“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 Dargie

This 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.

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(00:00) - Finding Your Brand’s Unique Sound

The 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 Storytelling

Michael 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 apart from the competition. “I think the other thing too,” he says, “that you’ll know as well is like, are you direct-able? Can you take a note and then do something with it and surprise us with your new approach to it? …Especially when you’re doing a read that’s maybe not even half a page, but you have to go through eight emotions.”

(24:37) - The Future of Sound in Branding

Our conversation wraps up as Michael shares his thoughts about the power of sound, and how critical it is to a successful ad campaign. “It’s not something to be thrown away or to be tucked in at the end,” he tells us. “It’s your palette, and I think it… serves the visual that you’re going for. It’s the subtext for it all.” He tells listeners how they can get in touch and offers his thoughts on AI and where humans fit into the mix. “My agency name is Make More Creative,” he explains, “because that’s what we do… We are using AI for a lot of stuff right now, but we always have people in the mix.”

Episode Summary

1. Michael’s improv-inspired process for discovering what sound represents a brand.
2. He explains the importance of sound in building the brand’s narrative.
3. Michael’s insights on AI voices and the evolving role of sound in marketing.

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