The Sound of Music: The Effect of Timbral Sound Quality in Audio Logos on Brand Personality Perception.

This article investigates the impact of timbral sound quality—specifically roughness and smoothness—in brand audio logos on consumers’ perceptions of brand personality, focusing on the dimensions of ruggedness and sophistication. Across ten studies, the research demonstrates that manipulating timbre, even while holding other musical parameters constant, systematically influences brand personality judgments, including for well-known brands like Coca-Cola. The findings reveal that these effects occur nonconsciously, persist despite discrediting the informativeness of the audio, and can be moderated by incongruent visual sensory information, highlighting cross-modal sensory integration. Additionally, timbral sound quality influences downstream outcomes such as purchase intentions, suggesting practical implications for brand managers and audio branding professionals. The research contributes theoretically by expanding understanding of auditory sensory marketing, acoustic underpinnings of timbre, and embodied meaning elicitation, while proposing directions for future exploration of timbre’s multidimensional qualities in marketing contexts.