The Intangible Brand
The Intangible Brand
Podcast Description
Welcome to The Intangible Brand, where we explore the connection between employee experience and client experience, and the hidden forces that make brands stick. Each episode offers practical insights and inspiration for building a brand people are proud to work for — and eager to work with.The Intangible Brand is brought to you by Cline and TOKY.Say [email protected]
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on topics such as brand identity, employee experience, and client engagement, with episodes dissecting themes like the importance of internal culture in brand perception and strategies for successful rebranding without losing core values, as seen in discussions with leaders from the AEC industry.

Welcome to The Intangible Brand, where we explore the connection between employee experience and client experience, and the hidden forces that make brands stick. Each episode offers practical insights and inspiration for building a brand people are proud to work for — and eager to work with.
In this episode of The Intangible Brand, Jerry and Carl sit down with Benjamin Sachwald, Senior Vice President of Acoustics, Noise, and Vibration at AKRF, to explore a dimension of employee experience that is often overlooked but deeply felt: sound.
Benjamin helps unpack why acoustics is becoming a more visible and strategic part of workplace design, especially as organizations rethink offices, hybrid work, and what it means to create spaces people actually want to use. We talk about how “office vibe” is shaped not just by what we see, but by what we hear, and why sound plays a major role in focus, collaboration, and overall well-being.
The conversation also looks at why acoustics can feel like a black box for many teams, how late-stage fixes often fail, and what it takes to make sound an intentional part of the design process. Benjamin shares how tools like Pindrop help teams hear design intent earlier, and why creating the right mix of spaces for calls, focus, and collaboration is really about cultural clarity.
This episode offers a practical lens for leaders, designers, and firm owners who want to think more holistically about how the built environment supports both employee experience and client perception.
We cover:
- Why acoustics is gaining importance in people-centric workplace design
- How sound shapes “office vibe” and cultural perception
- The challenges of open offices, hybrid work, and acoustic privacy
- Designing spaces that support focus, calls, and collaboration
- Making acoustics an intentional part of the design process
- How tools like Pindrop help teams understand sound earlier
Resources mentioned:
- 20,000 Hertz podcast, with a recommendation to start with the THX Deep Note episode
- AKRF and Benjamin Sachwald on LinkedIn
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