Philips - The Sound Of Philips

How do you craft a sonic identity for a brand that has innovation at its core?

The Dutch multinational technology company is a global brand that has an impact on so many people, with millions of households making use of one or more Philips’ products and services. Imagine having a strategy that caters to all of them without being generic or falling into the trivial.

With Philips now focusing in the area of healthcare, the challenge for us at MassiveMusic was to come up with a broad yet cohesive spectrum of sounds that could support their communication. Not only, but all of their different types of products and digital services had to be taken into account.

So we rolled up our sleeves and created ‘The Philips Instrument’, a bespoke musical instrument that draws on a bank of original sounds from the human body as well as sounds captured from Philips’ most iconic product: the lightbulb.

The sounds we recorded, rigorously with Kontakt microphones, ranged from heartbeats and finger snaps to capturing the sound of a cello bow playing the filament of a lightbulb. We're aware it might sound like we were in the studio with Victor Frankenstein, but please trust us when we say that no humans were hurt in the making of this sonic identity.

Thomas Marzano, Global Head of Brand Experience at Philips, comments: “We asked MassiveMusic to translate the Philips brand into a new, simple set of audio assets. But together, we have in fact transformed the sonic brand identity across-the-board, which will radically change our brand recognition and help continue to put our consumers’ experience at the core of the business.”

Luc van Stiphout, Head of Branding at MassiveMusic Amsterdam, continues: “We’ve gone further than just creating Philips’ new sound by making a whole new instrument and branding tool from one overarching concept. This doesn’t just deliver a sound logo for advertising, but also caters to Philips’ product sounds and digital services.”

The outcome? Philips now has a new emotive and contemporary sonic identity, a recognisable signature that brings consistency across all global markets in every consumer interaction with the brand. We believe that, if you want to make an impact on people’s lives, you have to give them the best product experience ever. And sound is definitely part of it.

People out there are still debating whether light is faster than sound (hint: yes, it is). What really matters to us is that light and sound can finally befriend and elevate each other, ultimately reflecting Philips' mission: making people’s lives better through innovation.