How Audio Branding Sells
“And one year, Ariel [Detergent] was, like, you know that 95 % of the people in India still think laundry is a woman’s job. And Ariel was just, like, gosh, that doesn’t seem like it’s, this was 2017 or ‘18 at the time, [and] they’re like, that doesn’t seem right. Like, it’s, haven’t we all moved past that? So they created a campaign they called ‘Share the Load.’ And what they did is they went out there and they advocated a hashtag, #sharetheload with, for everybody in the family to help with the laundry. It shouldn’t just be mom’s job anymore. And of course, this kind of air cover for someone who is burdened with this task would just elicit a huge thank you because you’re just helping to make their lives better, and you haven’t done a darn thing. It’s not about the product. It’s positioning. Yeah, it’s, like, ‘here’s what we know you care about, and so we’re going to prove that we care about you because we care about that.’ Sales went up 76%.” – Reid Holmes
This episode’s guest in “How Audio Branding Sells” has spent over thirty years leading the creative departments of some of the best ad agencies in America. His idea for H&R Block, “You Got People,” garnered four million new clients, and his work changed the trajectory of brands like Burger King, The Mayo Clinic, KeyBank, and many others. He also has multiple public-speaking awards as he helps audiences gain a deeper understanding of how clarity creates impact. He’s won almost every award in advertising and has been featured in The New York Times, Adweek, Advertising Age, Forbes, and Communication Arts.
But as his kids started graduating, he realized he wanted to leave a legacy. He found an approach that inspires businesses, marketing teams, and those they wish to attract. His #1 best-selling book, Appreciated Branding: Transform Your Brand from Ignored to Irreplaceable, has become a go-to mature-brand playbook. His name is Reid Holmes, and he’ll be sharing his perspective on advertising today, how brands can use sound to stand out and be more memorable, and where he thinks things will go from here. If you’re looking to boost your brand, you won’t want to miss this one!
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(0:00:00) – The Power of Audio in Advertising
Our conversation begins with a look back at the early memories that sparked Reid’s love of sound, which include his father’s copy of the famous War of the Worlds broadcast. “You picture these big, huge Martian creatures that are described,” he says, “and they’re coming down through New Jersey and the whole country was freaking out. And it was Orson Welles, who has the pipes for audio.” He tells us more about his family’s history in advertising and about how it led to his own career. “I was like, well, my mom was in advertising and my uncle’s doing really well in it,” Reid explains. “I should give it a shot because it seems like it runs in the family, and maybe I’d be pretty good at it.”
(0:13:02) – The Evolution of Radio Advertising
We discuss his advertising successes, and how raising a family and looking back at his career led to a revelation about where he wants it to go next. “I was like, ‘What have I done to make the world any better for these guys?’ Like, I’ve basically been in the business of trying to sell people stuff for thirty years, what else can I do?” He talks more about appreciated branding and explains how it goes beyond just pitching a brand. “It’s doing things to the immediate benefit of the people you’re trying to attract,” he says, “so that they pay more attention and they appreciate you for the efforts you make. And that’s how you get to that beyond just passive attention to the real kind of active attention.”
(0:16:46) – The Essence of Appreciated Branding
The first half of our conversation comes to a close as we talk about the inspiration behind appreciated branding and its potential for forging stronger client relationships. “And so, I thought, this is kind of the Venn diagram of, you know, what products do,” he says, “what the emotional problems are, things they can help solve.” We look at the differences between traditional marketing and appreciated branding, and strategies overcoming the skepticism that often surrounds advertising campaigns. “That’s how you get someone off the plateau of indifference,” he says. “You give them a reason to care.”
Episode Summary
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Reid’s journey from radio and television ad campaigns to appreciated branding.
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The challenge of attracting active attention and establishing deeper customer connections.
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How emotional and appreciated branding can help build more authentic relationships.
Tune in for next week’s episode as Reid and I discuss the success of sonic logos by such brands as Apple and Netflix, how AI streamlined Reid’s writing process and the limitations he discovered along the way, and his secret to building a deeper, more genuine brand connection.
Connect with the Guest
Website: https://reidholmes.com/
Connect with Reid Holmes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reidholmes/
Subscribe to Reid Holmes on YouTube: https://www.www.youtube.com/reidholmes4382/
Follow Reid Holmes on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cd_ad_tips/
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This interview episode was very skillfully made to sound beautiful by the talented Humberto Franco.
** Transcript available upon request
