Purpose The purpose of this paper is to advance the understanding of sound branding by developing a new conceptual framework and providing an overview of the research literature on non-musical sound. Design/methodology/approach Using four mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive types of non-musical sound, the paper assesses and synthesizes 99 significant studies across various scholarly fields. Findings The overview reveals two areas in which more research may be warranted, that is, non-musical atmospherics and non-musical sonic logos. Moreover, future sound-branding research should examine in further detail the potentials of developed versus annexed object sounds, and mediated versus unmediated brand sounds. Research limitations/implications The paper provides important insights into critical issues that suggest directions for further research on non-musical sound branding. Practical implications The paper identifies an unexploited terrain of possibilities for the use of sound in marketing and branding. Originality/value The paper identifies a subfield within sound-branding research that has received little attention despite its inevitability and potential significance.

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The aim of this article is to advance current understandings of cross-media communication in advertising. The study is based on a sample of 80 television commercials and their announced websites, and the article is inspired by recent studies of cross-media advertising effectiveness as well as semiotic perspectives on multimodal analysis. The authors present three dimensions to be considered when examining multimodal connections between television commercials and websites: announcements, participants and address strategy. These dimensions are brought together in an analytical framework that can serve as inspiration for further research on cross-media communication in advertising and possibly in other types of communication.

This article focuses on how sound in combination with visuals (i.e. ‘branding by’) may possibly affect the signifying potentials (i.e. ‘branding effect’) of products and corporate brands (i.e. ‘branding of’) during logo shots in television commercials (i.e. ‘branding through’). This particular focus adds both to the understanding of sound in television commercials and to the understanding of sound brands.The article firstly presents a typology of sounds. Secondly, this typology is applied to an analysis of a case to illustrate how a textual analysis of sound and its audiovisual setting can offer relevant and necessary insights into processes of signification during a logo shot. Thirdly, the case is compared with 251 other cases from a larger sample of commercials. The analysis of the sample indicates the prevalence of sound brands and moreover it allows for further developing and nuancing of the presented sound typology.

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