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Voiceovers In Our World Are Now Everywhere

Voiceovers are Everywhere
by Dianne D. – SunSpots Productions, Inc.

We take our audio wherever we go…from our morning alarm, to the shower, to our car, on the way to class, the gym, on our dog walks, poolside and beyond.  And today, there are more and more places to hear targeted voiceover ads and political messages than ever before!  While traditional radio, TV and social media advertising buys remain marketing go-to’s, there are loads of other outlets for getting audible messages to the voting public.

Samsung Smart Refrigerator

Listen to this!  In a case study from The Trade Desk and Spotify, ads with audio boosted content recall by more than 150 percent and when combined with video and display components, recall was amplified by over 200 percent!  This article highlights some of other findings and trends.

With all that attention for eyes and ears everywhere we go, directed consumer marketing is becoming more programmatic by the minute.  That is, software designed to automate strategic ad buys on websites and apps using algorithms to specifically target our likes, dislikes, habits, and interests. But that’s a blog for another day.

The next time you’re out and about, take a listen to all the audible messages you encounter with voiceovers.  You may be surprised how certain ads follow you … and stay with you. 

Need the right voice for your audio application? We’ve got lots of them. All solid voiceover professionals and available online or call us at 407-656-3400 to discuss your needs. 

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The Political Voice of Generation Z

What Does Generation Z SoundLike?

For the impending 2020 Election; political parties, their candidates, advertisers, and the public are all wondering which age group will hold the key to swaying election results.

Bye Bye Bye…Boomers

While it’s true that Baby Boomers in their late 50’s and older generations have historically turned out at the polls most often, this upcoming election year may hold some surprising changes as the nation’s population age shifts.   *According to the Pew Research Center, Boomers are living longer and make up about 28% of eligible voters, almost equal to Gen X voters born between 1965-1980.  The next group, Millennials or the “ME generation”, born 1981-1996 have all but caught up with them at 27% of the population. The interesting discovery is that as the numbers of seniors born pre-1946 dwindle, they are nearly matched by post-1996 adults known as Generation Z, making up close to 10% of the eligible voting public.  A demographic that could tip the scale as to who will most impact upcoming elections nationwide.

The Power of Z

Generation Z is known as the “digital” generation.  These twenty-somethings have never known a time without the internet, social media networks or smart phones.  They are realistic, ethical truth-seekers who classify themselves as unique individuals with undefined identities.  The true Gen Z practices tolerance and researches to discern fact from fiction.  They are inclined to join common causes if it’s one they strongly believe in.  They want to stand out as independents with an individuality all their own.

Based on this lifetime of social media awareness and political scrutiny, the true Gen Z constituent values personal and corporate transparency. They have the communication savvy to connect with their communities with speed and confidence.

Gen Z infograph

What’s next?

So in vocal terms, what does this Generation Z sound like? You could say it’s the raspy, altruistic, fact checker with a technological expertise for video games and pursuer of just causes.  But the truer answer is…their voice is allof ours.  Constituents of this era have a unique perspective and an individual voice that resonates collectively throughout an election year diverse of all ages and ethnicities.  For Generation Z, it is the voice of inclusiveness that will be the driving force in 2020. 

Finding the right Voice Talent

How to navigate the voice search? It’s easy actually. Politicalvoicetalent.com is a service of SunSpots Productions, Inc. a global supplier of professional voice talent and creative audio production. Visit any of our web locations to listen and select qualified, pro-level, voiceover actors or call us to discuss your audio project at 800-355-SPOTS (7768) and receive personalized auditions. 

*pewsocialtrends.org – An Early Look at the 2020 Electorate, January 30, 2019 written by Anthony Cilluffo and Richard Fry

Author: Dianne D. – SunSpots Florida

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The Mueller Report is Released: What do you think?

Image of President Donald Trump. Photo Credit: Saul Loce/Getty Images
President Donald Trump

Searching for the recently released, but redacted, Mueller Report? Here’s the link to it. The report is searchable and at 400 pages ensures a well-earned rest after reading. Who knows, it may become the latest insomnia “medication”. In addition to the link above, you can click the image below and it’ll take you to the PDF.

What does it all mean? The fallout from the public presentation is falling along partisan lines with Democrats wanting to subpoena Mueller while Republicans are claiming President Trump has been vindicated. We believe this may become another hot summer politically as discussions of impeachment have begun from the Democrats.

Democrat House Intelligence Chair, Rep. Adam Schiff, said President Trump’s actions documented in the report, “are unquestionably dishonest, unethical, immoral and unpatriotic and should be condemned by every American.” On the other side of the aisle, Republican Rep. Mark Meadows said in response to the report’s release, “Prosecutors have one job, and that’s to prosecute and indict. And if Bob Mueller in two and a half years of investigation – which includes both the FBI and special prosecutor’s time – doesn’t bring charges, I don’t know how much longer we need to be talking about collusion and obstruction.”

President Trump didn’t answer reporters questions as he and First Lady, Melania were walking to their helicopter to vacation at Trump’s resort in Florida.

Our take? Read the report for yourself and judge. No doubt this discussion will last a very long time. It’s best to come to the conversations online and at the water cooler with the facts that you’ve discovered. Let the political pundits take their spins around the truth but at minimum arm yourself with knowledge direct from the Mueller Report source. Knowledge is power and the Truth shall set you free.

Image of the cover of the Mueller Report.
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Lori Lightfoot, Political Outsider, Chicago’s New Boundary Busting Mayor

Lori Lightfoot
Mayoral candidate Lori Lightfoot photographed in the Chicago Tribune studio Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

Lori Lightfoot, Chicago’s Democratic Mayor-Elect, has shattered glass ceilings of all kinds in 2019’s election. She’s the first black woman and openly gay person to become Mayor in America’s third largest city.

An endorsement from the Chicago Sun-Times before the election helped push her to victory, “She has the vision, values, qualifications, and policies to be an effective leader for the whole city, from the hedge fund managers to the fast-food workers,” the newspaper’s editorial board wrote.

“She is calm, focused, principled and independent.”

Chicago Sun-Times

In a New York Times article about Lightfoot, Dan Rose, a senior adviser to the Lightfoot campaign, said she’d benefitted from recent corruption scandals in Chicago. Rose said, “It was the perfect situation for some kind of outsider who would capture that mantle and consolidate the reform-minded vote. People got fed up.”

Mayor-Elect Lightfoot speaks on her priorities for Chicago

Career Highlights

Lightfoot, who campaigned as a political outsider in Chicago, has had plenty of experience working within the city.

  • 2015-2018: President of the Chicago Police Board
  • 2016: Co-Chair of the Police Accountability Task Force
  • 2005-2018: Senior Equity Partner in the Litigation and Conflict Resolution Group at Mayer Brown LLP
  • 2005: First Deputy of the Chicago Department of Procurement Services
  • 2004-2005: Chief of Staff and General Counsel of the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications
  • 2002-2004: Chief Administrator of the Office of Professional Standards, Chicago Police Department
  • 1996-2002: Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois

Education

  • B.A., University of Michigan
  • University of Chicago Law School

Considering the history of violence, scandal and corruption in Chicago, Ms. Lightfoot has her work cut out for her. But if the city survived the Great Fire and Al Capone, it just might thrive under Mayor-Elect Lightfoot’s leadership. We wish her the best and congratulations to her, her wife Amy and daughter Vivian! (Shown below.)

Lori Lightfoot, Amy Eshleman and their daughter, Vivian
Source: Facebook