Coolblue is one of the biggest and fastest growing online retailers in the Netherlands and Belgium. They came to Roundhouse looking for a full sound identity and sound strategy to reinforce their corporate identity. The team went all-in and delivered a refreshing and particular result.

Joost Bakker (Head of Marketing): Thanks for your work this week, a lot of admiration for what Roundhouse has managed to put in such a short time. Nice combination between listening to the briefing and then surpass the briefing, just like that.

Eva Nooitgedagt (Head of Marketing): We were incredibly pleased with your perfectionism! Great great thanks for your flexibility and help! You did a fantastic job, again!

Brandscore: the sound DNA

The brandscore is the starting point of creating a sound identity. This soundtrack is the alpha and omega of your sound: it contains all the necessary elements for further derivatives. Our mission with it? To make a brand sing in a relevant, distinctive, catchy and ownable way.

Coolblue is as goofy as they are upfront and honest, as friendly as they are open and direct. Roundhouse needed to create a straightforward sound layer with a twist, that would match Coolblue's strong visual layer. So we did.

Sonic Brand: the core of the DNA

The sonic brand is the sound logo that represents the melodic heart, distilled from the brandscore. Short, particular, recognisable, completely 'you'.

Everything Coolblue represents – Everything For A Smile – was captured in 4 notes. A merry tune both Coolblue and its clients can easily remember and whistle on-the-go. A true sound signature.

Consistent Communication Touchpoints

Touchpoints are the various opportunities where customers 'touch' the brand. At each and every one of these points, brands should give the customer a consistent experience, reinforcing its identity and fulfilling its promise.

Mozart said "The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between". Deploying the sound identity consistently makes your brand stronger. But it's equally important to avoid sound pollution and overload. Sound should be used only when it amplifies. Roundhouse created these possible applications for Coolblue:

Specific Activation

Sonic branding is a dynamic process. Roundhouse will adapt and tweak the brandscore & sonic brand for a specific goal or campaign. It the end it's about effectiveness.

Example: for a campaign video to promote the new line of HP products and accessories, we recorded interesting sounds from those very devices and re-created their brandscore from scratch (pun intended).

Always eager to activate their fans, Coolblue wanted to renew its music on hold while also giving people the chance to decide which version they preferred. So Roundhouse made 3 easy-going versions for the fans to pick their favorite: new music on hold to make people hold the line 'with a smile'. What's your number 1?

Television Campaigns

Roundhouse doesn't recommend using the brandscore when it doesn't fit the creation perfectly. When required, a further adjusted version is justified. Why not use an audio watermark, the sound logo, at the end of the message?

Producer: Nicky Brinkman
Production Company: Big Shots

Agency: Duval Guillaume
Creation: Joey Boeters en Nik Sluijs Production Company: CZAR

Agency: Duval Guillaume
CD: Katrien Bottez & Geoffrey Hantson
Creation: Tim Schoenmaeckers & Niels Sienaert
Agency Producer: Marc Van Buggenhout & Tuyen Pham
Production Company: 100% Halal

Radio Campaigns

Sonic Branding delivers the perfect audio framework for radio work. These are their very first radio commercials, including a jazzy version of the Coolblue brandscore and the sound logo to sign off the message.