--- An NMK / Music Tank joint production ---

There’s no denying the power of sound. It can make us happy, sad, calm, aggravated, horny and humble. Audio is used to torture POWs and to encourage catatonic shoppers to buy more. Subliminal messages are bombarded at unsuspecting consumers...

However, the obvious audio branding used in TV and Radio, such as the Intel audio ident, has rarely ranked as a communication tool online. It's just so damn intrusive!

In turn, the emergence of the humble ringtone in 1998 renewed the potential of audio as digital marketing tool, providing a very audible allegiance to a brand - 74% of Europeans recognize the Nokia ringtone and associate the tone with the brand.

Never mind the MP3 player's profound effect on how we consume music, podcasting adds yet another way for brands to connect with consumers. In turn a host of new devices - the Sony PSP, the PlayStation3 and the XBox360 for starters - provide a real-time soundtrack to a brand(ed) experience.

This event will look at how marketers and brands can use audio as a way to engage and build relationships with consumers in the digital space. The event will cover:

• What impact does audio have on the brain? What are the cognitive processes that drive activity in response to an aural experience? And what does that mean for marketers?

• How is audio used in brand experience and brand building? How does it create or support a brand? And how can it be used in the digital space?

• What are the key technologies and how can you use them? What is being used now and what’s coming in the near future? (with speakers covering gaming, podcasting and mobile)

Who Should Attend:
Suitable for marketing directors, brand managers, digital agencies, audio content producers, and anyone who wants to discover more about the future of audio branding.

SPEAKERS:

Bernard Carey and Michael Spencer - Sound Strategies (www.sound-strategies.co.uk)

Andrew Ingram – Radio Advertising Bureau (www.rab.co.uk/rab2004/news.aspx)

Dan Jackson – founder, Sonicbrand and author of Sonic Branding: An Essential Guide to the Art and Science of Sonic Branding (www.sonicbrand.com/)

Martyn Ware - Musician and record producer, founding member of Human League, Heaven 17 and the Illustrious Company (www.illustriouscompany.co.uk/index2.html) with Dan Kirby DKPM/sonic ID (www.dkpm.co.uk/default3.aspx?CF=SONIC)

John Broomhall – Broomhall Projects (www.johnbroomhall.co.uk/)

Alex Bellinger – partner, Audacious Communications (www.audaciousonline.com/)

Al Scott - founding partner, Filter (www.filter-uk.com/index-main.html)

CHAIR: David Jennings - Founder, DJ Alchemi

Report on the event.