encourage and uplift in a more positive way. It was important that Paula's tracks were as close to her message and her demographic as possible. Switching to the testimonials. Here are a few examples of what the end caps said. Rebecca, a waitress in Santa Monica raising her newborn and two year old in an apartment down the street, created all of the bags on this shelf.
Purses By Moms gave me an outlet and an inspiration to be more. I learned that I'm really good at stitching and have since started designing the tablecloths at the restaurant. Rebecca's favorite Purses by Moms track is We Are Family by Sister Sledge. Here's another one. Maggie, a real estate agency secretary downtown, is raising twin four year old girls in Culver City. Working with Purses By Moms has been a treasure.
I've since become a trainer, and through this experience I've learned I'm a great project manager. I pitched myself as such to my work, and they're excited to bring me on in a bigger capacity. Once the girls start kinder in the fall. Maggie's favorite Purses by Moms track is I'm Every Woman by Chaka Khan.
What Paula needed was reinforcement of an awesome mission finding purpose beyond parenting, something that would attach to the already great experience her customers were having, to help it linger in their brains long after they left. When they would hear that music again, they'd remember the stories and be transported back to the experience. In her boutique.
That memory would generate an itch to return, as well as a compulsion to tell friends that the next time they visit the Grove, they must check out Purses By Moms. Paula implemented our playlist ideas as well as the stories and testimonials. The result was excellent. Customers not only lingered longer, but were asking more questions about this bag and that. Who worked on this one? Can I see more from Debbie's collection? How much does it cost to ship one is each to my friend in Chicago?
Sales went up and word of mouth exploded. Paula was finally getting the recognition she'd always wanted. Through the success of this campaign and others that followed. She expanded her shops to Portland, Oregon, and San Francisco. Expansion for Paula and more purse orders for the moms. It was a win win, all thanks to music and messaging. Now back to real life. Purses by Moms may not be real, but making sound on purpose surely is.
In fact, we should have more reminders in our life to do just that. Like a go to mug. (Commercial) Mom, Isaac got more hot chocolate than me. Charlotte took an extra marshmallow when you weren't looking. No, I didn't. You so did! Enough. Sometimes the only way to solve days like this is just to give in. Charlotte, would you like some more hot chocolate? Yes, please. Isaac. Do you want another marshmallow? Yes, please.
Yay! With two kids under ten, I've learned that there is no book but a little sugar goes a long way. The Make Sound on Purpose mug is a great reminder to be more intentional and mindful of the sounds I make, because I can't control theirs. Now for my treat. Mom, you got the bigger mug. How come you got two marshmallows? Because I'm the mama. Oh. The Make Sound On Purpose Mug from Dreamr Productions and Sound In Marketing Learning. Get yours today. Links can be found in the show notes.
Now back to the show. Thanks, kiddos. So we've just heard a fake story of the power of a playlist. What's happening in real life marketing? Actually, there are a lot of stores that use this idea. Maybe not exactly in the same way, but still highly effective. Take Abercrombie and Fitch, for example. You walk into that store and you are bombarded with experience. Not only does it smell like a night out on the town, as the kids don't call it, but it sounds like one too.
Supermarkets have taken to this technique as well. Whole Foods plays calm, feel good tracks, promoting a healthy and welcoming atmosphere, while Trader Joe's focuses on nostalgia and eclectic moods with its quirky personality. Apple, a great music implementer, uses its in-store music experience subtly and non obtrusive. The music is minimalistic and functional. Like the design of their stores. It is meant to help customers focus on the tech, not the track.
Marriott mirrors its minimalistic design. They curate background music that matches; luxurious but laid back. Hilton focuses on comfort and classy, while W hotels steers towards trendy, electronic and chill to embody a more modern approach. All of these real examples, in my opinion, could be even more. I spent a lot of time dreaming up this dream scenario, and honestly, I'm really excited about it.
I would love to see someone fully embrace the idea of sound, bringing people together and over the finish line. Music experiences are powerful. For example, what is that one song that just makes you stop every time you hear it? Now think about the time you heard it. I bet you that memory is detailed, specific, and strong. I bet the whole moment just flooded back to you. Perhaps you're googling that song right now to listen to it again. My track is Smashing Pumpkins 1979.
It brings me back to summer in my high school days, cruising along in my friend Allen's extremely broken car, blasting it while he drove too fast to hurry us off to the mall. Don't judge. I hope you're enjoying the show. Be sure to subscribe to the Sound and Marketing monthly newsletter for episode releases, sonic branding, resources, news, and new swag. To listen to the full ultimate playlist, click the Spotify link in the show notes and listen for yourself. Want more sound in marketing?
I gotcha! Here are a few more episodes to get you started. Left Coast Airlines A fictitious company to prove a real sound in marketing solution. What is Sonic Branding With Examples. Dive into what sonic branding is all about. Sound in the Shopping Experience. How one company used music to attract more mindful spending. Sonic Branding for the Small Business. Sound is available and accessible to brands both big and small.
Thank you to Artlist.io for having such a great selection of musical tracks and sound effects to choose from. To help back my story. Wish you had a better Smashing Pumpkins sound alike, but I digress. If you need music for your project, seriously, they are a great resource. All links will be provided in the show notes. Let's make this world of sound more intriguing, more unique, and more and more on brand..