As a producer, programmer and remixer, Steve Keller broke into the Nashville music scene by creating dance remixes of country hits, producing over sixty remixes for many of Nashville’s top stars. He went on to work as a freelance commercial music producer and consultant, eventually founding a strategic brand management company with a client roster that included entertainers, advertising agencies, commercial music houses, record labels, marketing firms and music publishers.
Today, Steve is CEO of iV, a creative community of audio and marketing professionals, focused on providing strategic audio branding for a wide range of global agencies and brands. In addition to holding a B.A. in Psychology from Cedarville University with a focus on research, statistics, social psychology and small group dynamics, Steve is also a graduate of Scarlett Leadership Institute, a division of Belmont University’s Massey Graduate School of Business. He is connected to the music and advertising industries through a number of professional affiliations: AFM, NARAS, AAF, NEL, AMP, SOLID, ASCAP, SESAC and GEMA.
Presentation: Caveat Emptor: Towards an Examination of Emerging Best Practices in the Audio Branding Industry
As brands and advertising agencies become more interested in the topic of audio branding, and as more companies claim to offer audio branding services, it will become increasingly important to define and document generally accepted methods and processes that constitute industry standards for professional audio branding. To facilitate an examination of emerging best practices within the industry, a survey was administered to 127 self-described audio branding providers, designed to obtain baseline data in four specific categories: company demographics, strategy, execution and evaluation.
Companies were also ranked as either “higher service” or “lower service” providers based on other background data. Survey results are analyzed with the goal of identifying emerging best practices within the audio branding industry. Internal consistency within individual responses is also examined, as are contrasts between higher and lower service providers. Recommendations are offered for consumers and providers alike, as well as suggestions for continued study and discussion.
