14-07-2025
How Kroger designed its catchy new sonic logo
What does Kroger's brand sound like? Until recently, no one knew. And then on June 25, the grocery behemoth (which includes regional chains like King Soopers, Fred Meyer, Ralphs, and Pick'n Save) launched its first-ever sonic identity. There's a succinct sonic logo (think Netflix's tudum), a full brand theme song, and more—so as it turns out, this is officially what Kroger sounds like:
It's an upbeat earworm you're going to be hearing a lot of in grocery stores, on TV, and everywhere the Kroger family of brands reaches. But it's no mere jingle, and there's a surprising amount of strategy and craft behind such an audio signature—and real financial impact as well, notes John Taite, EVP of global brand partnerships and development at Made Music Studio, which created the work.
'People think about what they see, but they feel what they hear,' he says. And it's apropos, because, well, 'there's always an emotional element to any sort of purchase decision.'
THE SOUND OF 'KROJIS '
The work comes at the tail of a five-year brand revamp at Kroger, the largest U.S. supermarket chain by revenue. Its family of brands across the U.S. had essentially operated as independent entities from a marketing perspective, but around 2019–2020, the company decided to begin uniting them in a more intentional way. Tom Duncan, Kroger's VP, head of marketing, says the initiative began with the launch of the brand's animated 'Kroji' characters (a portmanteau of Kroger and emoji), and continued with the debut of the 'fresh cart' logo in 2021, which like the Krojis was rolled out to all Kroger markets and sub-brands. Now, the sonic identity is the latest tool in Kroger's bid to unify everything under one marketing roof.
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