How to Choose a Branding Agency for Sound: What Marketers Really Do
Imagine you look after a brand and need to choose a branding agency to give it a sound across every touchpoint. You shortlist three sonic branding companies and invite them to pitch.
Our creative head John Smeddle walks through what happens next in a piece for LBB, and it is a little too familiar. Here is our summary.
Three candidates
Candidate A is a multinational with reams of data proving it has been the best choice for brands like yours all over the world. Candidate B is local, well connected and loved by the music industry, and can apparently whistle up a famous film composer. Candidate C is small and independent, invited to give the shortlist some range.
You leave A reassured, B starstruck and C pleasantly surprised: they are talented, personal and genuinely interested. Then risk aversion kicks in.
Our sonic branding work, part of the WithFeeling portfolio.
View case study ↗Why each one wins
A wins when sonic branding is a grudge purchase handled by due diligence. B wins on dinner-party cachet. C wins when the decision makers see sound as an investment and want a partner who cares about their problem.
John’s prediction: A becomes a supplier, B turns out to be smoke and mirrors once the contract is signed, and C becomes the partner you rely on for years. Read John’s full piece on LBB.
Our sonic branding work, part of the WithFeeling portfolio.
View case study ↗Our take
Credentials matter, and so does talent. Yet the best predictor of a good sonic branding project is how a company listens in the first meeting. Be wary of anyone who spends the first half hour talking about themselves.
If you are choosing a partner now, our guide to how to choose a sonic branding agency sets out the questions worth asking.
Our sonic branding work, part of the WithFeeling portfolio.
View case study ↗ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE… AND OUR NEWSLETTER.
