CAO Messaging Forum Recap - Zero-to-One Sonic Branding, Mastering Message Design & Getting the Most from the Host

The Media Roundtable is back, and we’re giving you all the best insights from last week’s IAB Upfronts and our latest Chief Audio Officer Messaging Forum in NYC.

Stew Redwine (VP of Creative Services, Oxford Road) hosts fellow Oxford Road audiophiles Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) and James Ingrassia (EVP, Client Service, Oxford Road) with special guests Cassandra LaPrairie (Performance Marketing Lead, Audio, Wise) and Nikhil Arora (Chief Growth Officer, Albert). The team explores: getting the most from your host, Zero-to-One Sonic Branding, A/B Testing that actually works, and more. Let’s jump in.

“We live in an age where customers are omnipresent. They're everywhere. Your brand needs to be omnipresent and Sonic Branding is part of that.”

The Host with the Most 🏆- For a stellar forward the clip to your whole company ad read–try this: Go deep on context and light on copy. For a host onboarding that makes all the difference, talk through your business objectives. Share your goals. Immerse them deep into your product. For tactics on how to best communicate their love of your product to their audience, let the hosts handle it. In fact, we’re experimenting with a minimal ad copy test with just two questions. Speaking of tests…

Branches Not Twigs 🪵 - When it comes to A/B testing, the worst thing is not losing to the control, it’s not getting a definitive answer. When you test, do it with branches, not twigs. Test the changes that are big enough, so you can really see the difference, despite all the variability audio has to offer. Get definitive, clear knowledge (and then test again).

Start Where You Are 🚦- (Pretty much) Everyone agrees sonic branding is a good thing. We could talk stats for hours, and have on our Ad Infinitum podcast with Stew Redwine, about why your brand should show up sonically with intention. But as we’ve discovered when trying to change the Media Roundtable podcast intro music, thinking sonically is intense. Analysis Paralysis abounds. To go from “0 to 1”, mine your existing sonic assets, get a good enough proof of concept out into the world, and test it against the control. If there’s a lift in performance or recall, great, now make it better.

To capture a piece of the audio magic from our CAO Messaging forum, tune into the full episode via the link below. (Not a member of the CAO Club yet? Join HERE for no FOMO.)

Bianca Gorodinsky