By Anne Holland, President

As you may recall, MarketingSherpa's launching a podcast for you this fall, and I've contracted a audio logo specialist Michael Whalen to create our intro music-snippet. (See link below to my first podcasting info column.)

If you're considering testing a podcast, too (seems like nearly everyone in the Net cognoscenti is, although we don't have results data quite yet on effectiveness), I'll keep you updated here on our progress.

First step: Develop an audio logo creative brief

Just like any other campaign, you need to hand your creative team a brief that guides them on your brand identity and goal. I've found these are always far harder to write than one might expect. You need brand perspective to do a half-decent job, and being client-side, my perspective is perhaps warped. (Reason why market research firms and ad agencies' services are critical in today's world even if you've got a full creative team in-house.)

Anyway, here's the creative brief questionaire form Michael asked me to fill out so he can determine what MarketingSherpa's brand "sounds" like.

If you need an audio logo for your own podcast (or tv/radio ads) maybe you'll find it useful, too.

1) How is your company perceived in the marketplace? (big, small, cool, traditional, fun, forward thinking, etc.)

2) How do YOU perceive your company? Is it the same as your answer to #1?

3) Do you think your audio ID should support or work against this impression(s)?

4) Who is your "typical" audience member or customer? (demographically, sense of their tastes, etc.)

5) Should the audio ID appeal to your audience's taste or should it only support your company's image? (see Question #1)

6) How will your podcast be formatted? (length of program, how many "chapters," music for top, middle and end)

7) Should your audio ID be a new composition or do you want to use an existing piece of music? (Warning; existing music = $$$)

8) If you want an original composition, should the music be thematic (think 20th Century Fox logo) or environmental? (Imagine Entertainment)

9) Whom at your company will be decision makers in this process? Will your audience help (voting, etc.)?

10) Do you have a budget for this audio ID? (budgets can range from zilch -- barter or trade -- to tens of thousands)

By the way, in case you missed it, here's my first column in this series, which includes a link to Michael's site and info for podcasting newbies:

'The Brave New(ish) World of Audio Logos & Podcasting' http://www.marketingsherpa.com/sample.cfm?contentID=3049 (Open access)