When it comes to branding, consistency is everything. The strongest brands aren’t just recognized — they’re remembered. From logos to lighting, tone to texture, every detail shapes how customers perceive and connect with your business. But one often-overlooked element of brand consistency is audio — the sound of your brand. For Goodwill Industries of New Mexico, maintaining a unified sound has become a powerful way to strengthen both customer trust and brand affinity.
We spoke with Pamela Russom, Marketing Manager for Goodwill Industries of New Mexico, who shared how a thoughtful, consistent audio strategy — powered by Custom Channels — reinforces Goodwill’s mission and brand experience across all 15 locations.
“Having a thoughtful music mix is the key — for us, it’s been universal, upbeat, feel-good music,” Pamela explains. “That’s particularly important for our shoppers and participants. It keeps people moving, which is something you want for store flow.”
Music Is Only Part of the Story
Goodwill’s success with its in-store sound goes beyond music. Pamela emphasizes how in-store announcements and phone prompts complete the customer experience, creating a seamless brand environment — from the retail floor to the customer service line.
“What binds it all together is the mix of in-store announcements and phone prompts,” Pamela says. “It’s built enormous synergy between the store itself and the rest of the brand experience. People call in and hear the same voice on the phone that they hear in the store. It builds confidence.”
This consistency is especially valuable for a nonprofit organization that depends on community trust and transparency.
“We’re very conscientious about our brand because we’re a nonprofit — there are a lot of expectations placed upon us,” Pamela says. “We have 15 locations that represent the Goodwill brand as a whole. To have that consistent piece of the puzzle has worked very well. It’s extremely valuable to us.”
Every month or two, Pamela sends updated announcement scripts to the Custom Channels messaging team, who record, mix, and deploy them quickly. “It’s invaluable to me in the marketing department,” she says. “It’s one less thing I have to manage or worry about, because I know it’s going to be done right.”
The same applies to phone prompts — another critical brand touchpoint that many businesses overlook.
“Our budgets aren’t huge, so reinforcing our message to the public is hard enough. We don’t run hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of TV commercials. So consistency in messaging is vital — we don’t have the frequency that a larger advertiser would. You have to take advantage of every opportunity to reinforce the message — signage, POS, in-store audio, on the phone — it all works together to push that message out more frequently and consistently.”
How to Get What Goodwill’s Got
For Pamela, one key takeaway has been clear: partnering with true audio experts makes all the difference. While DIY solutions might seem convenient, they often lead to inconsistent, unreliable, or legally risky results.
“Having an expert in audio as your partner is invaluable, and that’s what Custom Channels is,” she explains. “It’s easy these days to think you can do it all yourself — there’s an app for everything, right? Everyone’s an expert now. ‘I can just Google it.’”
“Sometimes you need an expert if you want to do things properly. With Custom Channels, we never have to wonder if it’s going to be correct, or if the file is going to work, or if it’s going to run when it’s supposed to run — or sound the way it’s supposed to sound. There’s a lot of value in that expertise.”
The Sound of Consistency
At Custom Channels, we help businesses like Goodwill create complete branded audio experiences — combining music, in-store messaging, and professional voice work into one seamless system. From high-quality, fully licensed music channels to frequent message updates and quick turnaround times, we ensure every customer interaction sounds on-brand, on-message, and on time.
Goodwill of New Mexico uses the Ethos service from Custom Channels — a premium, professionally curated solution designed to deliver consistent, brand-aligned music and messaging across multiple locations.
“Continuity across locations, from music to messaging, is one of the biggest drivers of brand trust,” says John Bradley, Chief Music Officer and Co-Founder at Custom Channels. “When customers know what to expect — and it sounds great — that builds connection, confidence, and loyalty.”
Bring the Power of Consistent Audio to Your Brand
Whether you’re a nonprofit like Goodwill or a retail brand with multiple locations, audio consistency can set your brand apart. Every playlist, announcement, and message is an opportunity to reinforce who you are — and what you stand for.
Contact our team to learn how Custom Channels can help you build a consistent, engaging in-store experience through music and messaging. Or explore the Ethos service to see how we can bring your sound strategy to life.
Continuity isn’t just about what people see — it’s what they hear that keeps them connected.
