‘My Plan Is Simple – I Want to Be the Nile Rodgers of Sonic Branding’: Marco Vitali, CEO of Sonic Lens Agency

In a world where every sound tells a story and every tune stirs the soul, there's a special place where brands find their voice. This place is where Marco Vitali, the heart and soul behind Sonic Lens Agency, weaves magic through music. With warmth and passion, he crafts melodies that touch hearts and build bridges between brands and people.

Marco Vitali's journey to the forefront of audio branding is as impressive as it is varied. Starting as a child prodigy at Juilliard, he built a strong foundation in music early on. Despite a brief stint in finance, earning dual MBAs from NYU and working on Wall Street, his passion for music never faltered. Returning to his musical roots, Marco found success under the guidance of super-producer, legendary Nile Rodgers, collaborating with Grammy-winning artists like Wu-Tang Clan and Quincy Jones.

In 2019, Marco founded Sonic Lens Agency with a mission to revolutionize sonic branding. Through his innovative approach, "Music Intelligence" (MI), he integrates research, data, and strategy to create impactful sonic identities. Under his leadership, Sonic Lens takes a holistic approach, combining creativity with strategic thinking to elevate brands' sonic strategies. To date, Marco's visionary leadership continues to shape the future of audio branding, empowering brands to connect with their audiences in meaningful ways.

At CIO Bulletin, we had the great privilege of interviewing Marco Vitali, CEO of Sonic Lens Agency, who offered valuable insights into his musical journey. He recounted the moments that ignited his passion for music, the challenges he encountered along the way, and the mentors who served as his guiding lights. He also shared his aspirations of pushing the boundaries of sonic branding to new heights.

Interview Highlights

Q. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to pursue a career in music and ultimately establish Sonic Lens Agency?

Music is my lifeblood. I was performing before I was speaking full sentences, practicing the violin an hour a day at age three, accepted into Juilliard at 12, concertizing around the world by 17, and eventually being managed by music legend Nile Rodgers. I’ve worked with Grammy artists like Wu-Tang Clan, Quincy Jones, CeeLo Green, Avicii, Tiesto, Q-Tip, Pete Rock, Icona Pop, Organized Noize, and Peter Wolf (J. Geils). I understand the power of music and am acutely aware that most brands are not taking advantage of all it can do.

Ironically, Sonic Lens exists because of the skills I gained outside of music and the pairing of these with our creative work, including a decade on Wall Street and MBAs in finance and marketing. These are analytical, strategy, and consulting skills that enable us to bridge the gap between music and marketing through our proprietary “music intelligence” process. If you have a defendable and valuable competitive advantage in the market, you can build a business around that, which is what we are doing.

Q. How would you describe your leadership style, and what principles guide your decision-making and team management at Sonic Lens Agency?

I’d say my leadership philosophy is to guide, not dictate, to encourage, and to outwork everybody else – something I learned from Nile Rodgers. That commonality between us is why I think he respected and trusted me when we were partners, and I work hard to instill the same trust with my partners and vendors. I build all sorts of teams depending on project needs, but everyone always knows they can count on me to jump into their work and get my hands dirty, and guide them every step of the way.

Whether it’s collaborating with marketing scientists, pairing up producers and sound designers to achieve something novel, or putting an orchestra together for RZA’s reimagined performance of Wu Tang’s 36 Chambers, my role is team building with heavy active participation. Like Nile once told me, his secret to producing so many top bands was becoming a member of their band and working as a peer from the inside. It's collaboration as a mentor as well as a participant, and I love the way this works and love doing it.

Q. Sonic Lens Agency is known for its proprietary process, "Music Intelligence." Could you elaborate on how this approach sets your agency apart from traditional sonic branding methods and the impact it has had on your clients?

“Music intelligence” is the term we use to describe all the consulting, research, and marketing sciences that help clients figure out exactly what to do before throwing money at creative work. This is what sets us apart in our field. Wunderman called it “an analytic approach of converting “sonic landscapes” to data, which enables a more strategic approach to sonic branding.” Transform Magazine called it a “new way of conceptualizing sonic branding that is equally scientific as it is creative.” Nile Rodgers called it “a way to help brands curate their sound so they can speak to the souls of millions of people”, and Disney’s ECD said “Music intelligence enabled us to pinpoint specific connection points with our audience with laser accuracy and deliver on key objectives from our brief.”

In summary, this is difficult work that other agencies have either not figured out or don’t want to spend the time doing. To me, it’s the most critical aspect of creating sonic branding that serves the strategic needs of the brand and can literally guarantee the creative work is perfect and moves the needle on marketing objectives rather than just something that sounds great.

Q. Who are some of your favorite musicians or bands, and how have they influenced your approach to sonic branding? Additionally, what books, quotes, or mentors have significantly impacted your professional journey and leadership philosophy?

This question should be the whole article – I have more than I can list, but will start with Bob Marley, one of the artists I can't live without, who illustrates the power of sonic branding through the little drum intros in songs like “Three Little Birds” or “One Love.” These brief openings evoke strong emotions and immediately transport listeners to a specific and powerful place because they come from the song and the artist and a moment in time. Sonic branding shouldn't focus solely on creating catchy 3-second mnemonics in a vacuum; rather, it should distill something bigger and fully developed which is where the creative work should always start, resonating with specific meaning.

I was also very inspired by Tim Galles' book “Scratch: How to Build a Potent Modern Brand from the Inside Out,” I believe in the concept of “whole brands” and the importance of music as a vital part of a brand's identity.

As far as mentors, it’s Nile Rodgers' partnership and belief in me, despite that I’m a virtual nobody in the context of his star-studded circle, that reassures me what I’m doing with “music intelligence” is truly a breakthrough. He’s possibly the greatest genius in music, so his opinion means everything to me, and his life, unrivaled career, passion and drive (despite some incredibly dire odds), reminds me that with perseverance excellence eventually gains recognition, even in a field dominated by global players. Nile has been my pillar of faith for sure, as well as my inspiration. I just love him and am blessed to have fallen into his orbit.

Q. Music has been a constant thread in your diverse career. What keeps your passion for music and sonic branding alive, and how do you stay inspired?

What is more inspiring than music? I think everybody inherently feels inspired by music and listens to music to “feel” certain things. It speaks directly to your soul, and it can be extremely specific in what it makes you feel. A research firm recently conducted a focus study on music we created and said something that really resonated – that they test visual and advertising creative all the time, but they’ve never seen such unanimous feedback around specific emotions (unaided) as they did with music. They were actually shocked, but I was not. We did a lot of research to figure out the ingredients of evoking those feelings, and the music just wrapped it in beauty and carried it to people’s souls where it “struck a chord”. It has that unique power, like nothing else.

And I just adore everything about branding – its intention, its value, the science and the people behind it. Nile used to talk about his revelation about the power of music to “speak directly to the souls of millions of people” at the beginning of his hit-making journey, 40+ years and still going! If I can do this for brands, I am thrilled and fulfilled and will continue pushing to get better. Again, I guess Nile continues to be a big part of what inspires me, but bringing meaning to brands through music in new ways is truly a mission worth dedicating myself to.

Q. What legacy do you hope to leave through your work at Sonic Lens Agency, both for the company and the broader industry of sonic branding?

My plan is simple – I want to be the Nile Rodgers of sonic branding. If you want a “hit” – something that will lift your brand to new heights, then you need to call Sonic Lens. Like Nile, what we do is very specialized and difficult, but we have the rare combination of skills to guarantee results. Madonna called Nile to make “Like a Virgin” a global phenomenon. David Bowie called him when he wanted “Let’s Dance” to be his biggest album. I’ve seen what drive, discipline, talent, and honing the skills that set you apart can do. I know what’s possible, and I want the same reputation, so we can attract the important work like my mentor Nile does.

As for legacy, I want to lift sonic branding to a higher level – make brands smarter in how they do it, bringing more strategy to influence creative work, driving brands instead of just complimenting them. Music is a lifeblood and #1 passion point in the world, but sonic branding is still so far behind where it should be. I want the industry to know we’re the ones who push the envelope and are paving the way for sound to play a much bigger and smarter role in branding, marketing, and engagement. I want to redefine best practices.

The Maestro Behind Sonic Lens Agency’s Success

Marco Vitali, the founder and CEO of Sonic Lens, has previously held positions as the head of music at several top music agencies. He later collaborated with mentor Nile Rodgers to deliver platinum curation services to global clients. Inspired by his experiences, Mr. Vitali established his boutique agency, Sonic Lens, to introduce a fresh approach to sonic branding guided by “music intelligence.”

“I’d say my leadership philosophy is to guide, not dictate, to encourage, and to outwork everybody else – something I learned from Nile Rodgers.” 

“I want to lift sonic branding to a higher level – make brands smarter in how they do it, bringing more strategy to influence creative work, driving brands instead of just complimenting them.”