Article originally published in Adweek on July 5, 2018. As music streaming, podcasts, audiobooks, smart speakers, connected cars and voice assistants have caught the public’s attention, the amount of audio-friendly content space is multiplying by the minute. To plant a seed in this growing ecosystem, brands need a comprehensive strategy for navigating the flourishing mediums that rely on sound, music and voice. If your brand is not present in these new gardens of growth, then it runs the risk of falling behind companies that have put thought and effort into audio branding. Here are a few tips for creating an […] Read more »

Article originally published in Adweek June 28, 2018. As online video consumption keeps reaching more mind-boggling measures, visual storytelling is becoming a must in modern advertising and marketing. However, before devising your next cunning video campaign, it’s important to get hitched with a partner in crime whose significance in the delivery of the message and branding altogether is often overlooked. Music in advertising, whether it’s in the form of a chart-topping blockbuster music hit, a carefully composed theme song or mere silence, provides the spark that ignites our emotional engines. Moreover, it hands the audience a dictionary of the emotional context associated […] Read more »

 Audio branding often deals with turning abstract concepts like company values, brand attributes, and aspirations into sounds. However, there are occasions when concrete cues, such as visual brand features, provide the building blocks. In fact, our brief with Outotec put us in front of an intriguing and unique challenge: How can the colors of the Earth be turned into music? The Brief Our objective was to create a brand theme with an integrated audio logo that represents Outotec’s unique brand identity, while highlighting their earth-consciousness, and technological leadership. Furthermore, the theme needed to work across various touchpoints. Outotec provides leading […] Read more »

We experience the world around us with multiple senses. The brand experience is no exception. We have relied heavily on visual branding, even though sight is trumped by hearing and scent on many levels. In 2018 we are moving on from a “visual only” approach and towards an “audio first” reality in marketing and brand development. Here are 6 insights setting the mark for The Year of Audio Branding. Where are we right now? 1. Crowded visual space Brands are all about experiences and stories. These have been widely distributed through marketing and branded content in the visual space. The […] Read more »

Did you know that 86% of advertisers have visual branding guidelines but only 17% have audio branding guidelines (Radiocentre, 2015)? Whether you plan for it or not, your brand generates sound. Take a moment to think about it. The lack of audio planning, or just plainly neglecting it, are decisions which affect consumer perception regardless of whether it was a strategic choice or not. Any audio used in conjunction with your brand from product sounds to in-store background music, define and mold how your consumers perceive you. There is no way around it. This is not a warning, it is an […] Read more »