Description

Sonic strategy with Steve Keller
Seeing sound: Branding, emotion and sensory congruence

Can sound shift the flavour of what you're tasting, or alter how you feel about a brand?

In this episode of Seeing Senses, sonic strategist Steve Keller joins host Sarah to explore the intricate relationships between sound, perception, emotion, and branding. From sensory-driven advertising to cultural soundscapes and emotionally resonant experiences, they unpack how audio operates as more than a background layer. It’s a primary interface for memory, emotion, and meaning.

Steve shares insights from his career as the Sonic Strategy Director at Studio Resonate, SiriusXM Media’s creative hub, and explains how multi-sensory congruence can enhance both brand identity and personal experiences. The conversation ranges from the neuroscience of sound and taste to inclusive audio design, sonic seasoning, and the unspoken language of music as a social surrogate.

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Listen if you're curious about:

• What a sonic strategist actually does
• Why sound is the fastest sensory pathway to emotion
• How music and branding can influence memory and behaviour
• The role of culture in how we hear and interpret sound
• Ways sound can alter perception of flavour, space, and emotion
• How sound design intersects with ethics, diversity, and inclusion

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Key themes & takeaways:

• Sound is fast and emotional: It affects us before we even realise
• Sonic branding is essential: Audio is not optional in today’s branding landscape
• Visual and sonic elements must align: Congruency builds trust and recognition
• Cultural context shapes perception: Sound is not universal—it’s experienced through filters
• Music as emotional infrastructure: Especially in moments of isolation
• Transdisciplinary thinking: Sound is where science, psychology, and creativity meet
• Sonic seasoning: Auditory inputs can shift taste perception
• Future of sensory design: Immersive, inclusive, emotionally resonant
• Be sonically present: Pause and listen, it shapes your reality

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Guest:

Steve Keller is the Sonic Strategy Director for Studio Resonate, SiriusXM Media’s in-house, audio-first creative agency. He is recognised as one of the world’s leading authorities on sonic strategy and identity, blending art and science into award-winning content and sonic experiences for a variety of global agencies and brands. His research explores the ways music, sound, and voice influence perception and behaviour.

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Bonus for multi-sensory thinkers:

Head to Seeing Senses on Substack for updates and extras.
You’ll find sense-hacking experiments and book recommendations from the guests. Become a paid subscriber to support the making of this podcast (with extra episodes and content).

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Host:

Sarah Hyndman is a designer/researcher, author and speaker. You can book her for a talk or workshop about Multi-Sensory Thinking here via Type Tasting. Sarah is the founder of Type Tasting, curator of The Sensologists and author of the bestselling book Why Fonts Matter (Penguin/Virgin). 

Seeing Senses. Where there’s more than meets the eye. 

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Theme music by AudioKraken.