Sound x Science: Bringing Evidence to Emotion
We all know when a sound lands. But “feels right” doesn’t win a budget line by itself.
If sound is going to work as a brand lever, it needs to be rooted in insight. Tested, measured, and tied to brand outcomes across the consumer journey. From improving recall to enhancing consumer experience across channels.
That’s why SoundBloom is partnering with Sonic UXR, founded by Dr. Caitlyn Trevor, to pull music cognition + UX research into the core of sonic branding. Caitlyn’s track record spans peer-reviewed research and applied product+brand work, exactly the bridge between art and rationale we like to stand on.
From gut feeling to grounded strategy
At SoundBloom, we believe great sonic branding doesn’t start in a studio but with the brand book.
Map the brand’s mental cues and Category Entry Points.
Translate them into distinctive sonic assets (logo, palette, voice, UI sounds).
Place them where they matter in the consumer journey to build from awareness to repeat purchase.
With Sonic UXR, we add behavioral data, emotional mapping and usability signals so we’re not asking “do you like it?” but “does it drive clarity, recall or the right action at the right moment?”. Because building measurable brand equity starts with proving how a sonic logo influences brand salience, or how an ambient soundscape improves dwell time or conversion.
What “research inside creativity” looks like
Sonic UXR brings behavioral insight and user experience research into the creative process ; ensuring that every note, pause and texture aligns with how real people hear, feel and decide. Together, we can integrate research at three levels of your brand’s journey:
Generative research // uncovering emotional drivers and sonic opportunities from competitive and consumer landscape analysis. Competitive/consumer scan, brand-perception probes, literature reviews tied to your category. Output: opportunity map and sonic decision criteria.
Concept testing // validating early sonic ideas for emotional tone, brand fit, and distinctiveness. A/B of sonic logos/anthems for tone, distinctiveness, and memorability; early UX-sound checks for functional clarity.
Applied UX testing // testing final sounds in context: digital platforms, retail spaces, and real-world touchpoints. Check contextual fit, accessibility or fatigue; fix masking, level and temporal cues before launch. Output: actionable refinements and insights deck.
The science behind emotion
For marketers, combining creative empathy with cognitive data means sound becomes a strategic driver of attention and memory, measurable with marketing KPI’s. And yet a driver that adds an amazing aesthetic layer, since we are still talking about music after all.
This partnership reinforces what SoundBloom stands for: sonic branding built not on assumptions but on marketing intelligence, user research and emotional science.
Emotion moves people. Evidence moves brands. We design for both.
About SonicUXR: Founded by Caitlyn Trevor, PhD Sonic UXR bridges behavioral science and sound design, helping creative teams build inclusive, intuitive, and emotionally resonant audio ecosystems grounded in music cognition and UX research. https://sonicuxr.com/