TikTok Sonic Identity by MassiveMusic Outperforms Industry Benchmarks

New research conducted by Kantar, the world’s leading data, insights and consulting company, reveals that a new global sonic identity designed and created for TikTok by MassiveMusic, a Songtradr company, is already performing far beyond industry benchmarks. 

After launching the sonic identity in late 2022, international creative music agency and TikTok partner MassiveMusic worked alongside Kantar in tracking the performance of the new sonic logo with over 9,000 consumers in eight key markets. The results prove that the new sonic identity has helped reinforce brand awareness and affinity. 73% of the respondents associated TikTok’s sonic logo with positive emotions, with ‘unique’, ‘entertaining’ and ‘welcoming’ being the strongest emotional associations. The global study also revealed a 52% recognisability rate, which is 40% higher than average for a new sonic logo. 

According to a recent sonic brand tracking report, TikTok's new sonic identity is one of the most recognized sonic logos this year, garnering 70% recognition out of over 130 sonic logos from major brands from the US.

Unlocking the power of sound

For over 20 years, MassiveMusic has inspired brands to unlock the power of sound. Influenced by the diverse array of music and sounds discovered and created on the platform, MassiveMusic partnered with TikTok to create a sonic identity that embodies community-driven entertainment and creative democracy at its core. 

Whether it's a brand DNA track, a sonic logo or branded soundscapes, the sonic identity is the heartbeat behind a brand. MassiveMusic developed a sonic identity that reflected the TikTok experience, with its simple two-beat onomatopoeic sonic logo with a melodic twist which evokes inspiration, authenticity and a sense of belonging. The sonic logo has been designed to be a sound that fuels creativity and celebrates TikTok's musical heritage. The result is a sub-bass sound nodding to music popularised on the platform, and a distinctive ascending melody. 

MassiveMusic also created sonic assets specifically designed for the TikTok sounds library, rooted in the TikTok sonic brand DNA track. The sonic identity track and sonic stickers have been introduced in-app, giving creators an opportunity to experiment with TikTok's sonic identity and make it their own, similar to how they use music and filters to bring their stories to life on the platform. The sonic identity serves as the soundtrack to TikTok videos around the world, with most video creations coming from the United States, Brazil, Philippines, Bangladesh and Egypt. 

Roscoe Williamson, global creative strategy and innovation director at MassiveMusic and Songtradr, said, “TikTok is a brand that moves at the speed of culture – something trending today can be forgotten tomorrow, so creating its first sonic brand has been an incredibly exciting challenge for MassiveMusic. Over the last year, we have collaborated closely with TikTok and become wholly immersed in its brand experience to fully understand how to create the perfect sonic identity for the brand and its community. We needed something that reflected its creative nature, felt fresh and enjoyable yet raw and unpolished, that could extend across various brand assets, yet be flexible in its nature to evolve. The need was complex, to say the least! But the result, which has been rigorously tested, represents the global cultural significance of the brand in a distinctive and holistic way.”