Time For Business to Listen Up

Companies that aren't tuning in to the business implications of sound are missing a beat, the Economist writes. And there are a lot of them. Sound affects everything from office productivity (noisy open-floor plans diminish it) to how much customers buy (slow music makes people linger longer).

Firms that are listening up include Intel, whose "sonic logo"—the three-note ping consumers hear at the end of commercials—has been a successful branding tool for the chip-maker. And BAA, which runs several airports in the UK, saw sales in its terminals rise 10% after it introduced a calming "soundscape." (More sensory marketing stories.)