Audio Branding with Jodi Krangle

“That’s sort of how we, like, when we started the agency, then we started with just the two of us, and my role alongside Jared was everything. We did everything. And then as we expanded and grew, like, we realized, actually, like, not only my partner at the agency, but I am the chief listening officer. It starts with listening, and everything flows from there. And I think that one thing that makes our agency unique is I’ve worked with every other agency, like when we worked as creators, and we were getting hired. So you see the uniqueness of, and I’ll actually even say too, like, the power of listening, and I think that’s something that, again, going back to what I say is, I can say that, like, Jodi, I see you, or I can say, Jodi, like, I see you. And there is a massive difference. And when we can take our brands, our business, or the people that we work with and say, like, I really see you, then we start creating content, including brand music.” – Matt Borck

This episode’s guest is a partner, Chief Listening Officer, and co-founder of The One Group Agency. Driven by a deep curiosity about human behavior, he believes that companies must put their audiences first, speaking with them rather than shouting at them. Using empathy and deep listening to find the human truths buried beneath standard data, he helps organizations transition marketing teams from basic internal request departments into true strategic business partners.

His name is Matt Borck, and if you’re tired of chasing empty metrics and want to build genuine, profitable relationships, Matt’s perspective shows that it all starts with listening.

And if you like what you hear and you want to support this podcast, there are a bunch of ways to do that at audiobrandingpodcast.com, including subscribing to the YouTube channel, the newsletter, writing a review, or buying me a coffee. Because this takes a lot of coffee. Thanks so much.

(00:00) – The Importance of Listening

Our conversation starts with Matt’s earliest memories of music, and how much the power of sound influenced him as a child. “As a kid,” he recalls, “I always felt music that’s just… even now, even as I say it, like, I get shivers. I. When I would hear something, I felt it, and I felt what my nervous system was doing.” He shares more about his journey from music to marketing, and how his role as the One Group Agency’s chief listening officer evolved. “Great listeners don’t say they’re great listeners,” he adds. “Usually people tell you you’re a great listener. But one of the things it taught me so much about is how to truly be present, how to make [and] save space, how to truly listen.”

(13:18) – From Music to Marketing

Our conversation turns to Matt’s approach to harnessing the emotional power of sound in branding to build a sense of trust with listeners. “That’s where I would get to know as best as I can and choose something that also doesn’t feel out of place with the content that we’ve created,” he explains, “but it makes you feel something. If I can instantly put you at ease, I believe that you’ll be prepared for the rest of what we’ve got.” We discuss his work on a new study that focuses on music, community, and culture, and how he reaches beyond his own perspective to connect with his audience. “If I’m sent something to review from the agency,” he explains, “and, all of a sudden, I review it, and it doesn’t do anything for me, that’s actually a good thing… It takes me a little bit more to get into because it’s not my natural style, but if I want to honor the target audience, I’ve got to get over myself.”

(26:22) – AI and the Future of Voice

As the first half of our discussion wraps up, Matt talks about his two daughters and the role of music in their lives, and he illustrates a point about AI’s uncanny perfection with a story about U2’s concerts after they went big. “They were trying to figure out a way to get that [early] connection back,” he says. “And so they staged things like little screw-ups in their set or like an amp breaking, where they had to replace an amp. But what it did was it made them human again.” We talk about AI’s role in sound and audio branding, and the subtle imperfections that help set human performances apart. “We can train [AI] to do things like that,” he explains, “but it’s not the same, where, even the breath that you took, like, there are different breathing patterns that we all do as human beings.”

Episode Summary

• Matt discusses how deep listening shapes marketing strategies.
• Matt explains his transition from musician to marketing expert.
• Discussion on the impact of AI in voiceover and sound branding.

Tune in for next week’s episode as we continue discussing AI’s role in sonic branding, Matt’s latest musical and marketing projects, and his approach to building an authentic brand strategy.

Connect with the Audio Branding Podcast:

Book your project with Voice Overs and Vocals by visiting https://voiceoversandvocals.com

Connect with me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jodikrangle/

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Connect with me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodikrangle/

Leave the Audio Branding Podcast a review at https://lovethepodcast.com/audiobranding (Thank you!)

Share your passion effectively with these Tips for Sounding Your Best as a Podcast Guest!

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Get my Top Five Tips for Implementing an Intentional Audio Strategy

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Editing/Production by Humberto Franco - https://humbertofranco.com/

“I would say they really need to not position themselves as a recording studio or a music studio, but to position themselves as a sonic branding agency and to understand that the first, most important part of the process is understanding the brand that you’re working with. If you’re coming into the industry as a freelance composer and that’s your approach, I’d suggest trying to work with a sonic branding agency at first to understand the process, then maybe venturing off and figuring it out by yourself. But we’re not a music studio. That’s a position I think is important to understand.” – Sami El-Quqa

This episode is the second half of my conversation with the CEO of MusicGrid, Sami El-Quqa, as we discuss how he works to incorporate visual and sonic elements into a unified marketing approach, the role that he sees AI playing in the industry as it starts to compete with licensed music, and which companies he believes can benefit most from an audio-focused brand strategy.

And if you like what you hear and you want to support this podcast, there are a bunch of ways to do that at audiobrandingpodcast.com, including subscribing to the YouTube channel, the newsletter, writing a review, or buying me a coffee. Because this takes a lot of coffee. Thanks so much.

(00:00) – Positioning in Sonic Branding

As our conversation continues, Sami tells us about his work with MENA-based airline Flyna, and how he created a unified sonic brand across every aspect of the customer experience. “It’s a lot more than just a sonic logo,” he says, “which is like that short piece of music, or a sonic DNA track, an extended brand anthem. We’re creating everything from the boarding music, and the boarding music changes depending on where the plane is flying.” We discuss his workshop approach to building a brand and the process of aligning an effective sonic strategy to the client’s brand image. “It’s important to try to remove yourself emotionally from how you’re reacting to the music,” Sami explains, “to sit back, to give it a few days. We always think it’s a good idea to let the music resonate for a little bit and then come back and really try to analyze if it fits the brand, if it fits the consumer or not.”

(09:48) – AI’s Role in Sonic Branding

We discuss his company’s work with the popular food app Jahez, and how the digital age has pushed sound to the forefront of branding. “They’re one of the biggest ones in Saudi Arabia,” he says, “and their most important touchpoint is when you order food on the actual app. More important than their visual branding on their social media or their television commercials, the most important consumer touchpoint is the app itself.” Our conversation turns to the increasing role of AI in the industry and how it’s making human content more valuable than ever. “Even if in X amount of years,” Sami suggests, “AI becomes the most common way to create music or to listen to music, I think there’s going to be even more value on a human presence… People want that human involvement as well.”

(18:46) – The Power of Sound in Branding

Our discussion comes to a close as Sami offers his advice to musicians looking to start their career in sonic branding. “I would say they really need to not position themselves as a recording studio or a music studio,” he explains, “but to position themselves as a sonic branding agency and to really understand that the first, most important part of the process is actually understanding the brand that you’re working with.” We talk about how listeners can get in touch with him, and the foundational role sound plays in our lives. “When you come out and you’re a newborn,” he says, “I’m pretty sure you don’t really see very much. The first thing is, you hear. Even when you’re still in the womb, you don’t really see anything, but you can hear your mother’s laugh or other noises. So I think it’s just one of the most powerful [senses]. It’s incredibly powerful, sound, and it’s everywhere.”

Episode Summary

• Sami gives his insights on building a career in sonic branding.
• We discuss Sami’s thoughts on the impact of AI on the audio industry.
• Sami reflects on the emotional power of sound in branding.

Connect with the Audio Branding Podcast:

Book your project with Voice Overs and Vocals by visiting https://voiceoversandvocals.com

Connect with me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jodikrangle/

Watch the Audio Branding Podcast on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JodiKrangleVO

Connect with me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodikrangle/

Leave the Audio Branding Podcast a review at https://lovethepodcast.com/audiobranding (Thank you!)

Share your passion effectively with these Tips for Sounding Your Best as a Podcast Guest!

https://voiceoversandvocals.com/tips-for-sounding-your-best-as-a-podcast-guest/

Get my Top Five Tips for Implementing an Intentional Audio Strategy

https://voiceoversandvocals.com/audio-branding-strategy/

Editing/Production by Humberto Franco - https://humbertofranco.com/

“You know, the Dr. Pepper jingle, a year ago, there was that jingle. So I’m not going to make any claims that the jingle itself isn’t great. It’s a great jingle. And I do think if you analyze it, there are a lot of ways you can dissect it to actually properly represent Dr. Pepper. But I do think that the main reason it became so viral and people are still linking it to Dr. Pepper is the roll-out strategy, even though it wasn’t intentional. I believe she was an influencer or an Insta or a content creator on social media who recorded a song on her phone. And there was this whole thing. It went viral and they published it in the Super Bowl or whatever it is. But I really think it’s the roll-out that made it so big.” – Sami El-Quqa

This week’s guest is the founder and CEO of MusicGrid, a leading sonic branding agency serving brands across the GCC and wider MENA region. With over a decade of experience in the music industry, he blends creative expertise with strategic business insight to help organizations translate their brand identity into sound. A graduate of Berklee College of Music in Contemporary Music Composition and Production, he also holds a Master’s degree in International Business Management, specializing in music licensing and intellectual property in the digital age.

He’s worked with over three hundred brands across government, financial, and commercial sectors, leading projects that position sound as a core driver of brand recognition and emotional connection, and he’s contributed to copyright legislation in Kuwait while regularly participating in regional industry events as a speaker and advisor, shaping the future of sonic branding in the Middle East.

His name is Sami El-Quqa, and in this discussion, we’ll be discussing why sound is a brand’s most unavoidable tool. He’ll reveal how to cut through marketing noise, the psychology behind sounds we can’t forget, and the secrets to blending cultural heritage with modern tech. Whether you’re a CEO or a creator, you’ll learn how to stop being just ‘seen’ and finally start being heard.

And if you like what you hear and you want to support this podcast, there are a bunch of ways to do that at audiobrandingpodcast.com, including subscribing to the YouTube channel, the newsletter, writing a review, or buying me a coffee. Because this takes a lot of coffee. Thanks so much.

(00:00) – Sami’s Early Memories of Sound

As our conversation starts, Sami shares an early memory of sound that helped spark his musical career. “There’s a TV channel that, during Ramadan, would play this jingle,” he recalls. “It was called the NBC Ramadan jingle. And I’d say that’s my earliest memory… of music that not just moved me, but music that I could attach to a specific calendar day on the year.” He tells us about his studies at Berklee and how he made the jump to music licensing, and how his father’s advice helped convince him to focus on sonic branding in the Middle East. “He said, ‘You know what, this is a market that doesn’t really have that. If you stay in the UK or if you go back to the US, it’s a saturated market. You may not be really filling a gap there,’” Sami recalls his father telling him. “There’s a need for culturally relevant Middle Eastern music or Saudi or Kuwaiti music, but there was nowhere to really find that.”

(11:28) – The Secret to Creating Sonic Identities

Sami tells us more about culturally authentic sonic branding in the MENA region vs the West, and his perspective as someone who’s been on both sides. “Even Hollywood movies,” he says, “sometimes for us here in this region, when we watch a clip of a Hollywood movie and they’re in the Sahara Desert, the music is often off. We call it Orientalist or Aladdinesque.” We talk about his early career in sound and how hiring an orchestra helped give a sonic brand launch an extra boost. “For the launch,” he explains, “they wanted something grand and prestigious. So we worked with an orchestra in Europe to record and film a launch film and a performance of that sonic identity…. people not only became more aware of the brand Trolley, but they are able to remember it more because of the launch film.”

(20:16) – Blending Heritage with Modernity

The first half of our conversation comes to a close as Sami tells us more about the branding process and how it can change depending on the industry. “When we work in finance,” he says, “a lot of brands are looking to be digital first. That’s a big initiative when it comes to finance, because their most important touchpoint is their phone app.” We discuss how each campaign’s approach can depend on its region, and how the younger generation is increasingly blurring those geographical lines. “There’s a large cultural influence everywhere from North America, from England,” he explains, “so often [being] modern means being attractive to the younger generation who doesn’t only speak Arabic, but their second language is English, and they’re also influenced by Western culture.”

Episode Summary

• Sami shares his early memories of impactful music and jingles.
• The process of developing sonic identities through client workshops.
• Sami discusses how to merge cultural heritage with modern soundscapes.

Tune in for next week’s episode as we discuss how Sami fused traditional and high-tech sound for the Kuwaiti Stock Exchange’s sonic logos, his approach to implementing an effective branding strategy, and the dramatic changes he’s seen in the audio industry just within the past seven years.

Connect with the Audio Branding Podcast:

Book your project with Voice Overs and Vocals by visiting https://voiceoversandvocals.com

Connect with me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jodikrangle/

Watch the Audio Branding Podcast on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JodiKrangleVO

Connect with me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodikrangle/

Leave the Audio Branding Podcast a review at https://lovethepodcast.com/audiobranding (Thank you!)

Share your passion effectively with these Tips for Sounding Your Best as a Podcast Guest!

https://voiceoversandvocals.com/tips-for-sounding-your-best-as-a-podcast-guest/

Get my Top Five Tips for Implementing an Intentional Audio Strategy

https://voiceoversandvocals.com/audio-branding-strategy/

Editing/Production by Humberto Franco - https://humbertofranco.com/

“My grandfather used to say, aim for the moon and you might catch a star on the way down. And at his funeral, I gave a sort of eulogy and told everyone this story and said, ‘I assume everyone’s heard this one from him because he was a storyteller.’ There were about a hundred people there, and they were like, ’ No, we’ve not heard that story. But afterwards, fifteen, twenty people did come up to me and say, ‘He sent me a letter, and he told me this, a different thing. And he told me that…’ And I guess one of my biggest inspirations, which is why I try and mentor, because I think he mentored me without saying, ‘Greg, I’m mentoring you.’ But I’ve realized that I need to mentor people, and actually, I think all of us need to mentor and to be mentored.” – Greig Watts

This episode is the second half of my conversation with author, songwriter, and music publisher Greig Watts as we discuss bridging the gap between creativity and the practical side of business, his tips for dealing with the inevitable rejections that come in the music industry, and how a teacher who literally washed kids’ mouths out with soap influenced his own approach to teaching students.

And if you like what you hear and you want to support this podcast, there are a bunch of ways to do that at audiobrandingpodcast.com, including subscribing to the YouTube channel, the newsletter, writing a review, or buying me a coffee. Because this takes a lot of coffee. Thanks so much.

(00:00) – Balancing Art and Business

As the second half of our conversation starts, Greig tells us about some of the early influences that turned him both towards and, to some extent, away from sound. “I remember having my school’s careers interview,” he recalls, “and they said, ‘What do you want to be?’ ‘A songwriter and a business person.’ And they were like, ‘No, you need a job.’ And I was like, ‘songwriter.’ And eventually I sort of said, ‘Well, you know, I am running my own business, and I am writing songs.’" He talks about the wisdom his grandfather shared with him and how he now mentors other musicians, including teaching them that rejection isn’t a personal failure. “It’s not that you’re not good enough,” he explains, “it’s that someone else’s song fitted [the project] better than yours. That means you could have had the best song, but their song fitted the criteria, so [your] song can still go somewhere else.”

(12:51) – Keeping the Dream Alive

Greig tells us about his first book, originally written during COVID-19 when he wanted to share what he’s learned with his children. “It’s called Keeping the Dream Alive, [because] I’m a dreamer. So that’s the main thing. But then it has the subtitle of A Songwriter’s Guide to Overcoming Rejection, Finding Success, and, most importantly, I think, Enjoying the Journey Along the Way.” We discuss the power of sound and one particularly poignant memory of his grandmother, who suffered from dementia in her later years. “They’d just done their Christmas nativity play,” he recalls. “So I said to them, ‘Why don’t you sing ‘Silent Night?’’ And so they sang ‘Silent Night,’ and up she sat, and she sang it with them. And then at the end, when we’d finished, she sang a verse that we never even knew.”

(24:06) – The Difference Teachers Make

As our conversation wraps up, Greig shares his own thoughts about the power of sound, and how deeply it can connect us with the past. “As a 35-year-old man,” he recalls hearing the 1970s Incredible Hulk theme for the first time in years, “I started crying, and I was like, ‘Why am I crying? I don’t know why I’m crying.’ And then I remembered I used to watch this when I was seven, and I always used to feel sad at that point. So the memory thirty years later triggered the same emotion.” He talks about the impact teachers have made on his life, both good and bad, and how he strives to use the lessons he’s learned from them while teaching the next generation of songwriters. “They will never hear me shout at them,” he says. “I might shout an instruction across to just make sure, but not an aggressive shout because that’s not my job. My job is to give them instructions, then they go out and do it.”

Episode Summary

• Greig shares how his grandfather inspired his mentoring philosophy.
• Our conversation about how neurodiverse people can excel in creativity.
• The importance of understanding the business side of songwriting.

Connect with the Audio Branding Podcast:

Book your project with Voice Overs and Vocals by visiting https://voiceoversandvocals.com

Connect with me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jodikrangle/

Watch the Audio Branding Podcast on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JodiKrangleVO

Connect with me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodikrangle/

Leave the Audio Branding Podcast a review at https://lovethepodcast.com/audiobranding (Thank you!)

Share your passion effectively with these Tips for Sounding Your Best as a Podcast Guest!

https://voiceoversandvocals.com/tips-for-sounding-your-best-as-a-podcast-guest/

Get my Top Five Tips for Implementing an Intentional Audio Strategy

https://voiceoversandvocals.com/audio-branding-strategy/

Editing/Production by Humberto Franco - https://humbertofranco.com/

“I’ve been, so one of my writer friends who I published, a guy called Ian Kerner, he was one of the producers behind “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley and “Stay Another Day” by Seventeen and Kylie. He was a big producer, and I took him to Eurovision. He was the first person I went with, and he turned to me and said, ‘This is the biggest thing I’ve ever done.’ And I’m sitting there thinking, ‘But you were number one in America with Rick Astley.’ Yet he’s saying that he meant the show. The show was, ‘I’ve never been, it’s like the Olympics. It’s that big.’ And then you want to go back every year. Every time I take someone new, they’re like, ‘I’ll come back next year. I’m trying to get in next year.’” – Greig Watts

This episode’s guest is one half of the UK-based writing, production and publishing team DWB, and in recent years, he’s successfully hosted several songwriting camps, catering to Asia and Eurovision. The triumph of these camps and the songs they produced has established him as an expert in the fields of songwriting for the Eurovision Song Contest. Since 2016, he’s supervised eighteen Eurovision entries across eleven consecutive years, along with approximately 80 national finalists within that time frame. His expertise has also led to him becoming a sought-after conference speaker, panelist, and moderator; he was the Music Consultant for Eurovision for the BBC for 2019, and he’s just released his first book, Keeping the Dream Alive, which has already become an Amazon bestseller.

In this conversation, we explore the moments when he nearly walked away from music, the power of reconnecting with the sounds that first moved him, and why he believes creativity is less about ego and more about connection. His name is Greig Watts, and we talk about using Eurovision as a strategic launchpad and how understanding the business of music can protect the soul of it. If you’ve wondered how sound becomes strategy, or how resilience turns into resonance, this episode is for you.

And if you like what you hear and you want to support this podcast, there are a bunch of ways to do that at audiobrandingpodcast.com, including subscribing to the YouTube channel, the newsletter, writing a review, or buying me a coffee. Because this takes a lot of coffee. Thanks so much.

(00:00) – Greig’s Transition to Songwriting

Our conversation starts off with Greig’s early memories of sound, particularly how, as a toddler, Manfred Mann’s “Do Wah Diddy Diddy” became part of the soundtrack of his life. “Whenever I hear that song,” he explains, “my great-grandmother Goodman pops back into my head, and I can only have been three at the time, but it’s a real, definite memory, and I think I’ve got lots of those memories.” Greig tells us how his career in sound began, including how he turned down a record deal as the lead singer to follow his true passion. “What I really wanted was the songwriting,” he tells us. “It wasn’t to be a front person… I was kind of getting engaged to my first wife, and I was like, I don’t really want to go to Japan and be a front person in a band. I want to be a songwriter.”

(14:05) – Eurovision and the Global Market

Greig tells us about his work with Eurovision and what it’s taught him about bringing new musical acts to the world. “We organized our own songwriting camp,” he recalls, “and asked people to come. Probably had thirty people out there, and that’s how we got our first entry for Norway. And since then, we’ve had an entry every year, and actually we’ve had 18 entries in 11 years.” We discuss his work with boy bands, J-pop, and K-pop artists, and how the international pop scene’s shifted in recent years. “Japanese [artists] don’t tend to come out of Japan so much,” he explains. “It’s a big market, they’re not so bothered about that. But Korean culture, the government is funding Korean culture coming out. That’s why we’re getting, you know, Squid Game. That’s why we get lots of Korean films.”

(28:41) – Greig’s Reflections on Creativity

We discuss how Greig’s career almost took a turn away from sound, and what it took to bring him back into the industry. “Eventually, I kind of felt I needed to take a year off,” he tells us, “but I wasn’t going to say that. I kind of knew it, and eventually, about two years later, my wife said, ‘You need to finish now. You need to go and take a year off.’" He talks about his foray into banking, and the breakthrough that cemented his career as a songwriter. “We did say, give me a year and if I’m not making money by the end of the year, then I go back to the bank… On month twelve, I got offered a job to set up a publishing department of a record label, which meant as a songwriter, I suddenly had income.”

Episode Summary

• Grieg’s shift from band member to songwriter and music consultant.
• His insights into the Asian music market and its dynamics.
• Our discussion on how sound influences our feelings and memories.

Tune in for next week’s episode as we discuss the valuable lessons his grandfather shared with him and others in his life, how neurodiversity can almost be an advantage when it comes to certain industries, and why being the best songwriter doesn’t necessarily lead to the most success.

Connect with the Audio Branding Podcast:

Book your project with Voice Overs and Vocals by visiting https://voiceoversandvocals.com

Connect with me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jodikrangle/

Watch the Audio Branding Podcast on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JodiKrangleVO

Connect with me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodikrangle/

Leave the Audio Branding Podcast a review at https://lovethepodcast.com/audiobranding (Thank you!)

Share your passion effectively with these Tips for Sounding Your Best as a Podcast Guest!

https://voiceoversandvocals.com/tips-for-sounding-your-best-as-a-podcast-guest/

Get my Top Five Tips for Implementing an Intentional Audio Strategy

https://voiceoversandvocals.com/audio-branding-strategy/

Editing/Production by Humberto Franco - https://humbertofranco.com/