www.sonicboom.com

Design Studio | Toronto, Canada

Could you tell us a little about Sonic Boom?
Sonic Boom was conceived in 1996 as a group of friends who enjoyed using the Internet, and embraced the opportunities and possibilities that interactive media harnessed even in those early days of consumer adoption. The agency grew steadily from a production firm that primarily celebrated the medium, to one that is counted on for strategic direction and measurable results for all of our clients. I would confidently say that Sonic Boom is truly one of a few interactive agencies in Canada that stress the importance of gaining consumer intelligence for our clients. We are an agency that prides itself on strategic thinking, creative excellence, and technical know-how in order to deliver compelling visual communications, and consumer response measurement that marketers can use to gauge success.

How is your work team group and what is the function of each one?
Today Sonic Boom employs individuals from various disciplines which we deem are necessary for the success of any interactive project. The studio is broken down into five departments: Strategy, Creative, Engineering & Production, Deployment and finally Quality Assurance (not including the other areas that are necessary in running a business – Sales, Administration). The great thing about our working culture is that it is linear. While each person has his or her own given responsibilities, we truly believe that a good idea can come from anybody. We make sure that everyone in the studio is aware of all working projects and encourage participation as much as possible. The true benefactor of this unconstrained operational structure is the client.

Which are the principal customers of the Sonic Boom?
Our client list is very diverse. We have worked with global brands such as Citibank, Pepsi, Wrigley’s, Bayer and local companies such as Gourmet Settings and College Pro North America. We find satisfaction in facilitating varying degrees of clients because the change in depth and scope of of the work forces us to improve our ability to be accommodating and adaptable to their needs, and promotes innovative ways to address their challenges. Sonic Boom has also collaborated and supported many advertising/marketing agencies in the execution of their customer online media requirements in Canada.

How is the job market nowadays?
I am very encouraged to see that there is a rebound in our industry, financially speaking. After the so-called Internet bubble burst, clients were wisely constricting their budgets invested on online media, and demanding to see results. What this meant to our agency is that clients were getting more educated and smarter with the medium. It no longer was good enough to have a “web site”. It was important to build a “communications application” that was able to fulfill high-level business objectives of a client. Today’s online campaign needs to be holistic with offline initiatives, and it also needs to provide some sort of ROI which in most cases becomes consumer intelligence. In the case of Sonic Boom for instance, we were able to quickly deploy online promotions or contests for our customers which gave them a segmented “prospects” list in the end. This was the “icing on the cake” that marketing departments wanted in order to buy more budget from management at their companies.

Do you have any new projects coming up soon that you can tell us about?
Sonic Boom is ambitiously redesigning the Citibank Canada web site, employing all of the knowledge and intelligence that we captured during the excellent three-year relationship we have had with them. The client has also undergone a massive re-branding across the globe, which we are proudly bringing to Canada online. We expect that the new site will launch in the summer of 2003.

What are your plans for the future?
Sonic Boom is constantly adapting to the marketplace and its demands on the industry. As our clients get wiser, so do we. Therefore, Sonic Boom is proactively making certain that we can provide services that our clients will need for an end-end solution, or partial components as needed, now and in the future. Being a full-service agency, it also allows us to grow or shrink departments as needed in order to ensure the long-term viability of the company.

Do you think that flash is cool or overused?
Flash is a wonderful technology when used appropriately. With proper research in regards to the audience that an online campaign is trying to target, Flash can really deliver a tailored message to an individual beyond conventional online means. I have found Flash very effective with entertainment, automotive and consumer goods web sites thus far. Also, as bandwidth limitations are being lifted, I expect to see more and more convergence between static and motion graphics (including video), to engage users.

Do you prefer hi-tech websites or with simple but cool design?
I guess I would say that I like both. It really depends on the the strategic objectives of the company and the message that they are trying to give to their audience. When it’s done properly you can tell. There is something about a well-crafted web site that triggers a response in your head which says, “I really like this, I want to: get to know more about them, give them my information, buy something from them, etc”. When an agency can achieve this consumer mind space, then they have done a really good thing for their client.

What do you know about brazilian web designers or graphic designers?
I am a fan of Agencia Click in Sao Paulo. They do some really impressive work, and are a great representative of Brazil’s interactive community. I had the opportunity to judge at the London International Advertising Awards in 2001 with PJ Pereira the agency’s Creative Director, and Jury President at the time – which was enjoyable!

Any final comments?
I truly believe that our industry is heading into another “golden age”, however now more mature and proven as a feasible communications vehicle. The value of interactive media continues to grow as agencies are able to deliver more conclusive results to client. Consumer adoption of online technologies also continues to rise across the world, which is very encouraging for us. Combining these two forces together, and coupling it with recent statements of key marketers and advertisers at this year’s American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA) management conference, including: “much greater emphasis on Internet marketing” and “we haven’t begun to tap into this earth-shattering medium” – I think we are here to stay.