Soundonic: a unique, innovative audio — experience
by Smarketers
Have you ever heard the phrase ‘Listen first and then speak’? They say that the auditory ability to receive information / knowledge is better absorbed by our brain and gives us endless patience and dedication to the object we are focusing on at that moment. In the context of ADandPRLAB of Panteion University in collaboration with Antenna Music, we were asked to develop our audio innovation idea.
The idea of acoustic reality
The thoughts were many and varied. From the creation of an app in which anyone could find a dj for any occasion, the creation of an application with music from which one could notify if he is in a dangerous situation of sexual harassment, theft or domestic violence, the most prevalent and original (according to the Greek data) was the creation of an audiobook platform. We all agreed as we emphasized on the argument that Greece on the one hand has not yet installed audiobook applications or at least are unknown and unfamiliar to its audience, on the other hand it is time to make a start to the idea of audio narration that is already a trend worldwide, giving us so the green light to see it with a more realistic look. Soundonic (Sound + Iconic) is a startup that would allow people to read a book of their choice for free by listening to it with appropriate sound effects to give the vivid impression that you live more intensely the moments you spend your time in the app. Thanks to the sharpness and vividness of the books that will be read by experienced actors (compilers, radio narrators), Soundonic will appeal to all ages (especially a variety of books for young children), to people with lack of time or to people with problems with their vision.
The restrictions of covid — 19 prohibited live meetings, which resulted in us being content with phone calls and video calls, which were numerous. Nevertheless, the daily discussions, objections and ideas that came out during our talks with a topic that was quite interesting but challenging, made us unite all the pieces of the puzzle, completing our work.
How did we work as a team? Method — Strategy — Plan
As a team we have worked together again and this has helped to separate quickly the responsibilities. Our steps were slow and methodical as we wanted to cover everything through this project. Initially, we explored the audiobook market worldwide, happily discovering that it is an industry that will rise greatly in the coming years. By doing good — reliable research, we recorded who our competitors are, what are the similarities, differences, what lags in the market. For Soundonic we recorded and analyzed every part of it from the simplest such as its content and special features to the most complex (with whom we will work, what will be our channels etc).
Of course, the competitor analysis and mapping for the radio and the podcast that we needed to do as a task helped us analyze our platform better structurally and technically. Although not related to our work, it served as a research and analysis tool for our platform.
Then we proceeded to strategies such as creating personas, some empathy map, model canvas, a swot analysis, and a questionnaire to finally see if our thoughts are grounded, if they can be realized, if the public will be interested and of course if it can yield profits. So, with our hard work, the results and the comments of our teachers and audio experts were positive.
The final realization and the end of a happy journey
The Smarketers’ motto is to go one step further in their business plans. So, we thought that this platform should not be left as an idea. We did not want to rely on publishers. To our surprise and joy, we heard as a hint that if we emphasize and pay attention from a legal nature, the rights of books and publications, such a business will only have a positive, ‘resounding’ impact. Who knows, the Smarketers’ journey may stop here or it may not ..
Well, this is Soundonic. An alloy of sound stimuli and a node of multiple cognitive experiences. Is it finally time for people to be able to read a book “With their eyes tightly closed” in Greece as well?
At this point we would like to thank our lab professor Betty Tsakarestou and ms Domnika Skreta for their helpful guidance and for giving us the chance to innovate!
Our Smarketers’ team members: Katherine Papagianni, Constantina Xatzi, Effie Karpathaki,
