Audio Branding Congress celebrated its fifth edition in Moscow Last November. How did the business evolve these last five years?
During the last five years, the Audio Branding Academy could foster the know how exchange within the industry. It is still a small but strongly growing community, meeting every year at our Congresses. So, all competitors are at the same time highly respected colleagues. I think this is something that makes our community so special. The industry is just in the process of further professionalization. This year’s Audio Branding Barometer indicates again that the business is still striving and expanding. Revenues have been constantly growing during the past years, and optimism is still the prevalent attitude. Total revenue of the partaking companies has increases between 2011 and 2012 by 33%. But even more interesting is the increasing awareness for sound issues on client side. We realize an increasing number of audio branding projects and better quality of briefings. The demand for audio branding is growing fast.
How do you explain that few market players (Elias Art, The Sound Agency, Sixième Son…) knew a very strong development while most of the others don’t grow up?
New market players pop up everyday everywhere. Many audio branding agencies are still start ups and not older than five years. I think it is not a big surprise that more established agencies have more turnover, efficiency as well as learning and scale effects. We also have to witness shakeout and consolidation.
According to you, what is the key factor of success?
Well, this is very simple but not easy: Precisely define objectives of your project and find the right balance between functionality and creativity.
China is very absentee of this market. What do you think about it and how do you explain that we speak about it so rarely?
The audio branding industry is still focused on Europe and USA. We introduce the industry of the giant Russian market by running our last Congress in Moscow. China and India are also very promising markets. We know how challenging it is to establish your business in these markets. There are still too many barriers. However, I only can recommend to start running your audio branding business internationally – it will pay off.
Where the next edition will take place? What will be the theme?
After five years of Audio Branding Academy we are just working hard for the next phase of evolution. When we started the academy we decided to grow it careful and organic. So this year we are preparing some nice innovations of our services, as for example the AUDIO LOGO DATA BASE. We are already in the preparations for the next Congress with some little changes in concept. We will announce it when time is right. But I can promise you, again it will be a new experience, as all our congresses were special in their way. Oh – and – we are still waiting for someone inviting the Audio Branding Academy to come to Paris.
