UK-based marketing and strategy consultancy Sociatech is to launch the Sociatech Scholarship, an annual award that provides one independent developer or hardware company with a full year of Sociatech’s services free of charge.
Since 2008, Sociatech has been advising companies such as Focusrite, Universal Audio, iZotope, PreSonus, Avid, Arturia and Slate Digital, offering practical experience of the audio industry and strategic marketing skills. Clients have subsequently broken sales records, entered new markets and established the kind of audience relationships that continues long after a single launch.
Over its 18 years, the company has repeatedly encountered the same problem – small teams create high-quality products but run out of funds before they can properly launch them. By the time of the launch, the money that ought to have been used for promotion and positioning has already been spent on development. All that remains is a solid product competing with companies that have larger teams and deeper resources, some of which are backed by private equity.
The scholarship covers brand positioning, content strategy, artist relations, storytelling and the launch campaign if the product is not yet on the market; services which would normally cost thousands of pounds. The recipient will not have to pay any fee.
One condition must be met: the successful company must allocate a minimum of £500 per month for 12 months to its own media expenditure, that is, to the advertising and promotion budget the strategy calls for. These funds are to be used for the recipient’s own marketing activities and not for Sociatech’s.
‘So many small developers create something truly good, but then have nothing left with which to sell it,’ says Sociatech founder, Russ Hughes. ‘It isn’t because the product is weak that they are losing; rather, they are being outpaced by companies that have big marketing teams and plenty of money. This is one way in which that situation can be changed, for one company, once a year.’
Applications can be submitted by independent audio software and hardware developers who already have a product or are about to launch one. Applicants must submit a written application in which they tell their story so far, outline their current stage of development, describe the competitive situation, confirm that they have a monthly media budget of at least £500, and indicate what success would mean to them after 12 months. Applicants cannot have worked with Sociatech before.
The scholarship year is made up of four stages – a sprint, focused on discovery and positioning; the development of the strategy and campaign framework; a prolonged period of execution involving content and the campaign launch; and, finally, a review of the results. At the end of the first year, Sociatech and the recipient will consider a paid engagement based on what has been achieved.
Applications can be made now and must be submitted by September 30th to be considered. The successful candidate will be informed later in the year, with the marketing project starting in January 2027.