About this episode
“That brings up a whole other point, which is the power of a voice’s quality to bring a brand to life. A lot of clients are, like, just hire voiceover and just have them say the copy. And it’s just, like, there’s a place for Gilbert Gottfried and there’s a place for, you know, John Lithgow. And I’m not saying we would use either of those, but you know, if I’m doing a commercial on a cancer care center, I would never have Gilbert Gottfried come on and say, I’m not, that’s not, you know, that’s like, that’s... It would be memorable, but it would be completely the opposite of what the brand should be. It doesn’t sound earnest. And that’s how the voice you choose for a commercial is critical.” – Reid Holmes This episode is the second half of my conversation with keynote speaker, author, and mature brand revitalizer Reid Holmes as we talk about the role sound plays in his ad projects, the pros and cons of AI use in audio branding, and the key to building client trust with appreciated branding. As always, if you have questions for my guest, you’re welcome to reach out through the links in the show notes. If you have questions for me, visit audiobrandingpodcast.com where you’ll find a lot of ways to get in touch. Plus, subscribing to the newsletter will let you know when the new podcasts are available along with other interesting bits of audio-related news. And if you’re getting some value from listening, the best ways to show your support are to share this podcast with a friend and leave an honest review. Both those things really help – and I’d love to feature your review on future podcasts. You can leave one either in written or in voice format from the podcast’s main page. I would so appreciate that. (0:00:00) - The Power of Audio BrandingWe begin the second half of our discussion with Reid’s thoughts on sonic logos, and we look at how effective they’ve been for such companies as Apple and Netflix. “Those things can be incredibly impactful because they say I’m entering a new world here,” he says. “I am now in the care of this other thing, I’ve gone through a doorway, I’ve come into this new world, and that is one of the biggest things audio cues can do.” We talk about synthetic voices, and Reid recalls a podcast’s questionable use of a sonic persona. “You gotta be really careful,” he explains. “These sonic personas people are trying to chase to make another version of themselves, it’s very slippery. It can do so much damage.”(0:08:19) - The Impact of AI on BrandingReid shares his own experience with AI assistance, and how its use in editing his book revealed both its strength and limitations. “Not doing it yourself is a disservice, I think,” he e
