Hot Topic: Sound and PR

Johnny and Sam are both on twitter: Johnny is listening to noisy traffic outside his window and Sam is listening to Saade in the basement, do you think the sounds they hear can affect their comments?

Answer is yes. Sound effects along with music are vitally effective tools at the disposal of various social network mediums. For example the radio, internet, television, etc. Using these effectively, they can intentionally trigger alerts, moods or provide certain information for the listener.

This may not be so hot but it is relevant and something that should be looked into further. With all the social media around us at our disposal we need to be careful with how we come across to various audiences. A PR professional needs to be aware of this, during crisis management the atmosphere needs to be be considered as it may hinder the audience's perception of the issue at hand.

Sound can evoke in a person such a strong opinion that they may feel compelled to call in and voice it. Therefore, sharing their opinion with other listeners who at that point, while listening, are part of the same network.


“Radio for example only uses sound to communicate. This is one of the media’s greatest strengths. Using sounds alone can create more effective pictures than most visual mediums. Listening to the radio, the listener creates their own pictures. These pictures are much stronger than most visuals because they are self-generated; they are the listener’s unique images.” -Link for further reading





Julian Treasure is the chairman of The Sound Agency, a consultancy group that helps clients like Honda and Nokia better their sounds to support their brand. On his blog , Julian recommends an online presentation called The Power Of Sound, created by Bob McCurdy at Clear Channel Radio Sales.

If facebook for example had sound effects for every cow that was found, every zombie that was killed, or applause for every person who was now in a relationship... facebook would drive me just a bit more insane than it already does.
So when you're driving home at five listening to hammer or whoever and it's bumper to bumper... think about why they don't play Ludacris: "Get out the Way!!"