Local teams commission their own music because nothing usable reaches them in time. The cost is duplicated and the recognition is diluted.
A rulebook without adaptable assets pushes markets to work around it. Governance only holds when the compliant route is also the easiest route.
Assets live in email threads and agency servers. Without a single distribution route, no one can answer what a market is running, or under which rights.
A modular system has three layers and a governance path around them. Choose a layer to see what it fixes, what it releases, and who decides.
Choose a layer
Core brand elements
The part that must never be renegotiated locally.
The melodic figure, its interval relationships, the harmonic world and the sonic logo itself. These are fixed globally, because they are the recognition.
This describes the structure of a modular sonic system. Where a client has published adaptations, we point to the case rather than reproducing assets here.
Side-by-side audio comparisons of market adaptations are not published on this page. Where assets are approved for public use, we link to the case instead of reproducing them.
A rollout is a chain of dependencies, not a calendar promise. Each stage below can only start when the previous one has landed.
Depends on
An agreed core identity and a decision on what is fixed.
Produces
The core assets, the variant ranges and the written rules.
Depends on
One market with an active campaign and a willing local team.
Produces
A first adaptation, and a realistic read on what local teams actually need.
Depends on
A decision on where assets live and who has access.
Produces
A single route to approved assets, with territory and usage information attached.
Depends on
Prioritised markets, local contacts and their campaign calendars.
Produces
Adaptations per market, each approved and added to the register.
Depends on
A named owner and a review rhythm.
Produces
Reviewed variants, retired assets and documented evolution.
Ambiguity here is the single most common reason a global sonic system stops being used.
Modular sonic branding system
EightSix was commissioned to develop a modular sonic branding system for Siemens Home Appliances. The published case discusses adaptations for markets including China and Turkey that retain a shared musical identity. Campaign Germany reported on the project on 24 April 2026.
Read moreRun this with your central and regional teams before writing any guideline.
Enough to sound native, never enough to break recognition. In practice that means instrumentation, vocal, tempo range and production style move, while the melodic figure and harmonic world stay fixed. The ranges are written down so a market does not have to ask permission for every decision.
No. The system gives them something to work from. Local agencies keep making campaigns; they stop making the same foundational music decision independently each time.
Research the specific question: is it recognised, does it fit the brand locally, is it distinctive against local competitors. We agree the design before fieldwork, and treat the result as evidence for that market rather than a global verdict.
It travels with the asset. Every approved variant in the register carries the territory and usage scope it was cleared for, so a local team can see what they may use before they build a campaign on it.
It depends on the number of markets, the approval structure and the campaign calendars we have to work around. We plan it as a sequence of dependencies with a pilot market first, rather than committing to a delivery date before the core system exists.
A named owner, a review rhythm, and a register that is actually maintained. Systems fail from neglect far more often than from bad creative.