sonic logo

Signature Sounds: An Interview With Jon Brennan & Sean Beeson – Part 2

April 20, 2022 by Jodi Krangle

“Through our research, we also found that anything beyond four notes, if we were to create a pattern that had more than four notes in it, that it started to sound too much like a jingle and just out of place for an automobile. Automobiles really just had single-tone dings, and so we knew we couldn’t stray too far from that, or we would start sounding too much like a cell phone or something out of context.” — Sean Beeson

This episode continues my interview with Jon Brennan and Sean Beeson, formerly of Sonic Signatures.

As always, if you have any questions for my guest, you’re welcome to reach out through the links in the show notes. If you have questions for me, just visit www.audiobrandingpodcast.com where you’ll find all sorts of ways to get in touch. Plus, subscribing to the newsletter (on the www.audiobrandingpodcast.com webpage) will let you know when the new podcasts are available.

Keeping Your Brand Current

We begin the second half of the interview with a look at what might happen when a product or company changes, and how an existing audio brand can be impacted by something as simple as a new speaker design. “The more specific you’re intentionally creating audio for something,” Sean explains, “the more often you have to go back and fix things when something changes.” Jon tells us about the detailed audio guidelines that Sonic Signatures uses to help guide their clients through such changes and offers an important tip about making sure that your sonic branding is up-to-date.

A Human Touch

The episode continues with a firsthand look at the work Jon and Sean have done for such clients as Union Home Mortgage and KeepTruckin. We start with Union Home Mortgage’s sonic logo, how it combines technological innovation with a warm, human touch to reflect the company’s brand, and the process used to create its distinctive sound. As Sean puts it, “we continued to make the harmonics richer by layering sounds that really only serve to… add to the overall richness and brilliance.”

Listening on the Road

We then listen to samples of the audio interface Sonic Signatures designed for KeepTruckin’s vehicle monitoring devices and discuss how they met the challenge of creating distinctive sounds based on chimes and mid-range tones that the fleet drivers would recognize right away without becoming distracted or irritated. “We kept having the sounds get closer and closer to the sound of a car,” Sean says, “because that’s what the drivers are trained to hear.” We talk about the research that goes into such an innovative audio interface, and wrap things up with a peek at their upcoming projects.

Episode Summary

How business and product changes can affect an audio brand
Sonic branding and conveying the essence of a business through sound
Vehicle interfaces and creating a safer, more pleasant user experience
Upcoming audio projects and how to get in touch with Sonic Signatures

Connect with the Guests

Website: www.sonicsignatures.io

Follow Sonic Signatures on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sonicsignatures

Connect with Jon Brennan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonbrennan/

Connect with Sean Beeson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonbrennan/

Follow Sonic Signatures on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sonicsignatures

Get your complimentary mini e-book and learn how to create your personalized and branded audio branding strategy with my Top Five Tips for Implementing an Intentional Audio Strategy.

Do you need a voice talent for your next project? Visit my voice-over website to find out more about how my voice can help you with your audio brand. You can also subscribe to the Audio Branding Podcast on YouTube to watch the show’s latest episodes.

Please leave the Audio Branding Podcast a written review or a spoken review so others can find the show on their favorite podcast player!

This interview episode was very skillfully made to sound beautiful by the talented Humberto Franco.

Signature Sounds: An Interview With Jon Brennan & Sean Beeson – Part 1

April 13, 2022 by Jodi Krangle

“I think that the future of audio is one that’s customized, personalized, interactive, intelligent and dynamic, you know, instead of always treating audio as on and off, we need to treat it in a way that’s delivered to each person as a unique experience.” — Sean Beeson

This episode features a rare two-for-one interview with a powerful sonic duo, Jon Brennan and Sean Beeson, formerly of Sonic Signatures. Jon Brennan’s a music composer and sound designer with twenty years of experience creating sound for iconic brands and multimedia platforms. With the rise of voice, podcasts, and streaming, he founded Sonic Signatures to enable brands to effectively use branded audio across every campaign and platform. He’s created audio logos, original music, and sound design for leading brands including Amazon Alexa, Tide, Southwest Airlines, IBM Security, Mercy Health, Union Home Mortgage, and KeepTruckin. His film scores include internationally distributed feature films and documentaries, and he has an MFA in Music Composition for the Screen from Columbia College Chicago. Very recently, he decided to work with Sixième Son in the US.

Sean Beeson is a composer and sound designer who’s worked on hundreds of scores for video games, ads, trailers, and podcasts for clients like Google, Disney, McDonald’s, Taco Bell, State Farm, Wizards of the Coast, Neoglyphic, and Sony. He helped develop the sonic identity of Google’s Pixel phone, Pixel Buds 2, and Google’s Home and Max speakers. He’s contributed to three Emmy award-winning projects and has been nominated for multiple Game Audio Network Guild Awards. He’s now doing independent music and sound design work.
If you want to understand why audio is so important to your brand, Jon and Sean have a thing or two to tell you about that.

The Essence of a Project

We start off with a look at the early influences that shaped Jon and Sean’s interest in sound. Jon tells us how his older brother’s Depeche Mode album sparked a lifelong career in music, while Sean recalls his very first encounter with audio branding when he played Sega video games as a child. The topic turns to the versatility of sonic branding in everything from mobile games to casino slot machines. The goal, as Sean explains it is, is “to boil down the essence of a project or product or brand to what really makes it unique and what really helps make it relate to the consumer or the user of that product.”

Supporting the Brand

The interview continues with the story of how Sean and Jon met at a gaming conference, and how their combined experience in commercial music and interactive audio gave them a unique perspective when it comes to audio branding and marketing.”We feel that we can best help a company through our one-on-one relationship,” Jon says, “and it’s through that personalization that we can come up with the most custom and creative results that are the most effective in the long run.”

Everything is Interactive

Next, we talk about audio branding, what it means to them, and how video games in particular have always been ahead of the curve when it comes to dynamic audio and using sound to continually shape the listener’s experience. Jon sees interactive audio, guided by machine learning, playing a more vital role in our everyday lives as smart devices become widespread: “Sonic branding,” as he explains, “extends beyond just having a jingle or a piece of music, and it really needs to kind of aid the user to be able to identify, interact and interpret the audio so that it creates a better experience.”

Delivering a Unique Experience

Jon and Sean tell us about the process of creating a sonic brand for a client, and how it can vary from one project to the next. “It’s less about what you personally like and dislike,” Jon says, “as opposed to what has been shown to work the most in testing.” We look at how they communicate with and work to keep their clients engaged in the process, whether it’s creating a variety of audio logos for a new app or testing the sound interface for a new piece of hardware. “Everybody is integrated into the process,” Sean tells us, “from the creative planning parts to the actual creation to the implementation.”

Episode Summary

Jon and Sean’s first memorable experiences with sound
Casino sounds and the importance of creating a positive impression
What modern sound interfaces can learn from video games
How machine learning and voice-first technology are changing sonic brands
The importance of working with clients to create a unique audio package

Check back next week for the second half of our interview as we take a closer look at some of the clients that Jon and Sean have helped, and actually listen to the audio brands and interfaces that Sonic Signatures has created for such companies as Union Home Mortgage and KeepTrunkin.

Connect with the Guests

Website: www.sonicsignatures.io

Follow Sonic Signatures on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sonicsignatures

Connect with Jon Brennan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonbrennan/

Connect with Sean Beeson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonbrennan/

Follow Sonic Signatures on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sonicsignatures

Get your complimentary mini e-book and learn how to create your personalized and branded audio branding strategy with my Top Five Tips for Implementing an Intentional Audio Strategy.

Please leave the Audio Branding Podcast a written review or a spoken review so others can find the show on their favorite podcast player!

This interview episode was very skillfully made to sound beautiful by the talented Humberto Franco.

Interview with Sonic Branding Strategist & CEO of Pirate Group Inc., Tom Eymundson – Part 1

May 5, 2021 by Jodi Krangle

Tom Eymundson is a sonic branding strategist and a partner, CEO and driving force behind the ongoing evolution of Pirate Group Inc. In this first part of our discussion, we break down Tom’s three step process for serving his clients and discuss some of the background that led him to create sonic brands for a wide variety of companies. He’s super knowledgeable and I can’t wait for you to hear his perspective on the importance of having a strategic sonic brand. You can find Pirate at www.piratetoronto.com.

We discuss:

How he’s currently doing in this COVID world
The difference between audio branding and sonic branding
Tom’s definition of sonic branding
Tom’s background that led to ending up as the head of Pirate Group Inc.
Earworms and their impact on Tom’s decision to go into sonic branding
The sonic branding of James Bond
The change in creating music for audio branding from orchestras to now Tom being the trackmaster
The “magic” of adding music to a commercial and how it completely changes people’s reactions
The story of the closing of Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto
How layering music with storytelling and the visual component leads to an emotional connection
The evolution into his current process when creating sonic logos
Breaking down why some sonic identities stick and others don’t
The need to dig deep and figure out the brand identity before being able to create a new sonic logo
Sonic logos are meant to draw brand recall
The goal of creating an emotional reaction to the sonic branding
The sonic branding methodology should lead to truly understanding the background of the sound
When to recreate an audio brand or just refresh it
The process of diving deep into determining the audio branding
The similarities between creating a visual logo and a sonic logo
What Tom’s company does if someone says they don’t like what’s been created!

If you want to find more information about Pirate Group Inc, you can find them:

On their website: www.piratetoronto.com

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/piratetoronto

On Instagram: www.instagram.com/pirate_toronto

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pirate-radio-&-television/

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/piratetoronto

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

Would you consider giving this podcast an honest review? You can do that here: https://lovethepodcast.com/audiobranding. And if you like what you hear (and read!) – please do share it with anyone you think might be interested. Thanks so much!

And if you’re interested in crafting an audio brand for your business, why not check out my FREE download – 5 Tips For Implementing An Intentional Audio Strategy at https://voiceoversandvocals.com/audio-branding-strategy/

Interview with Hamish Macdonald, Managing Director, Squeak E. Clean Studios – Part 2

March 31, 2021 by Jodi Krangle

This is the second part of my interview with Hamish Macdonald. In our first part, we discussed how he has embraced the audio branding world and what that’s meant for his company, Squeak E Clean Studios. Now, we’re discussing the importance of sound and how it plays out for different companies. Audio branding has become an increasingly sought after part of a company to help with reaching customers. I loved hearing Hamish’s take on this!

In this episode, we talked about:

What exactly spacial sound work is
How spacial sound encourages people to take action by using specific sounds
Hamish was tasked with creating spacial sound for a car company and how it integrated into a whole experience for the audience
He uses outside help to create different aspects of various projects
Hamish is willing to find the best person for the job and make sure every customer is getting the best product possible
You don’t really know if something is a successful sonic logo until it’s been out in the world
Netflix was once deemed as the most popular sonic logo and now it’s starting to have negative connotations
Hamish speculates that Netflix’s negative connotations are actually a reflection of how the consumer feels about the amount of time they’ve spent binging
Some sonic logos become annoying and don’t have a positive experience for the consumer
Sound and music are some of the best ways to communicate across cultures and countries
The different companies that have taken away visual branding and moved toward sound branding and logos
Hamish had a conversation with a colleague about why some companies are more willing to spend money on a visual brand instead of a sonic brand
Companies want their logos and brands to withstand the test of time
Hamish says that companies should invest in an audio brand because you can reach people across cultures and where the industries are moving
If companies are not using an audio brand, they are missing out on a large part of their own market
COVID has drastically changed how audio branding is received and needed for the customer experience
It’s important to use sound strategically and not invade people’s personal space

If you’d like to learn more about Hamish or Squeak E. Clean, you can find more info here:

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamishmacdonald2/

The Squeak E. Clean Website: www.squeakeclean.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squeakeclean/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squeakecleanstudios/

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

And if you’re interested in crafting an audio brand for your business, why not check out my FREE download – 5 Tips For Implementing An Intentional Audio Strategy at https://voiceoversandvocals.com/audio-branding-strategy/

Interview with Hamish Macdonald, Managing Director, Squeak E. Clean Studios – Part 1

March 24, 2021 by Jodi Krangle

In this interview, I talk with the managing director of Squeak E. Clean Studios – Hamish Macdonald. Hamish has done a wide variety of projects in advertising, production and post-production, and manages post and production companies throughout America, Australia, England and Asia. I’m super impressed with the work his company does and having international offices allows him to create audio branding for just about anyone. I was excited to get the chance to talk with him about his take on audio branding and what’s in store for the future of Squeak E Clean Studios.

Here are the main talking points of the interview:

His 10 months spent in the US and what it’s been like to be in the US during COVID
He’s been spending time with his team, helping with the integration of Squeak E Clean and Nylon Studios
Hamish is originally from Australia and will be headed back home soon for just a few months
He’s always been interested in production
After some early work, he realized he was more into finding great talent
Hamish fell into working and running Nylon Studios
Audio branding comes into play when looking at what a business needs overall
The merging of Nylon Studios and Squeak E Clean has been bringing the best of both worlds together
Hamish has loved seeing the amazing work that all his teams have done and how they work together
He has created a cohesive culture across all his teams and really values everyone’s individual talents
Depending on where the teams are located, teams’ work ebbs and flows
Hamish is focused on building great relationships with his clients so they can have continual work
Some of his most notable clients and companies he’s worked with are: Square, HP, and Campbell’s
Because of the pandemic, they’ve been able to continually build those relationships and create some really unique things
With each client, they start with who their client base is and who they are trying to reach with their products
The global nature of his combined companies allows for them to reach a variety of companies and help those companies reach customers around the world
For each project, he has all 10 of his composers write for the client to find the sound that the client likes the best
Hamish points out the importance of both a visual and sonic logo
Hamish takes us through his thought process with his team in Summer 2019 to get better at sonic branding

If you’d like to learn more about Hamish or Squeak E. Clean, you can find more info here:

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamishmacdonald2/

The Squeak E. Clean Website: www.squeakeclean.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squeakeclean/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squeakecleanstudios/

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

Making The World Go Round

February 24, 2021 by Jodi Krangle

It’s been just about a year now since the coronavirus pandemic first started, and sometimes it’s felt like the whole world’s closed for business. More and more of us are working from home, and most of our business meetings, not to mention our daily lives, take place over Zoom these days. Life seems to be much more homebound lately, but with new vaccines being approved and the Tokyo Olympics just around the corner, the world’s starting to open again. And one sector that’ll play a pivotal role in it is the tourist industry.

In 2019 the Costa Rica Tourism Board, or ICT, won the International Sound Award for Audio Branding with “The Sounds of Costa Rica,” a new musical brand that subtly emphasizes the letter C, for Costa Rica. It does this by making a simple but powerful six-note mnemonic out of the circle of fifths, a diagram often used in music. It starts with a C note and uses such instruments as the marimba, tuba and ocarina to play halfway through the circle.

This might sound pretty technical, but the melody, combined with the instruments and festive, colorful imagery that accompanies it, works to create an almost instinctive sense of warmth and inclusion. Like most music, all that work is just to create exactly the right mood for the listener, without anyone even noticing it.

If you’d like to hear it, and to see how it complements the new ICT logo, check out this link to the award video:

https://www.international-sound-awards.com/media/ISA2019/2019-1017_ICT-TheSoundsOfCostaRica_CaseFilm.mp4

When we think about travel, we usually think of it as imagery: bright tropical beaches, flashing city lights or lush green forests. But audio branding’s starting to play a much larger role in the tourism industry lately, creating a sense of excitement, familiarity, even nostalgia using sound. The international resort chain Bahia Principe (bye-ee-ah preen-seh-pay) has made its theme song, complete with band and lyrics, the foundation of its brand. The melody’s used everywhere from its commercials to its phone system, from corporate videos to lobby music, all to create a consistently recognizable audio logo that will instantly engage their customers.

Curious about the song? There’s a link to it here:

But a lot has changed, even since 2019. Tourist boards and travel companies need to talk about the pandemic, expressing empathy for customers who are understandably reluctant to go on a vacation these days and adjusting their brand to a very different world than just a few years ago. Hotels.com quickly updated its Captain Obvious commercials last spring, previously featuring its mascot aboard a crowded airplane, to show support for social distancing and staying at home, and then again a few months later with a more lighthearted reference to Covid-19’s impact. Visit Las Vegas also started its #OnlyYou ad campaign in March of 2020 and has updated its message several times as well, encouraging visitors to wear masks and practice social distancing once the city’s reopened.

You can find links to both of their ads here:

These commercials have to strike a delicate balance between brand promotion, encouraging visitors to take precautions and showing solidarity with tourists who aren’t yet ready to travel.

Other travel companies are working to change their marketing approach altogether and find creative new ways to brand themselves in a post-pandemic world. Expedia, for instance, has relied on audio branding in the past, such as its Sound Travels ad campaign in 2018, and has more recently started its “Work From Here” campaign, replacing its more traditional vacation outings with packages meant for remote workers looking for a change in scenery.

It could still take a while before things get back to normal. The International Air Transport Association estimates that, even with a vaccine, air travel might not reach 2019 levels again until 2024, while the demand for hotels could take as long as 2023 to recover. And when it does, there’s a lot of uncertainty about what normal’s going to look like. But even while we’re all still stuck waiting inside, marketing and audio branding can help keep the tourist industry emotionally engaged with its customers, and all the more ready to recover and help make the world go round again.

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!

Jodi Krangle