Made Music Studio Takes in the Sounds of the Outdoors for Nature Valley’s Sonic Identity

In a world of growing audio-first touchpoints and competitive snack options, General Mills chose to create their first-ever sonic identity for Nature Valley, in collaboration with Made Music Studio.

Nature Valley connects audiences with nature, carrying a long history of protecting US. National Parks and inspiring consumers to embrace the outdoors. In other words: the brand stands for much more than the tasty granola bars they make.

When General Mills decided to create their first-ever sonic identity for Nature Valley, we needed to solve for multiple brand challenges. Consumers love Nature Valley granola bars for their delicious taste and texture, and for how they fuel outdoor adventures. How could we create a ownable audio signature that could drive brand awareness, stand out amongst competitive snack options in the CPG vertical, and strengthen associations with nature itself?

Our sonic identity solution, a catchy call-and-response titled The Call of the Crunch, was influenced by just those things - a melodic whistle that inspires audiences to get outside and connect with nature, punctuated by the iconic crunch that only Nature Valley can offer.

The sonic equity initially launched in a small-footprint campaign in August 2020. Since its debut, The Call of the Crunch has been heard in several broadcast campaigns that highlight Nature Valley’s commitment to conservation and the outdoors, including several digital campaign spots featuring Daveed Diggs, which celebrated a brand partnership with the National Parks Foundation to restore access to 10,000 miles of national park trails.

Hear the full story of how we created Nature Valley’s sonic identity here.