Sometimes you get the chance to do it all again. The previous voice-over for T-Mobile, a Dutch telecom concern, was casted by us. In this industry, pitches are used to win an account. When an adverting agency wins the pitch, in this case the T-Mobile account, a new direction is chosen. With this new direction, comes a new voice-over. This doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s something wrong with the old voice-over, it’s just a case of new beginnings.
Most voice-over briefings (a directory of wishes for the required tone of voice) are a whirlwind of opposites and nuances. Fresh but not too selling. Unique sound but friendly enough.
Raspy but still accessible.
Voice Casting for T-Mobile
For T-Mobile, this was the case as well. Voice casting is very personal and subjective. What I feel is warm, you can experience as sultry. What I find corporate, the client can take a listen to it and find it cold. Therefore, the voice casting selection was a wide range of talents. Some with the unique sound, some more generic, some more skilled with the selling copy.
What also needs to be taken in account: exclusivity. In this case, branch-only, meaning telecom. So, the ideal voice-over has not worked for any other competitor in this industry, as it would be very confusing to be in a commercial for company-A first, and in the same commercial break for company-B. That won’t fly.
For the T-Mobile account, we had a shortlist of 3 female voice-overs.
In this case, also the former voice-over had a chance to compete.
In the end, actress Ortál Vriend was chosen to be the new voice-over for this account and has been very successful ever since. Even now and then, we record with her abroad, recently she had a film shoot in the Dutch Caribbean Island of Curaçao. With a direct Zoom-link and a local studio, we can record her even if she’s at a tropical paradise. A small world after all.