Sonic ID managing director Noel Franus has written a feature piece for the December 2008 / January 2009 issue of Brand Strategy magazine.

The focus: music and authenticity. "It's up to brands and their agencies to seed meaningful conversations with their customers," Franus says. "You can't establish the trust needed to start that conversation if the self you put forth is one that feels disingenuous. Music and sound feed those impressions."

Yes, those make-or-break moments of influence live on television, Franus says, but the sound of a brand lives everywhere. "They're also in the bank-by-phone sounds, malls and other points-of-sale that all too often beg you to love them. It's not hard to hear an empty sense of eagerness to please in every sterile, generically upbeat note. Unfortunately, 'me too' is not an effective form of persuasion for any audience."

Franus has led sonic identity strategy for a number of Fortune 500 brands. The article is available on newsstands and online below.