Audio Branding

Rudy Fernandez is the founder of Creative Outhouse, a creative marketing agency that specializes in launching brands, and is the host of the Marketing Upheaval podcast. His knowledge of and experience in the science of behavior change helps his clients communicate their deeper purpose, win more fans, and strengthen their brands. Though some clients have put projects on pause, Rudy has still stayed busy with client work during the COVID-19 shutdowns. (We recorded this episode in the midst of the social distancing mandates.) Rudy is currently working on two brand launches for clients in the utilities industry and is tackling a few projects that have been on the back burner.

In the first part of our conversation, Rudy and I discussed his background in journalism and how he got into the advertising industry. We also spoke about:

• How Rudy started Radio Outhouse in 2001
• Why Rudy chose not to phase out of radio writing and what that has allowed him to do throughout his career
• What exactly behavior change marketing is and how companies utilize it
• The work that Rudy’s company does in addition to radio campaigns
• The company’s name change from Radio Outhouse to Creative Outhouse
• Rudy’s work producing mini podcasts for physicians to utilize with their patients
• Why Rudy started his podcast and what it has morphed into
• How Creative Outhouse helps clients take their consumers from learning about their product/service to becoming raving fans
• How copy is written for the ear as opposed to just being written in general
• How a junior copywriter at Podfest went from being incredibly shy to a highly skilled performer, podcaster, and writer
• The importance of having only one thought in a line in radio as well as reading out loud when writing audio

You can find more information on Rudy on his company’s website https://creativeouthouse.com and can listen to his podcast at https://creativeouthouse.com/podcast.

You can also find Rudy and Creative Outhouse on the following social platforms:

• Rudy’s personal profile on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rudyfernandez-ecd
• Creative Outhouse on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/creative-outhouse
• Creative Outhouse on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CreativeOuthous
• Creative Outhouse on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CreativeOuthouse
• Creative Outhouse on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creative_outhouse

This episode was very skillfully made to sound beautiful by the talented Humberto Franco (http://www.humbertofranco.com/).

Would you consider reviewing the Audio Branding Podcast? If so, here's the Apple Podcast link: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/audio-branding/id1489042453 And if you like what you hear (and read!) - please do share it with anyone you think might be interested. Thanks so much!

Here’s the second part of my wild ride of an interview with Multimedia Storyteller, Brandee Sanders. We talked about her journey as a woman in tech and what other women in tech must consider when advancing in the field.

We also discussed:

• How Brandee recognizes the challenges of being a woman in tech but doesn’t get consumed by them
• The importance of women supporting other women
• Keeping the door held open for the person behind you
• How rising to the top can sometimes hurt individuals and those around them
• How women have to work twice as hard to prove themselves
• How important mentorship is and how undervalued it is
• More about why Brandee decided to step behind the cameras and what it has allowed her to do
• Mansplaining, bro business, and nepotism (don’t worry, that part stays pretty tame)
• The importance of literacy in choosing the right person for any given job
• Microcosms and echo chambers
• How Brandee maintains the mentality of a lifelong learner, especially in a position of leadership
• Brandee’s journey as a mom and her compassion for other moms
• The two podcasts she’s working on
• Brandee’s journey going from “white trash to white collar” (her words, not mine 😉)

Find out more about Brandee on social media:

• LinkedIn: Brandee Sanders https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandeesanders/
• Twitter: @PlanetBrandy https://twitter.com/PlanetBrandee
• Her website brandeesanders.com

This episode was very skillfully made to sound beautiful by the talented Humberto Franco (http://www.humbertofranco.com/).

Would you consider reviewing the Audio Branding Podcast? If so, here's the Apple Podcast link: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/audio-branding/id1489042453 And if you like what you hear (and read!) - please do share it with anyone you think might be interested. Thanks so much!

Brandee Sanders is an award-winning digital leader, tech strategist, multimedia storyteller, and data translator. She develops and accelerates her clients’ vision by working at the intersection of data, commerce, content, and creative. She’s worked with a dynamic variety of companies, including Silicon Valley startups, Emmy Award Winning studios, and more. She’s been featured in The New York Times, Condé Nast, New York Fashion Week, Etsy, TV Network, and Inc. Magazine. Currently, she’s Director of Marketing Operations at Appetize Technologies, Inc. and is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Data Science and Analytics.

In the first part of our riveting conversation (seriously, buckle up, folks!), we discuss what exactly Brandee means when she calls herself a multimedia storyteller and how she got into her line of work, as well as:

• Her background in the arts, including film, musical theater, and ballet and why she decided to move behind the camera
• Creating her own eCommerce business
• How she became successful, as she put it, “in spite of my ignorance”
• The three careers most people have
• How she began working in both storytelling as well as statistical quantitative data analysis in technology, operations, and marketing 
• Being featured in a LinkedIn case study
• What factors must be considered when piloting new ideas
• How you can’t have innovation without failure
• The importance of companies/brands putting themselves in the consumers’ position to consider how they may be perceiving things
• How brand building and sales activation come together in advertising
• How purchase intent can grow as much as 146% between pre- and post-exposure of sonic logos and music
• How early adoption of an idea pays off in the long run
• How critical sonic branding is as part of a marketing strategy
• How data can protect the valuable work people do

To learn more about Brandee, you can find her on social media: 

• LinkedIn: Brandee Sanders https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandeesanders/
• Twitter: @PlanetBrandy https://twitter.com/PlanetBrandee
• Her website www.brandeesanders.com

This episode was very skillfully made to sound beautiful by the talented Humberto Franco (http://www.humbertofranco.com/).

Would you consider reviewing the Audio Branding Podcast? If so, here's the Apple Podcast link: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/audio-branding/id1489042453 And if you like what you hear (and read!) - please do share it with anyone you think might be interested. Thanks so much!

Here’s the second part of my interview with musician, author, and teacher, Bob Baker. We talked about what drew Bob to starting his YouTube channel and how it’s grown to over 117K subscribers through the meditations and positive affirmations he posts.

We also spoke about things like: 

• Bob’s insecurities and self-worth challenges throughout his childhood
• The impact that Wayne Dyer’s book Your Erroneous Zones had on Bob in high school
• Bob’s realization that he wasn’t a victim of this thoughts and how that prompted his personal development journey
• Why creatives tend to be more sensitive
• How we can manage the negative self-talk that may run through our mind
• Bob’s recommendation for pursuing new ideas
• How Bob prepares for recording his YouTube videos
• The different types of recordings Bob creates
• How Bob and his girlfriend perform the song “White Christmas” every year and the unique spin Bob puts on it (I think you’ll get a kick out of this part) 😉 
• The revelation Bob experienced as our interview transpired 
• How Bob lives his life “going where the energy is”
• How Bob got started teaching improv in 2012
• What Bob’s primary focus is right now and what else he’s up to

If you’d like to learn more about Bob, you can find him in several places online: 

• His YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/MrBuzzFactor) 
• His website (http://www.bob-baker.com/)
• His podcast “The Creative Entrepreneur” (http://www.diycareermanifesto.com/p/the-podcast.html)
• His Creative Entrepreneur VIP List (http://promoteyourcreativity.com/)

This episode was very skillfully made to sound beautiful by the talented Humberto Franco (http://www.humbertofranco.com/).

Would you consider reviewing the Audio Branding Podcast? If so, here's the Apple Podcast link: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/audio-branding/id1489042453 And if you like what you hear (and read!) - please do share it with anyone you think might be interested. Thanks so much!

Bob Baker likes to call himself an “inspirationalist.” His mission in life is to inspire and empower people, especially creatives. Over the years, his work has included books, podcasts, music, coaching, and improv comedy. He co-authored the book The Improv Comedy Musician with Laura Hall, who you may be familiar with from the TV show Whose Line Is It Anway? Bob’s YouTube channel currently has over 117K subscribers and includes guided meditations, audio affirmations, and more. 

In the first part of my discussion with Bob, we covered a variety of topics, including:

• His book Guerilla Music Marketing and other written works
• A mental block people often experience when writing a book and how to get past it 
• How the interests that drive people (including Bob himself) to certain career paths often can be traced back to their childhood
• How Bob was a bit awkward as a child and how he used humor to break through that awkwardness
• Bob’s history playing music
• How he’s always had a knack for keeping audiences engaged
• Bob’s involvement in theater, acting, and improv comedy
• How Bob formed his first improv troupe and the two types of comedy they utilized
• How musicians and improv actors can perform well together, even if they’ve never met before
• Bob’s 15 years doing standup comedy
• The differences between improv comedy and stand-up comedy
• Bob’s biggest tip for public speaking (it may surprise you!)
• The three Es of communication
• The importance of focusing on the message (the topic) instead of the messenger (you) when doing public speaking
• The importance of getting out of your head when doing improv

You can find Bob in a handful of places online, including:

• His YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/MrBuzzFactor) 
• His website (http://www.bob-baker.com/)
• His podcast The Creative Entrepreneur (http://www.diycareermanifesto.com/p/the-podcast.html)
• His Creative Entrepreneur VIP List (http://promoteyourcreativity.com/)

This episode was very skillfully made to sound beautiful by the talented Humberto Franco (http://www.humbertofranco.com/).

Would you consider reviewing the Audio Branding Podcast? If so, here's the Apple Podcast link: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/audio-branding/id1489042453 And if you like what you hear (and read!) - please do share it with anyone you think might be interested. Thanks so much!

Here’s the second part of my interview with global brand strategist, Edward Farley. In it, we continued our conversation about the research going into artificial intelligence and how AI affects the brand experience.

In addition, we discussed: 

• How KFC in Canada and the National Australia Bank are creating two unique brand voices using the same type of deep learning technology that powers the voice of Alexa
• How Mastercard uses a consistent track of chords that reflects the DNA of their brand but caters it to the culture in which their audio is being utilized 
• The connection between audio and memory
• The importance of a brand matching its visual identity to its audio identity
• How brands use audio to build trust
• How audio is more than just a tool in a toolkit—it’s a tool to be invested in
• Jingles, NBC, and other audio branding that goes back many, many years
• What is included in a brand’s soundscape
• How Starbucks and others use audio to facilitate loyalty and improve how their customers feel
• Things to consider when choosing music to play at events in different countries
• The tactics businesses use to bring their audio strategy to life and the difference those tactics make in consumer experience
• Ed’s work with a product incubator accelerator that is engaged in startup products in the clean technology space

You can find out more about Ed by connecting with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-farley-a08a839/ .

This episode was very skillfully made to sound beautiful by the talented Humberto Franco (http://www.humbertofranco.com/).

Would you consider reviewing the Audio Branding Podcast? If so, here's the Apple Podcast link: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/audio-branding/id1489042453 And if you like what you hear (and read!) - please do share it with anyone you think might be interested. Thanks so much!

Edward Farley has quite a history in marketing with over 25 years of experience in global marketing, brand management, creative development, and sports and entertainment marketing. He has degrees from Michigan State, Harvard Business School, and Northwestern University and has lectured on global brand management and marketing at multiple universities. Currently, Ed is working on business development for a few different agencies and is working with a product incubator accelerator that is engaged in new products in the clean technology space.

In the first part of my conversation with Ed, we discussed how he became interested in branding and marketing, as well as: 

• How marketing today is much different than it used to be
• How technology and the consumer experience have evolved
• Ed’s work with a variety of industries, including beer companies, healthcare insurance, nonprofits, and financial services
• How principles of developing a great brand strategy are fairly universal across industries
• How Intel became one of the earliest audio branding success stories 
• How audio branding serves as a way to drive recognition and trust
• Ed’s work helping Humana with a complete brand repositioning
• The importance of tone of voice and personality coming through a company’s music/audible experience
• How companies can use audio to become more approachable, friendly, and helpful—or however they want their consumers to perceive them to be
• Bringing an emotional vibe to a brand
• How an Arby’s commercial can leave you feeling satisfied (even before eating their food!)
• What exactly Ed means when he talks about a brand’s DNA
• The best time for a company to think about audio in their marketing strategy
• The architecture of a brand strategy and how it applies across a variety of consumers
• How Alexa, artificial intelligence, and Amazon Polly are revolutionizing the brand experience

If you’d like to learn more about Ed and his work, the best place to connect with him is on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-farley-a08a839/ .

This episode was very skillfully made to sound beautiful by the talented Humberto Franco (http://www.humbertofranco.com/).

Would you consider reviewing the Audio Branding Podcast? If so, here's the Apple Podcast link: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/audio-branding/id1489042453 And if you like what you hear (and read!) - please do share it with anyone you think might be interested. Thanks so much!

How Can Audio Branding Help Your Podcast or Company?

According to Harvard Business Review [4], Audio Branding is “the strategic use of sound … in positively differentiating a product or service, enhancing recall, creating preference, building trust, and even increasing sales.” So ultimately, think of it as a brand or podcast's emotional short hand - the quickest way to your listener's heart. How do you want them to feel when they hear you? And how does it help your podcast or company to reach your audience FASTER and on a deeper level?

I go into a lot more detail on my blog here (and in the audio of this podcast!):

https://voiceoversandvocals.com/blog/audio-branding/audiobrandingtips/

And here's that information on "earcons" that I mention - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earcon. My blog about Advertising At Cannes -https://voiceoversandvocals.com/blog/commercial/advertising-at-cannes-you-bet/ - talks about the Taco Bell promotion in London in more detail. 

If you'd like some help figuring out your audio brand, this worksheet might help!

Basically though: 

• Sound touches us immediately. It goes right to our hearts. People buy based on emotions and then justify it with logic, so touching your listeners’ emotions makes it much more likely they’ll remember you. Be intentional with how you want them to feel when they see and hear your brand.

• The world is full of visual distraction, especially now. Sound cuts through the noise. It reaches us on a deeply personal level. If you want to be noticed, you need to be heard.

• Music is a universal language. The instruments and tonal structure may change, but essentially, you can communicate emotion to a global audience without needing to know the language they speak. That means that if you invest in an effective audio brand, you can reach your intended audience on an emotional level, FAST—anywhere they might be listening. It doesn’t matter what your native language is if people can relate to the sound.

Sometimes it's hard to know where to start. But figuring out an audio brand to match your visual brand, isn't as difficult as you think. I've created a worksheet that will give you a hand with this and you can download it at https://voiceoversandvocals.com/resources/ , if you're interested.

And I hope you stay safe and healthy! Take care of yourself, ok?

Would you consider reviewing the Audio Branding Podcast? If so, here's the Apple Podcast link: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/audio-branding/id1489042453 And if you like what you hear (and read!) - please do share it with anyone you think might be interested. Thanks so much!

In the second part of my interview with Corey Dissin, we discussed the three elements to every spot and how to build a successful audio brand for audio talent.

Corey and I also talked about:

• How a voice talent is not a voice talent (yes, that caught me off guard, too!)
• The difference between the types of voices that would be used in, for example, a horror movie trailer versus those that would be used in a Disney movie trailer
• The demand for audio content and how podcasting has risen in popularity
• What Rudy Gaskins meant when he said, “Branding is both a noun and a verb.”
• How, for most voice talent, there’s more to the brand than just their voice
• The only difference between social media, broadcast television, a movie theater, the radio, and a streaming service
• How reading copy is a skill for voice talent—not their profession
• Why some people need to fire themselves
• Some of the topics Corey covers in his Go Get It podcast and One More Round podcast
• How social media is like being Pete Rose and George Foreman
• The importance of making 99 enemies in sales
• The long shelf life of podcasts and other aspects that make podcasting so powerful 
• What Corey has been up to lately and the feedback he’s gotten so far

You can find more on Corey Dissin at http://www.coreydissin.com . You can also find his Go Get It podcast at https://coreydissin.com/podcast and his One More Round podcast at https://coreydissin.com/one-more-round .

This episode was very skillfully made to sound beautiful by the talented Humberto Franco (http://www.humbertofranco.com/).

Would you consider reviewing the Audio Branding Podcast? If so, here's the Apple Podcast link: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/audio-branding/id1489042453 And if you like what you hear (and read!) - please do share it with anyone you think might be interested. Thanks so much!

Corey Dissin was only 19 when he first got into the world of audio and sound. He started answering phones as a volunteer with Paul Turner Productions (now Propulsion Media Labs). His volunteering later morphed into an internship, at which point he met Paul. The two formed a friendship, and later Paul began allowing Corey to sit in and watch him record voiceover sessions and produce commercials. At the end of the day, Paul would let Corey stay around in the studio and “play,” and that was how Corey began to learn how to produce audio. Paul later hired Corey, and through that work, Corey not only sharpened his production skills, but he also learned marketing. Today, Corey is a marketing coach, hosts two podcasts, and is the Vice President of Propulsion Media Labs. He is also “the undisputed heavyweight champion of content.”

In the first part of our interview, we discussed a bit more about his beginnings with Paul Turner Productions. We also talked about: 

• How Propulsion Media Labs offers turnkey video and audio production services for a large variety of businesses, serving as a secret weapon for many of its customers
• Corey’s role in the sales process of recruiting talent while working with Paul Turner
• How Corey got involved in the voiceover end of things with Paul Turner Productions
• How Propulsion Media Labs sets itself apart from the competition
• Why Corey fired himself ten years ago
• How to choose the right voice for a project
• How Corey’s knowledge about the key marketing aspects of growing a voiceover business morphed into the coaching he does today
• Corey’s signature phrase, “Go get it!”
• Corey’s belief that “It’s not what you do it with. It’s what you do with it.”
• The one skill that most voiceover talent, producers, graphic designers, freelancers, and solopreneurs overlook 
• How businesses are missing out by not utilizing social media to its maximum potential

To learn more about Corey Dissin, you can visit http://www.coreydissin.com . You can also check out his Go Get It podcast at https://coreydissin.com/podcast and his One More Round podcast at https://coreydissin.com/one-more-round .

You can also find out more about Propulsion Media Labs at http://www.promedialabs.com . 

This episode was very skillfully made to sound beautiful by the talented Humberto Franco (http://www.humbertofranco.com/).

Would you consider reviewing the Audio Branding Podcast? If so, here's the Apple Podcast link: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/audio-branding/id1489042453 And if you like what you hear (and read!) - please do share it with anyone you think might be interested. Thanks so much!