You know the feeling: A movie starts, and the music immediately draws you in, stirring your emotions. It’s no different with promotional videos.
In this article, we’ll dive into the world of music and sound design and explore how they significantly influence the success of a corporate video.
Maybe you’ve seen a silent film before—a pretty bleak experience, isn’t it? Music and sound design are the invisible but audible heroes of every film or video—and therefore of every corporate video as well. They create atmosphere, convey emotions, and give the film its soul. Without them, the film would be like an empty book—full of potential, but lifeless.
Music and sound design act like an invisible hand, guiding the viewer through the promotional video. They set the emotional tone, highlight key moments, and convey subtle messages that go beyond the visual imagery alone. Music can create tension when we reach a pivotal moment in the film, or it can convey calm and comfort when we want to reinforce a positive message.
In a promotional video, every detail matters, and the background music is a powerful tool for guiding the narrative flow. It can set the pace of the video and subconsciously influence the viewer by shaping their perception and emotions as they watch.
The role of music and sound design goes even further: They can support and reinforce brand identity. The right music can reflect a brand’s personality and values, and a unique sound design can help make the brand distinctive and memorable. Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that music and sound design play a crucial role in a corporate video: They help make the corporate video an unforgettable experience that showcases the brand in the best possible light.
The selection of music for a promotional video is not a random process. It must reinforce the brand message, appeal to the target audience, and set the tone of the video. Factors such as genre, tempo, and mood are crucial. But how do you make the perfect selection? This is typically done by the production team at the respective promotional video agency in close consultation with the client. Based on this profile, the agency creates a shortlist of music tracks that might meet the client’s requirements. This phase involves an intensive exchange between the agency and the client.
Together, they listen to the selected tracks and discuss which ones convey the right feeling, support the brand’s character, and could have the desired effect on the audience. The final track is then integrated into the promotional video and tested for its impact in conjunction with the visual elements. Further adjustments may be made at this stage to ensure that the visuals and audio harmonize perfectly.
It’s tempting to have a custom song or sound loop created for your promotional video and brand. A custom-made piece of music that captures the essence of the brand and creates a unique auditory identity can be the icing on the cake. But is that always the best choice?
A custom-composed piece undoubtedly offers advantages. It reflects the brand’s specific values and character and can create a deep emotional connection with the audience. It also helps avoid potential overlap with other brands or films that draw from the same music library.
However, this process also requires extensive collaboration with composers and can be time-consuming and costly. Furthermore, there is always the risk that the final result will not resonate with the audience as expected.
As an alternative, there are extensive libraries of licensed music available. These offer an immense variety of genres, moods, and styles. The advantage here lies in flexibility and cost-effectiveness. You can try out different tracks and choose the one that best suits the promotional video. The downside is that you might come across a track that has already been used in another context.
Ultimately, the choice between original music and licensed music depends on various factors—the budget, the timeline, the specific needs of the brand, and, of course, the creative concept of the promotional video. Regardless of the decision, the goal remains the same: to create a corporate video that leaves a lasting impression on the audience through its audiovisual synergy.
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When people think of sound design, many immediately picture the sound of explosions in action movies. But did you know that it also plays a crucial role in promotional videos? Sound designers create soundscapes that complement and enhance the visual elements. They work with atmospheres, ambient sounds, and sound effects to bring the film to life and create an immersive experience.
Have you ever seen a commercial and found yourself unable to get the song out of your head? That’s no coincidence. Music and sound design can evoke strong emotional responses and thus influence how viewers perceive and remember a promotional video. They can build suspense, spark joy, or convey a sense of calm. And the best part? All of this helps ensure that the brand or product sticks in viewers’ minds.
Choosing the right music for a promotional video involves not only creative considerations but also financial ones. There are three different options available, each with its own costs and benefits.
The first option is to commission a custom-composed song. This approach offers the advantage of producing a unique piece of music that is perfectly tailored to the promotional video and the brand. However, it comes with significant costs. Collaborating with professional composers and producing the song can be extremely expensive, depending on the complexity and length of the piece.
Another option is to license well-known songs through the record labels. This can be an attractive option if a particular well-known song is a good fit for the brand and the film. However, the costs for this option can also be high and vary depending on the film’s reach and the song’s popularity. Well-known songs can be expensive to very expensive, especially when used for a global campaign.
The third and most cost-effective option is to use sound effects and songs from specialized libraries such as Artlist, Envato, Epidemic Sound, and similar providers. These platforms offer a wide range of music tracks and sound effects that can be licensed for a fee that is often very reasonable. Although they do not offer the uniqueness of custom-composed music or a well-known song, they are a flexible and cost-effective solution that allows you to use high-quality music and sound effects at a fraction of the cost.
The choice between these options depends on various factors, including budget, timeline, brand identity, and creative vision, and directly influences the cost of the promotional video. It is important to make this decision carefully, as the music and sound design have a significant impact on the promotional video’s effectiveness and can help to emotionally engage the viewer and create a strong connection to the brand.
Music and sound design are at the heart of every promotional video. They set the tone, shape the emotional experience, and leave a lasting impression on the audience. Through the careful selection of music and creative sound design, a corporate video becomes not only a visual but also an auditory experience that takes the viewer on a journey. And at the end of this journey lies a lasting memory of the brand or product, created by nothing other than the power of music and sound.
