Good brands are always identified by a particular feature. Apple has its, well, apple, Nike has its swoosh and Nokia has its ‘Anthemic’ ringtone (and maybe Snake 2).
Whether monotone, polyphonic or real-tone, Nokia’s iconic jingle is an oratory symbol of the mobile revolution – one that has resonated around the technology sector since 1994.
Whilst the well-known tone was imprinted in my mind forevermore when Dom Jolly obnoxiously bellowed into a giant phone in a public library (no doubt the ringtone has cut through the ambience of many a quiet moment), I imagine that many others have their own relationship with the ringtone aside from Trigger Happy TV. At least this is what Nokia is hoping.
The mobile phone giant is crowdsourcing a remake of their ringtone that is in many ways the very essence of their brand. According to Nokia, the tune should be “fresh, expressive, original, creative yet distinctively a Nokia tune.” Participating maestros are invited to visit nokiatune.audiodraft.com where they can compose their own inspired masterpiece or vote for other entries with the overall winner pocketing $10,000.
Operating in a saturated market place that is characterised by ever changing consumer demands, Nokia is not the dominant force it once was. As the Finnish brand battles with the Apple iPhone and a host of me-too smartphones, perhaps something as bold as crowdsourcing the update to a feature that is right at the core of the brand is in fact an opportunity to revitalise interest and buzz about a product that has no doubt featured quite heavily in our lives at some point over the past 17 years.
With a push across social media channels, Nokia has given itself an opportunity to maintain worldwide brand awareness whilst the potential online buzz could see it topping search results for all things mobile for months to come. However, as a kid of the 3310 generation I have to say that the biggest opportunity for Nokia lies in reconnecting with consumers and generating fresh advocacy.
After a turbulent few years, the prospect of engaging with consumers past and present whilst generating some fresh consumer interest could see the start of Nokia making sweet monetary music once again.
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