We do Creative Music Strategy and execute that strategy.
We firmly believe every note and beat carries significant meaning within a cultural context. We analyze and blend cultural relevance to add authentic, impactful, and meaningful music to your brand's message.
All music has meaning;
every Howl has meaning!
All music has meaning.
Every Howl has meaning.
Add meaning to brand communication with music!
At Howl, we believe that every note and every beat has meaning within the context of culture, and are here to help you unleash the full power of music in your brand communication.
We do Creative Music Strategy and execute on that strategy. We analyze and blend cultural relevance with musical meaning to bring authentic and truly impactful music for your brand's message.
Insights & Perspectives
Gain a deeper understanding and insights into the cultural relevancy and emotional impact of music for your brand through Creative Music Strategy.
Shared Language
Translate insights into concepts and a shared language for better stakeholder communication and collaboration.
Effortless Execution
Whether it’s a sync, a re-recording, a sound logo, or an original composition, effortlessly add music to campaigns through clear concepts and a shared language.
Recent Projects
Lenovo - Cheers To Me-Time
Creative Music Strategy, Original Composition
Lenovo is China's largest technology company that designs, manufactures, and markets anything from laptops to digital doorbells.
Lenovo as a brand is vastly broad and, as such, hard to define. Add to that a marketing team spread across the globe with wildly varying cultural backgrounds, and a conversation about music tends to become directionless.
Invited by international agency SuperHeroes, we did a Creative Music Strategy session where we outlined the three ways a brand strategically can use music and sound. We redefined "vastly broad" as "the best of both worlds," outlined the history of how music and technology have influenced each other and challenged the brand to become part of this ongoing dynamic. We dubbed this strategic concept "The Universal Man Machine," which resulted in clear musical guidelines and a briefing for our composer teams that all stakeholders enthusiastically signed off.
The result of the project was a powerful and effective music and sound strategy that helped Lenovo connect with its target audience. The final video exemplifies the successful outcome by showing how music and sound, following the guidelines and briefing of the "The Universal Man Machine" concept, were used in Lenovo's campaigns.
Lynk & Co - This is not a car
Creative Music Strategy, Research, Licensing, Re-recording
Lynk and Co is a mobility concept that offers hyper-modern urbanites easy access to car sharing and short-term leases.
As a lifestyle product, Lynk & Co's traditional approach of a car commercial with a ditto soundtrack didn't work. During a Creative Music Strategy session, we found the road to a solution in creating an imagined "at-home playlist" of DJs that would resonate with the target audience.
"Bird's Lament" by Moondog proved to be the perfect fit. The 60's avant-garde artist pushed the boundaries in music as much as the brand is in mobility and helped the brand stand out in the crowded car commercial space, aligning with the brand's identity as a lifestyle product.
The track's unique sound and association with a specific lifestyle resonated with the target audience, helping the brand connect with them in a more meaningful way. The music was used in over 40 digital assets, such as social media ads, online videos, and website landing pages, as a key element of the brand's marketing strategy. The campaign was a success, receiving positive feedback from the client and target audience, who appreciated the unique and fitting soundtrack.
What it comes down to is this:
We create better briefings!
For composers ànd for clients, in order to empower more daring and creative music decisions.
Previous Work
At our previous company, Sizzer, we successfully supervised the musical content of over 1000 commercials, films, and TV shows between 2008 and 2018.
Our work was recognized on the international stage, receiving over 50 advertising awards for campaigns we were involved with, including brands such as Heineken, Diesel, Martini, and Mercedes, working with renowned agencies such as W+K, Fred and Farid, and Publicis Milan.
Our Services
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Let's elevate your brand with the power of music!
Our Creative Music Strategy service helps companies and brands harness the emotional and cultural impact of music to enhance their marketing and communication efforts. Our team of music experts will collaborate with you to understand your target audience and create a shared language around music that resonates with your brand values and message. -
Bring your brand to life with sound!
Our audio branding service creates a consistent, memorable brand identity through the strategic use of music, voiceovers, and sound effects. Our experts will work with you to understand the emotional impact of sound on your brand and craft audio elements that align with and reinforce your message. From creating a unique brand jingle to sound effects for different touchpoints, we'll make sure your sound is consistent and memorable for your audience. -
Find the perfect music for your brand.
Our Music Research and Sync Licensing service offers a comprehensive approach to finding and legally using music in your marketing and communication efforts. We'll work with you to find the right music that aligns with your brand values and message, obtain the necessary licenses, and provide production and re-recording services to make the music a seamless fit for your campaigns. -
Let's craft music that's uniquely your own. Our Original Composition service creates custom-made music that aligns with your brand's message and values. Our team will work closely with you to understand your specific needs and requirements, resulting in a memorable brand experience for your audience through music.
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Bring your audio to the next level. Our Integrated Audio Post service includes sound design, audio mixing, voiceover casting and recording, and mastering. Whether it's for TV commercials, online videos, or in-store soundscapes, we can work with different audio formats and deliver the final files in the necessary technical specifications.
We Are Howl
We, Marcel Alexander Wiebenga and Nicholas van den Doel founded Howl in the summer of 2021 after running the music agency Sizzer for over a decade.
We have known each other since we were teens. We met during a rehearsal session of a local hardcore band called The Crivits. As a result, we started playing together in a post-punk-meets-dc-hardcore-band called Oil which led us to spend our entire 20ties in a van, touring the globe, playing anything from English pubs, Italian squads, American student houses, and Dutch summer festivals.
With Howl, we're combining our DIY ethos, and extensive music industry experience with unrivaled knowledge in helping brands harness the power of music. Delivering innovative, authentic, and impactful solutions that connect with target audiences and effectively communicate our clients' messages and values.
Nicholas van den Doel
Ex-vocalist Oil, founder Amsterdam Recording Company and former Managing Director at Sizzer Amsterdam and Berlin.
Marcel Alexander Wiebenga
Ex-drummer Oil, entrepreneur and former Strategy Director and partner at Sizzer Amsterdam and Berlin.
