Marketing ( food for thought)

Is it not absurd to seek emotional connection with scripting of ads, when we live in a society that frowns upon any display of emotion and rewards apathy and indifference?
Is it not insane to praise the empathy of managers, when managing itself requires distance in order to not be consumed by peoples demands and sometime irrational expectations?
Is it not weird that  we long for safety and companionship and yet we go shopping when we feel down, as if the ability to afford crap, says something about our safety net, and our success.

Those little amazing things about Denmark

So  I received two letters, one for electricity and one for gas. They asked me to count my meter and tell them the numbers. Trust, honesty. It's amazing. In Greece that would have never worked :D

I also called my service- one of many I cant pronounce. I was told as a newly single mom I am entitled to some tax deduction. I told them I have no papers to prove it yet. But they took my word for it.  Not only they help people who were not born here, but they value and validate the hardship of being a single mother AND they trust you...

On another note, I am running up and down all day from school to school, juggling roles from student to teacher.
Its really not easy, especially since the school I m a student in has a hard time "placing" me. I know too much but then again too little and I do not appreciate being talked down to.

Bah, we ll see how that goes :)


I dont have much time to write though.

Money makes the world go round? Wrong.

I received a paper from one of my children today.
It said something about getting successful in life ( no specifics), make money to do certin things ( exactly like that)
I thought it was the saddest thing I read.

Make money, be successful no matter what, to do things.

Then there was a mild rant about how she felt it was not right for older people or others to demand respect, just because they think they are better than others.
Oh the irony.

But it got me thinking.
Had that kid reached out in her to see who she was or who she wanted to be growing up ( which was the assignment). No.

Working in marketing for years, I know that any successful add, video, script, film is all about feelings. It makes you feel. Sadness, empathy, joy, excitement. It makes you laugh, it shocks you.
The advertisers are banking on your feelings.

We have become more and more blaze, we are more and more secluded, afraid to have real conversations. We like, we instagram, we poke, we blog, we tweet, because our nature is communicative, but we become lonelier and isolated.
Entertainment and advertising is all about bringing emotions to the surface, awaken them.
Healthier than drugs, less risky than love.

Money is not what makes the world go round. Emotions are.
They lead you to buy something expensive in order to feel successful. They drive you to play a game in order to feel good at something. Ranks, raids, scores, achievements, loots and rewards are part of the pleasure giving," feeling special and unique" need we have. Drugs, affairs, alcohol are just tools to feel good, alive.

We feel. We don't want to feel the bad and we only want to feel the good.
Marketing is not about cost, it is not about advertising. Its about creating an impression.
Convince you that with that product, you will dissipate the worry. You made it, you are there, you have the best technology, gadget, house...
It will dissipate boredom and the thoughts that maybe you are not the best person you know.
It will entertain you and keep you occupied, and shock you and make you laugh.

But I m repeating myself.
A good marketer, script writer is a good psychologist.
A good voice artist knows how to communicate all that without image, expressions of his face.
A good composer,  gives the right music to pull these heart strings.

The world runs on emotions.
Money is just the tool used for everything else to bring those emotions.

French lessons, life's lessons

So, I started working as a French teacher at a school. I had not taught in nearly 2 years and was a bit intimidated at first by the amount of students in my class...

The timing was off and on, meaning that I looked for steady work but it also coincided with my training at school.
I started teaching, with an idea in mind, that it was temporary.

But once in the classroom, once I started teaching the tricks and the concepts of the language and saw all these kids being interested in what I had to say, really understanding, it all came back to me. Why I liked it. Why I was good.

Explaining the subtleties of the phonetics, training people to dare to sound different, letting them know through a simple exercise of presenting themselves, how to identify who they are, how to find the one thing they want to be and how to be real.

Through
Bonjour, je suis Alain, we can cover " I am shy, I like animals, I do not like bullying. I believe in friendship" and I am lonely, and even " I did not know almost everyone felt like me."
Being a not very popular girl till I hit puberty and then being looked from afar, it took me nearly 2 decades to find friends on facebook and realize people in my school did not avoid me because I was weird and poor-er, but because I was intimidating and- according to most- pretty.
I had no idea.

I want these kids to learn how to speak another language because it is a tol and it educates their brain. i want them to open their minds to other cultures. But I also want them to open up and have meaningful discussion and real moments with themselves and the people around them.
And I know I am the person to do so.

Through:
"Bonjour, je suis Michel, Ahmed, Franceska, Pernille..." they will say
"I  do not know who I am yet, but I am on my way of discovery".

And they will learn how to speak perfect French.

I got rid of my polyps with cabbage and raw foodism

"You will need surgery"
The picture on the TV screen was frightening. A huge white lump on my vocal chord was unmistakeably the culprit of the sound my voice was doing for the past 2 days.

It was a weird sound, as if my voice was split in two, just like when you sing a verse and adds a copy of the same passage, creating that duality.
I was devastated.
I was 23, in a foreign country, hardly making any money for surgery, I was ambitious. I had plans. I had joined a music Tv station to be recognizable when my album would come out. ( Yes, back then in 1993 , we still thought of albums, cassettes etc). I had moved out of the country to have a better chance with my repertoire.
And now this.
All because I forced my voice at the highest note of the song, trying to compensate the noise in the club and the non-existent volume of my microphone.
The moment my voice split was noticeable. Right at the peak of the note.

I went home, crying.
My boyfriend, took me in his arms but I was inconsolable.
I went down to the payphone and called my mother. My mother was and is a bit a of a health freak and I avoid her old wives remedies like the plague, but with time I have learned to discern what makes sense and what is  worth while. So I called her. Besides, I needed my mama, if you know what I mean.

So I called, and after being clear she would not pay for my surgery, she told me to try and get rid of the polyps, the natural way. I was desperate, I would have done anything. And to be honest, back then I still believed that ANYTHING can be cured with nature.

So I started this regiment.
Nothing cooked.
Nothing mixed or processed. And I would shut up. To the delight of everyone around me.

Everyday I would eat a fruit, a piece of cabbage, watching my boyfriend getting stuffed on omelets and steaks.
I would chop organic  onions, carrots, herbs, celery, into little pieces and put them in a bottle with spring water. The bottle was of dark glass to prevent the light and plastic to prevent the alteration of  the  minerals, vitamins and other micro nutrients.

I did this for about a month. Of course I lost weight.
The funny part is that it was not hard after the first week. The omelets did not look appealing to me anymore. I had no more cravings. Food is just a habit, really.

D-day came, I flew home. I went to the best clinic, had a camera inserted in my nose, everything.
To make the long story short in this visit or the next, my polyps had gone.
The doctor could not believe his eyes.

A polyps is not supposed to disappear. It is a hard knob that smashes against your other vocal chord, damaging it. It has a natural circle of life. It is not absorbable. Supposedly.
But there it was.
My chords, clean as a whistle. Beautiful. Ready to go.


I thought it was worth mentioning,in case you have the same problem. Do not despair and try this method. If it worked for me. I can work for you,?

The right voice

I hear this sentence from clients and contractors a lot.
What is the "right voice"?
Is there such a thing or is it just a fancy way to say "the one I like"? How many clients come to a meeting with an open mind, ready to hear and chose instead of having "some idea" of what they want, vaguely sounding like something they once heard, somewhere....
The challenge in our business is to guess what the client wants. Sometimes he says British accent and he chooses an Australian one. Other times he says "deep voice" when he means husky. Most times he wants you to convey an emotion, the way he would convey it.
Voice professionals have their own variety of expressions. I, for example communicate sorrow in a different way than one of my colleagues.
The challenge to overcome, is to be able to bypass all the pre-made expectations the client has, and make him appreciate what YOU have to offer.
You can't infuse in 10 mns the knowledge you accumulated over the years, or patronize him. The man owns a butcher shop and he wants an advert. done, now. He wants Angelina Jolie with Kathleen Turner's voice as the butchered cow on the table.
Customer is king.
So what do we do in those circumstances?
We accept the fact that this client is so set in his ways and stop "selling".
We politely say that "this is my voice, this is how I can express the fun of being slaughtered by a beautiful woman, the sense of adoration and sacrifice to feed the human race, and I'm sorry, I can not do a "British" accent (Australian, really).

I personally avoid such fussy clients, as they do not know the business. My business. They do not realize that they pay me to voice over their vision, but also my years of accumulated experience, my knowledge, my acting skill and the ability to sit down, relax and let someone take charge for 3 seconds.
I understand, specially if money is tight, their need to make sure everything is ok. But this is where trust comes into play. That you hired a voice you like. Good quality. Responsibility. Knowledge.
And that's what you pay for. And you get what you pay for.

You get retakes if I didn't get it right. You don't get retakes if you change the script after the recording. It's common sense. The right voice, is not just a sound. It is an attitude. It is patience, it is understanding, it is psychology, it is professionalism.
But it is also boundaries. Value of time. Respect of ones effort to please you,
Accent, tone, acting, power...language, pace, elocution, pronunciation.
Mixing, editing, filing.
Patience, willing to explain, willing to listen, willing to please, give 100%.
Swiftness, reliability, responsibility.
The right voice is more than just a voice.



It's the person who greets you on the phone and gives a je ne sais quoi to your company.
It is the person who soothes you, or excites you or sells for you.
It is your voice in the business world, the voice that comes in contact with your clients.
It is your energy, your personality, your imprint.

That's what "the right voice is". A perfect fit on all levels.


I remember when I worked for the Eurovision contest, the director asked me to be loud and strong to match the male speaker that was voicing the countries in English. The result was bad, in my opinion. My voice was set too high and sounded unnatural.
I gently suggested if we could also make a take with my own voice, how I would say it, how I pictured it in my head, without trying to match the other speakers tone and energy.
The director agreed that the sound coming out was more pleasant, relaxed and yet ceremonial ( at least I think he saw that this is what I was aiming for). My take was kept in the final mix. He was able to go past his initial idea and appreciate that new "image".
Narrating is a skill, that implies more than just reading a text.

You may not see the subtle details or hear the changes or intonations, but once the feeling you wanted to get across is expressed, you know you found, "the right voice".

Why sound

Of all the senses and the tools and the means we have as human beings to communicate, to make a living, to make an impact, I chose sound.

I love sound. And here is why. (I don't know if this will make sense, I write as I go along to put an order to my thoughts, and I am sleepy....)
Looks can be deceiving.
I started my first career solely based on my looks. Don't get me wrong, I was no Nicole Kidman, and I' m short. But I got my break on tv due to the fact I was photogenic. I got singing jobs cause I was cute. And a female.
I didn't know it then. The thought is insulting, but I was able to get to that conclusion without being too upset about it, because I did do something after the breaks I got,
 I was able -in some cases- to make people see the value of my labour and establish myself professionally.
In my 20s,as every other snobbish snotty overgrown teenager who thinks "he's made it" to the grown up world, I thought I was sophisticated, talented and ready to be discovered.
 And I was. Talented, that is. Just not as much as I thought. *( Every time I hear my first demo tape, made by Billy Dertilis a very accomplished, famous and established producer who was doing a favor to a friend,, I cringe. Even more, I am embarrassed with the ease and nerve I displayed- asking him to re do the whole thing when he had worked on the wrong song. On the other hand, when I got my opening on tv, I was not satisfied with just presenting some video clips, I wanted to interact with the audience at home. I wanted more. I wanted to get them involved and proceeded to do just that, organizing auditions, rehearsals, recording and airing time. The newly hired director insisted I would show cleavage, I refused, we fought, he got fired. But I'm digressing.)

Oddly enough, I did get discovered. Someone paid for my education- I was living alone since I was 16 and had no means to study with the teachers I later had. It was someone with business sense who never saw anything more in my looks, than an asset to sell records. So yes, as a general rule, the way people perceived me visually, were a door opener.....and closer. What I could and was able to do once the door was open, was up to me. And the business sense of my bosses. If they could go pass the looks, the sex, and the age, sometimes.

I can still remember a journalist trying to find me and hire me for his newspaper, really excited about an article I wrote, who decided the moment I got into his office, he didn't want me. Was it my unconventional outfit? Or my extra kilos? I don't know, but it was one of these times when you can actually feel the energy changing in the room, instantly.
Living in a land where women were -in my experience- second rate citizens, and where ones attractiveness is a double edge sword, I realized, deep in my mid thirties, that the way I looked and how someone experienced my physical presence, was my best ally and worst enemy.
 Usually talking would set the record straight. My voice, my way of expressing myself would immediately convey the right energy, and set the tone. No misunderstandings there. (But I won't dwell on the misfortunes of being a working woman in Greece, this is not the topic today although it would be fun to write someday this little horror story)

So to sum it up, looks were a big factor that I wanted out of the way.
As I grew older, I started working in the media, that were less open to public scrutiny. Less ...visible. Teaching. Blogging. Writing. Event planning. I kept singing but not as often, just to remind me who I really was. Not a mom, not a divorcee, not even an author, a daughter, a lover, a bitch or whatever.

Opening my mouth to create sound was like putting comfortable slippers after a long day with high heels. Singing was what I wanted to do ever since I could put dolls people gave me,  around me, and perform. At least they had some purpose now. ( I hated dolls, yet my voice was not powerful enough to be heard by grown ups). 
Singing was just who I was and the only way I had found to make people stop and listen to me, pay attention to what I had to say, or how I felt. It was a way to shoo away  all the expectations, pressures and other peoples idea of who I am or should be.
Sound is not something that you can interpret. It's there. It shows who you are. Soft, or energetic, sexy or angry, sensual and vulnerable....

I had my share of recognition till then. I worked in front and behind the cameras. I sang all over Europe.And to be honest, I needed not to draw attention any-more, but stir the focus on the product, the book, the article, the concert, the pupil...I felt satisfied, full, and in a good place.

I enjoyed stepping sideways and create in a different, more abstract way. This time it was no pencils, or a piece of music that needed lyrics. I had a virtual audience and a keyboard to write my thoughts. I had roles and tasks and imagination to create something, out of nothing. A seed of an idea that would give a product. I enjoyed the fact all of my previous experience was coming into play, even when I worked for an organization for deaf people. (The irony. I can't stop talking, I adore to sing, I love my job as a voice artist and here I was, surrounded by people who could not hear a sound. The challenges I had to overcome, out of my comfort zone were immense but I had chosen it and I loved it.)
A voice is to me, the soul's (finger)print.
It is enriched with emotions, feelings, expectations, fear, hope and all these things that it betrays. A voice can not be controlled when we are in a deep emotional state.Try to talk when you had sad news.
A voice makes you guess.It triggers your imagination and makes the other person familiar, close, intimate sometimes. It creates a connection.

A voice on the other end of the line, has no restrictions. You don't judge and are not judged.
You can imagine the other person and listen to the message he/she has to say. Really listen.
In business, a pleasant voice is attractive enough to get your attention but not to the point of distracting you from the goal.
Voicing your thoughts, opening a window to your mind, is a wonderful thing, and people's reactions to what you say are telling far more about the way they think than when they act or speak the way they think they should.
Writing has its magic, as you read my post with your own tone, your own intonation. But it also creates misunderstandings. Because you read the post in the tone you think the other person is using. Sound, is missing. Sound that sets the mood. The pace. The intentions.
Image is powerful, but distracting from the message. If someone is too attractive.
Or too old. Or too fat. Or filled with pimples, or dirty, or whatever....We miss valuable things solely based on the fact that our eyes decide what is worthy or not.
I recently enrolled to CPHbusiness and conducted my own little experiments. How many people would stereotype me due to my age. How many would come forth and maybe ask me questions, as I made it clear with some hints here and there, I had experience in the field. How many teachers would feel at ease or not. Make eye contact, involve me in the process, feel confident or uncomfortable...How my age would be a factor. It was for some.
You cant really put a person that doesn't fit in a box, in a box. A mom but... a former tattoo artist? A professional but a student? A talkative 44 year old who doesn't keep a "grown up distance"? Am i like your mom? I am. I am not. How, when .... ah, never mind.
Now imagine if classes were held on skype. You get my point.

Another example of how what we see inhibits and limits us...I had an obese  friend who was unemployed for years and as soon as she lost the extra weight, she was hired. Was she suddenly qualified? Was something in her body mass stopping her from being adequate?
Of course not. But people perceived her differently.

When I was getting on stage for an opening number, I knew after the few first notes, that eyes would open wide and the comments after my performance about how "such a strong voice can come out of such a tiny person" would pour. It was not about liking me, but how they were surprised and got something they didn't expect. Based on my looks. Height. Whatever.

When you are alone with your loved one in the dark, and he is holding you, even kissing you, hearing his voice, voicing his thoughts, and that husky timber betraying his emotions, you get involved. Even if two minutes before you were mentally going through the grocery list for tomorrow, his voice reeled you in. Because it was real, and moving and gripping. Can't fake that. (And I know some will think that some women do fake "that". But are they women or girls afraid to show how they really feel? Are they dealing with men or inexperienced boys who don't really listen or are involved spiritually and mentally as well as physically?)
Sound, is real. Sound never deceives.
Sound is also related to experiences from childhood.
Tomatis has proven that we can't hear some sounds that are related to one or both parents. Depending on early traumas, our ears "shut down" some sounds related to the parent in question. It makes you think what happens when we relate to a person who emits those missing nuances and sounds. Also when learning a language we are deaf to certain sounds. It takes re-education of the mouth, the tongue, the throat and the ear to be able to lose that deafness.
Eyes deceive. Sight is used to evaluate a person, a situation, to label it and to move on.
But eyes, the sense of sight, is poor. Even in the film making industry, they use sound in crucial points, in order enhance the experience.
Of course I will use imagery when presenting a project to my colleagues. It helps people understand the little movie in my head. But its not the images, or my green eyes that gets the point across.
Its the passion in my voice, the excitement, the care, the enthusiasm and the honesty that pours out of me. If I was a movie and you muted me, you would not be sure 100% what I am saying. Arching brows, smiling, talking,(with my hands) it would set a positive note, but it would not get the point across. The personality is missing.
The voice and the sound are always able to communicate feelings, ideas, thoughts without complications. Without prejudices. Without stereotypes.
And yet, it is the most neglected, underrated, unappreciated tool in today's business world.
And it is my job,and personal agenda, to change this. To prove how voices are the back bone of every advertising venture, how a voice can ruin a film, a spot, a presentation, a first impression.
How music can add the right set and mood to any situation.
How the tone and articulation can attract listeners or shoo them away.
Speak up, present yourself. How do you sound?
Would you buy from you?
Would you trust you with your money?Are you convincing?

Most sales men, sound like sales men. Rehearsed, trying to convince and push their product.
Most IVR messages sound like tired secretaries put to the job.
Most web videos fail due to poor quality of sound and image.
On the other hand, all tv spots are done by actors. ,Animation and games. Actors. People who study the art of projecting their voice, an emotion and communicate through words, the message needed.
It is clear to me that we all need to learn the art of speaking, and develop the ability to dig deep inside in order to convey the right message, at the right time, at the right person. Find our own voice and use it the best possible way. Authenticity and energy must pour out of you and strike the other person to the core.Whether it is a book, a menu, a spot, a radio announcement, a meditation tape, a self help tape, a gym program, a game, an app, a power point presentation.... we need to know how to do it, or hire the person to do it for us.
Think of a bad play, a non professional performance. What gives it away, 99% of the time? Their voices.
That's why I chose sound to be my tool. Because of all the forms of expression I had the luck to obtain, it is the one that forces you to soul-search, that makes you dig deep in yourself to create a sound and present it in an effective way, while it shows who you are, and what energy you are made off.
I rent my energy to companies who have no voice of their own, to spread their identity across.
I read a book and bring it to life.
I keep company to someone who is waiting on the line.
I help you meditate, relax, work out.
I sing your sorrows and your pain.

I am someone you know. Even if we never met.