We’d like to introduce you to our new baby: iV2.

iV2 was created by iV CEO Steve Keller and his creative partner, Uli Reese, to offer the same commitment to excellence in audio branding and client service in Europe as iV offers to our agency partners Stateside. Keller will handle dual duties for both companies from the Nashville base, while Reese will manage the day-to-day operation in Europe from our new office in Frankfurt, Germany.

To be honest, we’ve been overwhelmed by the response and accolades iV2 has garnered in a relatively short amount of time. Over the last seven months we’ve provided original music, re-records, music supervision, sound design and licensing services to major brands that include Vodafone, Nestea, Opel, Dany Sahne, T-Home, Clausthaler, Jacobs, Arla and Castello. Our European agency partners currently range from JWT and McCann to Ogilvy and Young & Rubicam.

While technology offers us the ability to work with talent from all over the world, Nashville remains the creative epicenter for both companies, offering exceptional creative talent at a price point that works in a globally “budget challenged” environment. A recent study by economist Richard Florida found that from 1970 to 2004, Nashville “sucked up all the growth in the music industry.” Not only that, but he concludes that “….across many genres, [Nashville] possesses the world’s best writing and studio talent and the best recording infrastructure.” From orchestral to pop, rock to hip-hop, electronica to americana, there is a reason Nashville is called "Music City."

Couple that talent with our commitment to providing creative support to our agency partners with Audio Brand Briefs, music supervision, licensing negotiation and acquisition, integrated branded content strategies and total audio post solutions.

If you’re interested in knowing more about iV and iV2 and how we can help you develop more effective audio branding for you or your clients, don’t hesitate to drop us line.

Honestly. We don't try to be that controversial.

When CP+B asked us to work on music for their new BK Texican promotion, we thought it was clever: A tall, Texas cowboy and a short, Mexican luchador move in together and find a burger they both can love. It was a spot full of cliche references, all the way down to the music track we created for the spot, which took its cues from those 80's ballads with DX7 keyboards and soaring, shredding guitars.

The fact that we've worked on a number of spots for the Hispanic market has helped us develop a keen sensitivity to cultural relevancy and stereotypes. We also learned that every culture has a sense of humor and can poke a little fun at itself. So when running the line, "...with a spicy little mexican," by a few of our Hispanic consultants received a laugh, we figured everyone got the joke.

Imagine our surprise when the spot ran in Spain and the United Kingdom with the result that the Mexican Ambassador to Spain was offended. In fact, he was so offended that he wrote a letter to Burger King demanding that the spots be removed. In all fairness, what really upset him was not the line about the spicy little mexican.

Long story short, CP+B re-edited the spots and we re-edited the music. Now everyone is happy. And like the Trojan Pigs commercial that generated so much buzz, the controversy around the BK Texican spot only helped to draw more attention to Burger King and the Texican promotion.

If you want to see the spot (and read some interesting comments to boot) you'll find it here on YouTube.

So next time you have a spot that you think might unexpectedly push a few buttons and get you in the news, call us to help create the audio branding.

We seem to have a knack for it.