A Sixth Sense for Sound: An Interview with Colleen Fahey - Part 2

“They often have a suite of sounds. Now you still have to follow all regulations that have to do with safety and that kind of thing, but now the sound inside the car can be reflected in the marketing communications around it, so that’s a very big use of sound.” -- Colleen Fahey

This episode’s the second half of my interview with author, creative executive, and sonic branding expert Colleen Fahey as we talk about her role in creating innovative sound strategies, the signs of a well-managed audio brand, and some of Colleen’s favorite brand voices.

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The Sound of Innovation

As the second half of our interview begins, Colleen tells us how she helps clients innovate and find their own sonic DNA, their own audio brand identity. “We have done sounds to communicate innovation,” she explains, “but our goal is not to be innovative in our use of sound. Our goal is to help people tell their story by using sound.” We also talk about how audio branding is becoming more accessible to small businesses. “It doesn't always have to be big fat advertising budgets. It can be in your app, it can be in your hold music, it can be in your TikTok videos, your Instagram posts, your brand video on your website. This isn't just for big fancy brands with lots of advertising money.”

An Authentic Voice

Colleen tells us about her work with a small industrial company, and how creating a sense of sonic consistency in their internal videos helped them establish their own audio brand. “They're extremely disciplined about using their audio brand,” she says, “and it’s a beautiful one” We talk about the role of voices and audio slogans in modern sonic branding, as well as some of the most memorable brand voices in the past, from Motel Six television ads to Tony the Tiger. “People have been using voices with strong characters,” she tells us, “but not everybody, and not enough. Often, they just want the voice to sit back instead of having the voice be somebody that you can picture in your mind.”

The Universal Language

As our interview ends, Colleen talks about an auto campaign that required a creative approach to stand out from the competition. “Everybody was using metallic sounds,” she recalls, “sounds like motors and engines, essentially functional sounds, but not emotional sounds.” We talk about some of her favorite advertising campaigns, from financial institutions to snack foods, and the integral part audio plays in connecting businesses all over the world with their customers. “As you can imagine,” she relates, talking about her experience with clients from around the world, “many international companies opt to have a fully musical sound because music is a universal language”

Episode Summary