Research reveals sonic branding as the most effective DBA to maximise brand awareness
- Emily Waters
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 1 day ago

Sonic assets revealed as THE most effective way to hook attention,
drive brand recognition and maximise brand awareness
New 2 year research study from System1 involving almost 887 short form ads and
92,000 consumers finally reveals the true power of sonic branding.
1. A 191 % wake-up call for marketers
Buried inside System1 and TikTok’s recent colossal analysis of 887 short-form ads (The
Long and the Short (form) of it 2025) is a killer chart that ranks the change in brand-
awareness lift delivered by different assets when they appear in the first two seconds.
The runaway # 1? Sonic assets (brand riffs, audio mnemonics and bespoke sonic logos)
which turbo-charge awareness by an extraordinary 191%.

For context, that’s more than five times the uplift delivered by simply throwing the written brand name on screen, and it even beats fluent characters (57%) and well-loved slogans (27%).
If you thought audio was just a “nice-to-have”, the data says otherwise: sound is the most potent way to lodge your brand in memory, fast.
2. Audio cues win the twin battle: attention and recognition
System1 plotted each asset type on a grid of attention (6-second view-through) versus Fast Fluency (2-second brand recognition). Sonic assets, alongside brand music/jingles, live in the coveted north-east quadrant: high stopping power and instant attribution

Visual logos, by contrast, sit low on attention (audiences have learned to scroll past them), while still demanding visual real estate. Audio doesn’t have that trade-off: listeners pick it up subconsciously even while their eyes are elsewhere.
3. Early branding is no longer a tax on attention – when it’s sonic
Another myth the study busts is that branding early hurts engagement. Ads with “exceptional early branding” actually lift memory (+88%), awareness (+92%) and image (+85%) without dampening attention or sentiment
Because sonic cues can be woven underneath the action, they feel organic rather than obtrusive - as such they are the perfect vehicle for that crucial first-second imprint.
4. Ear-worms beat visual logos
When System1 isolated individual assets, jingles delivered a healthy 57% awareness lift, while a naked visual logo drove a 30% decline in attention (and zero positive lift)
In other words, the element many marketers still cling to, the static logo, is actively working against them in fast-scroll environments, whereas ear-worms pay compound interest.
5. Four is the magic number – and audio should be one of them
Upping the count of distinctive assets in the opening two seconds boosts recognition exponentially until it plateaus at four assets; beyond that, attention starts to erode
Slotting your sonic logo beneath a visual signature, brand colour wash and on-screen character hits that sweet spot without overcrowding the frame or overwhelming the senses.
6. Entertainment + sound = full-funnel power
The study’s broader takeaway is that entertaining creative builds the long-term brand and the short-term sale simultaneously (+39% memory lift, 2× awareness, 2.8× image)
Sonic branding supercharges that entertainment value - think of the Pavlovian thrill when Netflix’s “TUDUM” fires or the comfort of McDonald’s “I’m Lovin’ It”.
7. What this means for you
Make sound non-negotiable. Treat your sonic logo with the same rigour as your visual mark; this research officially makes it the most effective first-second branding tool.
Front-load it. Fade-in stings or buried beds won’t cut it - the first frame is where the 191% happens.
Keep it consistent, but refresh the creative wrapper. The report shows that entertaining variety around a stable asset combats fatigue and compounds equity over time.
Measure it. At SoundOut we specialise in scientifically testing sonic assets for distinctiveness, emotional fit and recall - exactly the metrics System1 proves matter most.
8. The sound of success
Eyes can close, screens can scroll, but ears are always on. In an attention-scarce, skip-happy world, the brands winning tomorrow will be the ones audiences hear before they even realise they’re watching.
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