Etisalat’s sonic identity, composed by WithFeeling’s Joe Dickinson, was the brand’s audible signature across the UAE for the better part of a decade, from 2010 to 2020. Etisalat has since rebranded with a new sonic identity, but this track remains one of the most-hummed pieces we have ever written.
- Client
- Etisalat
- Agency
- WithFeeling
- Composer
- Joe Dickinson
Sound
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From 2010 to 2020, Etisalat’s sonic identity, composed by WithFeeling’s Joe Dickinson, was the audible signature of one of the UAE’s largest brands. The track soundtracked TV, radio, hold lines, retail and brand films across the country for the best part of ten years. Etisalat has since rebranded as e& with a new sonic identity, but this piece of work remains one of the catchiest tracks we have ever made.
THE CHALLENGE
Write a sonic identity for one of the UAE’s biggest brands. Premium enough to anchor TV brand films, simple enough to live on a phone hold line, and memorable enough that the country could hum it back. A track that had to stand for an entire national telecoms brand, for years at a time.
THE APPROACH
Joe Dickinson built the track around a short, instantly singable hook. Warm orchestration to feel premium and human, a clear melodic spine that worked at any tempo or arrangement, and short identifier cuts designed to live across every Etisalat touchpoint. Flexible enough to grow with the brand for as long as Etisalat wanted to use it.
THE RESULT
A sonic identity that became part of UAE life for a decade. From 2010 to 2020, “the Etisalat track” was the sound of one of the country’s most ubiquitous brands. Etisalat has since rebranded, but this piece of work still gets brought up by people who heard it years ago, which says everything.