Shortlist announced for International Audio Branding Award

The judging panel has confirmed the shortlist for the second International Audio Branding Award, to be presented at the 2012 Audio Branding Congress (ABC2012) in Oxford, UK on December 11.

Submissions came from all over the world (including Germany, UK, USA, Brazil, Spain, India, Denmark, Finland, Switzerland) and competition was intense, with three cases deadlocked in a tie for the last two places, even after a second round of judging. The panel of six eminent judges prevailed upon the organisers to allow all three tied entries onto the shortlist, which thus comprises seven cases rather than the six originally planned.

The full shortlist is as follows (see full shortlist here)

• Harrods (UK, agency: BRANDsense agency/The Sound Agency)
  Sound audit and strategy for the world's most famous store, with first implementation in the form of innovative generative soundscapes in the new Toy Kingdom
• Dell (USA, agency: Elias Arts)
  Development of a comprehensive audio branding system for the American computer technology corporation including extensive consumer research
• Nokia (Finland, direct submission from Nokia)
  Crowd-sourced versions of the world-famous Nokia Tune ringtone targeted towards a specific country or region
• The Linde Group (Germany, agency: amp)
  A sound identity and comprehensive suite of sounds for this major global engineering company
• Renfe (Spain, agency: FLYABIT)
  Sound strategy and implementation suite in all touchpoints for Spain's national train operator
• DKSH (Germany/Switzerland, agency: Wodrich Audio Branding)
  Global and regional brand sound including guidelines and full suite of implementations for this leading Swiss consultancy
• Globosat (Brazil, agency Gomus)
  Sound identities and brand sound guidelines defined for three channels operated by Brazil's leading pay TV provider

Each of the finalists will present their case during the ABC2012 event, and the gold, silver and bronze awards will be chosen on the day by a live vote among the Congress participants. All of the top seven are already showcased here.

Judge Martyn Ware, founder of The Human League and eminent sound branding expert, said:  "The standard of entries this year was very high, and it has proved difficult to decide between different aspects of the craft, however, the whole industry is maturing fast, and the finalists reflect a wide range of excellence".

Cornelius Ringe, senior partner of the Audio Branding Academy comments: "The quality and strength of the entries, along with the level of innovation and imagination, prove that our industry is really maturing all over the world. Brands and their audio branding agencies are doing some amazing work, and it's exciting to see the best of it being showcased and recognised in these awards".

About the Audio Branding Congress 2012

The Audio Branding Congress 2012 will be hosted by the Audio Branding Academy in cooperation with Oxford University. This will be the fourth annual gathering of practitioners from the fast-growing audio branding industry. Professionals and scholars from all over the world will assemble to hear talks and share ideas around the theme "Listen to consumers". Speakers include Professor Charles Spence, head of the Crossmodal Research Laboratory at the Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford University, and Saïd University's Professor Nancy Puccinelli, a world expert on consumer psychology and sensory effects on commercial behaviour. The day-long event will be moderated by Julian Treasure, chairman of The Sound Agency, author of the book Sound Business and a four-time speaker on sound on the prestigious TED.com platform.

To view the Award cases click here

To view the Congress Trailer click here

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