The use of leitmotifs in films has often been critiqued. Theodor Adorno and Hanns Eisler went as far as to claim in 1947 that "The whole form language of current cinema music derives from advertising" and that leitmotifs were in part to blame. While I take a more neutral stance, I argue that Eisler and Adorno's critique is partly correct, especially in regards to film series produced from the 1960s onwards. The analytical work undertaken for this research suggests that multiple franchises use elements of their scores as branding tools. I argue that these melodies, which have often been referred to as leitmotifs in film music scholarship, should be described as something else: title tunes. It seems that over time, they come to represent not just one or two movies, but entire franchises. They also appear to possess a marketing value not necessarily present in leitmotifs. As such, I would argue these title tunes resemble much more sonic logos as described in the sonic branding world than leitmotifs. This thesis is an exploration of title tunes. My thesis focuses primarily on mainstream Hollywood film franchises from the 1960s onwards. Various case studies from different time periods and different movie genres are analysed to describe and understand this new category of promotional film music. This thesis first takes a historical look at the concept of title tunes, explaining how other sonic branding practices used in radio, television and cinema appear to have influenced the creation of title tunes. From the sample of films analysed for this thesis, I argue that title tunes share commonalities, yet the commonalities seem to vary slightly across movie genres. The analyses undertaken also suggest that title tunes are dynamic entities, that some title tunes are more complex than others (featuring multiple components), and that some franchises can feature more than one title tune. My interpretation of the data also suggests that these title tunes are used as emotional and nostalgic tools and that specific orchestrations and arrangements might carry additional emotional power. While the majority of this thesis explores the use of title tunes in films, their use in trailers and other commodities is discussed. Finally, I suggest how title tunes might change in the future and why certain franchises have omitted using such recurring motifs.

The aim of this research is to explore the association between brand personality traits and sonic logos. The brand personality traits that are incorporated into this research are Responsibility, Activity, Aggressiveness, Simplicity and Emotionality. These traits constitute one of the two building blocks for this research. The other building block consists of the sonic logo, but more specifically, variations in mode and tempo. Because the research was exploratory in nature, a qualitative research strategy was deemed appropriate. Additionally, in order to explore the association between the two building blocks, one sonic logo was created in four versions where the mode and tempo shifted in different combinations. Semi-structured interviews were then conducted where the sonic logos were played. To find associations and patterns in the empirical material, coding inspired from grounded theory were used. To conclude, the first sonic logo version shows associations to the Activity and Emotionality dimensions. The second sonic logo version shows associations to the Responsibility, Aggressiveness and Activity dimensions. The third sonic logo version shows associations to the Activity, Simplicity and Emotionality dimensions. Lastly, the fourth sonic logo version shows associations to the Responsibility, Aggressiveness and Emotionality dimensions.

En ljudlogotyp är en ljudkomposition som används för att särskilja ett varumärke. Ljudlogotypen ingår i varumärkens strategiska arbete för att skapa sig en bild i konsumenters medvetande. Denna bild kallas varumärkesuppfattning. Syftet med denna studie var att utöka kunskapen om hur musik kan användas i kommunikativt syfte i allmänhet och om hur melodin påverkar uppfattningen av varumärken i synnerhet. En webbenkät genomfördes för att studera om olika typer av melodisk kontur hos en ljudlogotyp kan ge olika effekter på hur ett fiktivt varumärke uppfattas ifråga om varumärkespersonlighet. Deltagare rekryterades via sociala medier. Till undersökningen utformades åtta videoklipp innehållande en ljudlogotyp och en grafisk logotyp. Videoklippen var identiska förutom att den melodiska konturen skilde dem åt. Deltagarna skattade i vilken grad de uppfattade fem olika personlighetsdrag hos den ljudlogotyp de fick höra. Resultaten analyserades statistiskt. Genom undersökningen genererades inget stöd för att typ av melodisk kontur skulle ha någon påverkan på uppfattningen av de fem personlighetsdragen. Lämpliga metoder för undersökningar om ljudlogotyper och varumärkesuppfattning diskuteras. För framtida studier inom området föreslås kvalitativa studier samt studier som undersöker andra musikaliska parametrar. Vidare efterfrågas mer forskning om melodisk kontur. / An audio logo, also called sonic logo or sound logo, is a sound composition utilized to differentiate a brand. A sonic logo is part of a brand’s strategy to create an image in the awareness of consumers. This image is called brand perception. The objective of this study was to expand general knowledge about music’s applicability for communicative purposes and moreover to specifically look at how melody affects brand perception. A web survey was conducted to investigate if different types of melodic contour in an audio logo can have different effects on the perception of brand identity for a fictional brand. Participants were recruited using social media. Eight videos consisting of an audio logo and a graphic logo were designed. The videos were identical apart from their melodic contours. Participants rated the degree to which they perceived five different personality traits for the audio logo they heard. The results were analyzed statistically. Through the survey, no support was generated for an impact from the type of melodic contour on the perception of the five personality traits. Appropriate methods for investigating audio logos and brand perception are discussed. For future research within the field qualitative design is suggested, as well asinvestigations into other musical parameters. Furthermore, additional research into melodic contour is proposed.