One of the first steps in audio branding is asking the following questions about your brand media. ►How much sound are we actually putting out?►How much of it was designed?►How much of it can be designed? But before we can design, we need to answer that first question. We need a clear picture of your…
The Audio Audit: CBS 4/5
Last month CBS launched a whole new rebrand. It’s a visual rebrand with a new audio logo that sets the tone for the animation. These kinds of rebrands are not uncommon, especially for a brand as old as CBS, but in this case, it sounds like they’re doing it for the right reasons. “I wanted…
Why So Many Radio Ads Fail – Part 2
Last time we highlighted some of the differences between active and passive media consumption. Another distinction that needs to be made for audio-only advertising is emotional versus logical persuasion. There’s certainly a lot of value to persuading with facts, figures, and data, but numbers don’t always convey well in audio ads. To a passive listener,…
Why So Many Radio Ads Fail – Part 1
I started my career in radio, and something that continues to frustrate me is how so many writers and producers of radio content will write and produce with this idea that the audience is hanging on their every word. The hard truth is they’re not, and they haven’t been for well over fifty years. Remember…
Netflix Cinematic Logo: Upgrade or Band-Aid?
Netflix recently expanded on its audio logo for cinematic presentation. You’ve heard the original many times before. It’s that signature percussive tone that precedes all their original content. And for this job, they brought in the big guns. They recruited film score veteran Hans Zimmer to bring some buildup and weight to their existing sonic…
Geo-Audio Brand: Harnessing the Power of Culture Sound
Let’s put business aside for a bit and look at geography. I’ve spoken before about the famous wine study in the UK. In short, a wine shop played German music on certain days, and French music on others. On days when they played German music, they sold three times more German wine. On days when…
Brands Not Bands: The Dangers of Using Pop Songs in Ads
Every so often you see/hear an ad using a popular song in their advertising. This has been going on for many, many years now. The impetus for this came mostly from the music industry looking for find new ways to profit from recorded music, and this makes sense. They have a lot more to gain…
The Cost of Noise in Your Workplace
Whether it’s an office, restaurant, store, or any place of business with more than a handful of people in the same space, an often overlooked component of audio branding is the aural environment. Most of us aren’t even aware of it. In fact, many of us make conscious and unconscious efforts to drown it out….
Your Video Isn’t Done Yet
There’s no shortage of video content out there these days, and most of it looks great. The visual standards are very high, and there are many very capable professionals producing great work. So where do you get an edge over the competition? With countless thousands (sometimes millions) spent on video, it’s amazing how many of…
Podcasting: On Location vs In Studio
One of the reasons studio people are so fond of the studio is you’re able to control the environment. Gear never gets dirty, things are never lost, and weather is almost never a problem. In fact, we’re so spoiled it rarely occurs to us to go outside professionally. Having said that, in recent months I’ve…