The sound of Cadbury
Why rely on visual marketing when you could play with sound as well? That's the feeling behind the new sonic logo composed for Cadbury by prominent film score composer Guy Farley, which sums up the chocolate company's brand in just a few notes.
There's no doubt that Cadbury's branding is some of the best-known out there, with the signature-style looped wordmark (based on the signature of founder William Cadbury) and the distinctive purple (Pantone 2685C, in case you were wondering) packing a chocolate-y punch right off the bat. And this auditory addition only serves to strengthen it more.
Challenge
Cadbury came knocking to take the iconic visual identity to a multisensory level. Together with composer Guy Farley, we set out on a journey to emblemise the Cadbury brand and its slogan, “There’s a glass and a half in everyone” in sound.
Approach
Having been around since 1824 and currently the second-largest confectionery business in the world, Cadbury elicits fond memories for many. This emotional connection was at the core of the brand’s recent foray into audio, with famed film composer Guy Farley the perfect pick for the mammoth job.
About the journey as featured in The Drum
The brief was to ”write a musical motif that captures and encompasses the emotions of Cadbury,” he says, but among the marketing jargon (which Farley says he can take or leave) were two words that really sparked his imagination – ”coming home”.
“That is what struck a chord with me. I went to bed that night and I was asleep, but I heard this thing in my head [Farley hums ’de la dum’]. It’s a bit like an amen – it’s homely.”
How Farley composed the sound of Cadbury
In the morning, he went down to his studio and began playing the refrain on his one-of-a-kind 1895 Steinway upright piano. “I didn’t have a click, I didn’t have a metronome. I sat there and I tried different keys. Then I improvised a bit, I made it five notes, three notes, four notes, six notes. I did all these things, but the one they chose was the first three.”
Although he knew deep down that he wanted the antique piano to be the sound of Cadbury, he decided to experiment a little along the way. “I did countless versions of it on instruments like marimbas, glockenspiels and synthesizers from the 80s. With so many different choices for the same theme, [Cadbury] went back to that 1895 Steinway piano.
“From the conversation with Sascha at 6pm, it was written in my head by 8.30am the following morning. It was then played on the piano at home at 8.45am and it was recorded in my studio by 10am.”
“ Cadbury is the world’s favourite chocolate and the piano is the world’s favourite instrument. So there really was only one place to start. Right from the very first time we heard the sound of Cadbury resonate from Guy’s famous Steinway piano, we felt like we’d known it forever. ”
Lizz Harman
Senior Music Supervisor, DLMDD
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