“Return On Emotion Is The Real ROI”: Rajeev Raja On Sonic Branding

In a world where brands are fighting for milliseconds of attention, sound is quietly emerging as one of the most powerful and under leveraged, tools of recall.

Few understand this shift better than Rajeev Raja, Founder of BrandMusiq, who has spent over a decade building what he calls “sonic identities” for some of the most recognisable brands in India and globally.

In this exclusive interview with Loudest.in, Rajeev Raja explains why sonic identity has been underutilised in India, how brands are moving beyond jingles to structured sound systems, and why “return on emotion” is emerging as a key metric in today’s attention-fragmented world.

Here are edited excerpts:

You’ve often spoken about sound as a brand asset,why do you think Indian brands still underinvest in sonic identity compared to visual branding?

I think it really begins where the brand itself begins. Today, any new brand understands the need for a logo, a clear visual identity, colours that represent it, and defined fonts. That’s because visual identity as a discipline has existed for decades and is deeply ingrained in how brands are built.

Sonic identity, however, is relatively new. While there have been isolated sonic assets created over the years, the organised sonic branding industry is only about 10 to 15 years old. In comparison to visual identity, it is still very much in its infancy.

Earlier, jingles transitioned from radio to television and became a key medium for brand communication,essentially telling a brand’s story through music. But as advertising evolved, storytelling moved beyond jingles into more creative and layered narratives. Sound, in that process, often became an afterthought.

Today, that is changing. With the rise of sonic identity, brands are beginning to understand that sound is not secondary. Just as visual identity is created at the foundation stage, sonic identity too needs to be developed alongside it, complementing and strengthening the brand.

It’s taking time, but there’s clear progress. Compared to when we started 15 years ago, awareness has grown significantly. Earlier, brands would approach us asking for a jingle. Today, they come in asking for a “MOGO” (musical logo) and a complete sonic identity system.

Adoption may still be gradual, but the shift is evident and encouraging.

In a cluttered digital ecosystem, what separates a memorable jingle from one that simply fades into background noise?

Let me make an important distinction for this conversation,between a jingle and a sonic identity system.

A jingle is essentially one expression of a brand’s sound. It may include lyrics and is typically created for a specific purpose, often for television or advertising storytelling. However, it is not the sonic identity itself.

A sonic identity, on the other hand, is a broader, strategic asset. At its core is what we call a “MOGO” (musical logo), but it extends into a complete system designed for today’s digital-first world.

Unlike earlier times, brands no longer have a captive television audience. TV still exists, but it’s just one of many touchpoints. You can’t rely on a 30- or 60-second jingle to work effectively across diverse platforms anymore.

That’s why brands now need a modular sonic identity system. This includes multiple formats,a longer version or “MOGOscape,” a short three-second MOGO, and even a “mini MOGO” of under 1.5 seconds. Each serves a different purpose across platforms.

The real power lies in how these elements are deployed across various audio touchpoints. It allows brands to follow the consumer journey in a 360-degree way,ensuring the brand is heard consistently, wherever the audience is.

In that sense, sonic identity becomes a highly strategic tool for amplifying brand presence through sound.

You’ve worked on some of India’s most recognisable sonic identities,what’s the business case for investing in a sonic logo today?

We’ve built sonic brands not just in India, but across Asia and globally. The core idea behind this isn’t just ROI,it’s what I call ROE, or return on emotion.

In today’s world, attention spans are shrinking and there’s constant visual fatigue. People are surrounded by screens all the time, and capturing attention has become increasingly difficult. That’s where sound is regaining importance, it cuts through the clutter in a way visuals often can’t.

More importantly, brands today face an emotional deficit. When was the last time you had a meaningful, emotional interaction with a brand, whether in a store, a bank, or even online? Most interactions have become purely transactional, happening at the click of a button. So the real question is: how do brands rebuild emotional connections?

Earlier, platforms like cinema and television gave brands 30 seconds or more to tell stories and build emotional bridges. Today, that time simply doesn’t exist. This is where sound becomes powerful. Music is a carrier of emotion, it can reach people even when they’re not actively paying attention.

A musical logo, or “MOGO,” even in three seconds, can enter both the conscious and subconscious mind. It can trigger memories, associations, and emotions, sometimes even without any visual cue. Over time, it can unlock the entire feeling of a brand because it becomes linked to everything the brand does.

That’s why the real business case for sonic identity is return on emotion. It’s not something you measure immediately through sales uplift. You can’t say that creating a sonic identity will directly increase revenue overnight,just like you can’t isolate the exact impact of advertising on sales.

What you can say, however, is that a brand with a well-crafted sonic identity stands apart. It connects not just cognitively, like a visual logo does, but emotionally and that’s where real differentiation lies.

Can you share your favourite recent collaboration or campaign, and walk me through that experience?

Globally, one of the most defining projects for us was creating the sonic identity for Mastercard across 190 countries. It was an incredible experience. We worked closely with Roger, the Global CMO at the time, and today Mastercard is often seen as the global benchmark for sonic branding.

They’ve deployed their sonic identity brilliantly, across every piece of communication, as background scores, and most importantly, at point-of-sale (POS) machines. Every time a transaction is completed across over 60 million outlets, you hear the Mastercard “mini MOGO.” It’s estimated that this sound is heard hundreds of millions of times each week globally.

Over time, Mastercard has even reported a significant increase in consumer trust during transactions, highlighting the tangible impact of a well-executed sonic identity.

Closer to home, one of our most special projects was creating the first-ever sonic identity for Vistara. It remains very close to my heart. When news broke about its merger and its final days in the skies, there was an outpouring of emotion from consumers, many specifically mentioned how much they would miss the Vistara tune. That kind of emotional recall is incredibly powerful.

Another strong example is HDFC Bank. Here, we moved beyond branding into real consumer utility. At ATMs, once a transaction is complete, the sonic cue reassures users that it’s safe to leave, turning sound into a functional part of the experience.

Then there’s the unmistakable “zing” of Zomato. It’s become so embedded in consumer behaviour that the moment people hear it, they instinctively check their phones to see if their order has arrived.

More recently, we’ve also created the sonic identity for Aditya Birla Capital, which is very special to us. The next phase is all about scaling and amplifying it.

Over the past 15 years, we’ve worked with over 100 brands across categories. While early adopters were largely from BFSI, today sectors like FMCG, automotive, and beyond are increasingly embracing sonic identity, recognising its power to build deeper, emotional connections with consumers.

You’ve written about how the IPL’s iconic trumpet riff became an accidental MOGO, can you tell us more about how that came to be?

That sound actually originated from a Spanish musical piece, the well-known “Papa, papa, papa…” riff. It wasn’t originally created for cricket or the IPL.

It was first picked up by a smart marketer during a sporting event in France, where it was used to energise audiences. Later, when the Indian Premier League moved to South Africa, the riff was adopted as a kind of rallying call, almost a “game on” signal for the crowd.

From there, it grew organically. By the time the IPL returned to India, the sound had become so ubiquitous that it was retained. Today, the moment you hear that riff, you instantly know an IPL match is underway.

What makes this particularly interesting is that it functions like a sonic identity, or what we call a MOGO, even though it wasn’t originally designed for the IPL. It came from a completely different cultural context, but was cleverly adopted.

The reason it works is simple: there’s a perfect fit between the sound and the energy of the brand. Not every adoption works, but this one did because the association felt natural and powerful.

That’s essentially what we aim to achieve with sonic identity, only in a more intentional and structured way.

With brands chasing virality, is there a risk that long-term sonic consistency is being sacrificed for short-term trends?

What you’re saying is absolutely valid. Today, many brands are creating short-form musical content that is largely tactical, it works in the moment, but doesn’t necessarily build long-term brand assets like salience or recall.

However, it doesn’t have to be an either-or choice. Both short-term impact and long-term brand building can coexist, if the sonic identity is created with a long-term vision and then activated through content.

Right now, brands often rely on artists to drive cultural relevance. There’s nothing wrong with that, but imagine if the artist interpreted the brand’s sonic identity in their own unique way. You’d still create culturally immersive content, while reinforcing brand recall at the same time.

A great example is Mastercard, which created an entire album called Priceless on Spotify. They collaborated with emerging singer-songwriters from around the world, inviting them to submit original compositions. The only brief was to subtly incorporate the brand’s sonic identity, the MOGO, into the music.

The result? The album doesn’t feel like branded content at all. There’s no overt branding, no logos, just great music. Some tracks even performed strongly on charts. Yet, the sonic identity is embedded subtly, triggering brand association at a subconscious level while audiences engage purely for the music.

This is where the real opportunity lies. You don’t need to sacrifice long-term brand building for short-term engagement, or vice versa. If a strong sonic identity is in place, it can be activated across campaigns, collaborations, and cultural moments, ensuring that every piece of content ultimately builds back to the brand.

What lessons can emerging Indian startups learn from legacy brands when it comes to building recall through music?

I think the first lesson is to think big from the outset. Legacy brands may have started small, but their ambition was never small. That’s important. Strong brands are built on elements that create credibility and trust, and that’s where branding comes in.

Most startups today will invest in a visual identity, a logo, colours, fonts. But sound should also be part of that foundation. Building a sonic identity system, and even other sensory elements like fragrance in certain categories such as hospitality, shouldn’t be an afterthought.

This is exactly how large, established brands think today. There’s no reason startups can’t adopt the same mindset early on. Why should sonic identity be limited to companies like Mastercard or HDFC Bank? Startups can and should, consider it too.

The good news is that the space is evolving. There are now ways to democratise access to sonic branding, making it more feasible for smaller brands and emerging businesses to build distinctive, memorable identities from day one.

AI-generated music is on the rise,do you see it as a threat or an opportunity for the future of sonic branding?

Yes, we are already using AI, primarily as a validation tool. It allows us to input a piece of music and analyse the emotional response it evokes, while also mapping it against the brand parameters that guided its creation. In that sense, it’s extremely useful for validation.

When it comes to whether AI is a threat or an opportunity, I believe it’s both. It becomes a threat if you ignore it or fail to adapt, because AI is clearly here to stay. But at the same time, it presents a powerful opportunity.

AI enables scale, it allows us to create and adapt sound at speed, generate multiple versions, and expand a sonic identity system efficiently. Once the core identity is established, AI can be used very effectively, offering both agility and cost efficiency for brands.

However, the key is how you use it. AI should remain brand-centric. Otherwise, it risks becoming generic “wallpaper sound,” much like stock music, content without identity.

Our focus is to ensure that AI supports, rather than dilutes, brand differentiation. It should help us deliver faster and create more, but always within defined brand guardrails. That balance is critical.

AI enables brands to scale sound at speed, to create multiple versions quickly and efficiently. Once a core sonic identity is established, AI can be used very effectively to expand and adapt it, delivering significant cost and time efficiencies.

However, it’s crucial that AI remains brand-centric. Otherwise, it risks becoming generic “wallpaper sound,” much like stock music. Many AI platforms today are generating songs, but often without a distinct identity, it’s content, but not branding.

The real objective is to use AI without losing sight of the core principle: brand differentiation through unique sonic assets. That remains the focus.

AI will undoubtedly help us deliver faster and create more, but always within clearly defined brand guardrails and that’s critical.

What’s next for BrandMusiq in terms of upcoming projects and campaigns, and what can we expect going forward?

It’s a very exciting time, there’s a lot happening. One of the key areas we’re focusing on is the world of immersive experiences. We’ve launched a vertical called BrandMusiq BE, which explores how sonic identity can be extended using technology, whether through spatial audio, spatial mixing, or formats like Dolby 5.1, to create truly immersive brand experiences.

We’re also looking closely at environments like retail. The question is: how can sound transform physical spaces into immersive, memorable brand experiences? That’s a massive opportunity.

Another interesting direction is personal sonic identity. Our broader vision is that every individual is, in a sense, a brand. Very soon, we aim to offer people the ability to create their own “MOGO”,a personal sonic signature.

That’s an exciting space we’re exploring.

In terms of upcoming work, while I can’t disclose specific names yet, we are currently working on a major global tech brand, which should be unveiled in about a month. We’re also collaborating with a large airport brand, with something expected to go live in the next couple of months.

Recently, we’ve created the sonic identity for Angel One, a fast-growing investment platform that’s helping democratise access to stock trading.

Another standout project has been with 7UP. This was particularly interesting because, historically, early adopters of sonic branding were largely from BFSI. With 7UP, we entered the FMCG space with a brief centred on “ultimate refreshment.”

We built the sonic identity around the idea of “seven notes to heaven”,a sequence of ascending notes symbolising refreshment. We also integrated familiar product sounds like the can opening, fizz, and bubbles into the MOGO, making it both distinctive and sensorial. The final mnemonic,“pop, pop, pop, 7UP”,ties it all together.

The response has been extremely positive, with strong global research validation. Now, the focus is on scaling and amplifying it further.

Overall, the pipeline is strong, and what’s most exciting is how sonic identity is evolving, from a branding tool to a full-fledged experiential and cultural layer.

Looking ahead, what will define the next decade of music marketing in India,utility, emotion, or technology?

All three, emotion, utility, and technology, are equally important. As I mentioned earlier, for brands it often begins with ROE (return on emotion), but it ultimately connects to ROI when it evolves into real utility.

Take examples like HDFC Bank’s ATM sound or Mastercard’s payment confirmation tone. These are not just branding elements, they serve a clear functional purpose, reassuring users that a transaction has been successfully completed. That’s business utility.

Similarly, Zomato’s notification sound has become a utility cue, instantly signalling order updates to users.

So utility is critical. Alongside that, emotion plays a key role in building deeper connections, and technology enables scale, consistency, and innovation.

The real power of sonic branding lies in the convergence of all three, emotion, utility, and technology. When they come together, that’s when you truly unlock its full potential.

And the good news is, we’re increasingly seeing this convergence happen.