About this episode
“I’m blown away by it. So, when I close my eyes and I listen to these things, and I hear those textures and I understand the footsteps coming from afar and getting closer and, you know, like, this stuff matters. Like, it paints the picture [so] that I don’t even have to have my eyes open. I can see the whole movie happen with sound.” – Michael DargieThis episode is the second half of my conversation with founder & executive creative director at Make More Creative, and Author of BrandJitsu™, Michael Dargie as we talk about his approach to uncovering and building up a sonic brand, how close we are to fully synthetic voiceover, and his insights as a marketer and director into what he’s looking for in a voiceover artist.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.(00:00) - Finding Your Brand’s Unique SoundThe second half of our conversation begins as Michael talks about how the art of quickly building up a story in improv intersects with storytelling in branding. “What do you do? Why do you do it? Who do you do it for? Why do they care?” he asks. “It’s that circle of expectations. And it doesn’t have to be perfect and it doesn’t have to be sales-y.” He shares more about his process for establishing a brand’s sonic identity and the building blocks of a successful campaign. “I think from a brand standpoint,” he explains, “and a sound specific standpoint is, ‘What is true for the brand?’ Just to oversimplify, ‘are you comedy, are you rock and roll, or are you country? Are you Donnie or Marie?’”(12:30) - The Balance of Sound and StorytellingMichael walks us through his process for casting and directing an ad campaign for a company that wanted to build a more versatile brand image. “We were trying to show that it’s manufacturing,” he tells us, “going from idea to thing to in the hands of somebody who needs a thing. That was the narrative arc. So part of it was I really wanted a feminine voice to tell that story.” He describes the casting process and what sets the right voiceover artist apar
