MCB Profiles In The Groove
"Brands can't just broadcast anymore, they need to interact with their audience." - Joey Kantor
Increased competition in a cluttered media space means advertisers are looking for any edge, and audio specialists like In The Groove understand the growing need for sonic branding in a global marketplace. Composer and producer Joey Kantor helps manage In The Groove’s portfolio of national brands and recently returned from the 2011 Audio Branding Congress in New York City.
“For years, jingles have been considered the standard practice to integrate sound and brands,” says Kantor. “The reality is that it's a world full of brands, and the more multi-sensory and media-agnostic a brand can be, the more likely that it will be able to interact with its intended (or unintended) audience.” Much of the conference focused on client education and best practices, and as Kantor sees it, brands are just beginning to understand the benefits of a marketing strategy that includes strategy-driven audio. “Brands can't just broadcast anymore, they need to interact with their audience. Sound is a remarkable tool to help engage with an audience - both as an emotive tool, and also as a way to help people come to the brand because it creates an experience that isn't just text or visuals.”
Creating relevant audio for brands takes more than a catchy musical phrase. In The Groove’s process includes careful planning, research and competitive audits. Recent clients include ESPN, National Car Rental, Stella Artois, BudLight, and Dunkin’ Donuts.
“We have a crew of several full-time composers here, but we also have a host of freelance composers and producers that we work with,” says Kantor. “That being said, we've literally called upon lead singers of indie bands, classical medieval choral groups, hip-hop artists, horn arrangers from the Prince crew....it's literally from everywhere, and it's great to have this diversity to call upon for the jobs that we get.”
Check out some great case studies from In The Groove here, including my favorite, BudLight autotune with T-Pain.
John Presley is a composer and founder of Music Composer Blog. You can visit his music site here.