Exclusive: Q & A with Jakob Lusensky, CEO, Heartbeats International Agency
TMV sub-editor Chris Hainslin interviews Jakob Lusensky, CEO at renowned music and brands agency Heartbeats International. With clients including Absolut Vodka, Unilever and Carlsberg, the agency must be doing something right…
Thanks for taking the time to talk to us. Can you give a brief outline of what Heartbeats International is about?
We are on a mission to make brands and communication more human. Through our methodology of the four Es (emotions, engagement, experiences and exclusivity) we help our clients turn their customers into fans. Music is a media that connects to people’s feelings in a magical and effective way, thus it plays a central part in many of our projects.
How was Heartbeats conceived, and when?
From 2000-2006 I was working as a DJ by night and running the record label DNM (Dealers of Nordic Music) by day. Around this period the whole music industry was changing and we (DNM) noticed a greater interest from brands wanting to use music as a way of connecting with their audiences. We also noticed that there was a low level of knowledge regarding using music as a branding tool, and there was a clear need for an agency that could work as a mediator between the music and marketing industries. In 2006 we developed into a global brand communication agency, Heartbeats International, specialised in establishing strategies and music identities for clients like Absolut Vodka, Carlsberg and Unilever.
Explain the ‘four Es’ concept.
I believe that we are entering a more human century. Communication and branding has to adapt to that. New digital technologies have empowered people, at the same time making it harder for companies to reach people with traditional advertising. Today it’s really difficult to buy people’s attention. Their attention has to be deserved.
The old marketing mix of the four Ps (product, price, placement, promotion) worked well in a marketplace where companies competed on product advantages. In today’s world, where the brand itself is a company’s most important asset, values like emotions, engagement, experiences and exclusivity are becoming the keys to successfully connecting with an audience and positioning a brand (full explanation can be found on: http://www.soundslikebranding.com/?p=656). Music is the media that best incorporates the four Es. Therefore, music is an important tool in today’s marketing mix.
Do you think consumers will eventually become cynical of the bands and brands concept?
Customers have to feel that the band and brand connection is genuine and real, that the artist hasn’t been bought. That the brand cares for the band or artist and that they share the same values. It is crucial to have a true understanding of the needs of the customer and how to bring real value by connecting to the culture of music. In general, there is a need for a discussion on brand ethics. If companies want to become successful in the future, they need to stand for something more than just shifting products.
In your ‘Sounds like Branding’ survey, one of the areas researched was whether music branding has longevity – did you receive much response from brands regarding your results?
There has been a great interest from brands about this report and more companies now understand the need to take music more seriously in their brand building and communication. Still though, the research showed that less than 38% of the brands have developed a policy for how to work with music in the long-term.
Do you think brands will take a more serious approach to music branding in the future? And have you found musicians/labels are now approaching brands with a serious marketing plan?
The Sounds like Branding report showed that 7 out of 10 brands say that music will become more important in the future. Yet many brands involve themselves in music for the wrong reasons and many brands only seek short-term benefits. Our studies show that a more long-term commitment is needed if you want to become successful in music branding. Artists and bands seem to become more positive about collaborating with brands, but education is also needed here. Many artists still just look at brands as a way to cash in. The best partnerships appear when there is more involved than just money. So the short answer is, there is an increased need for professionalism from both parties.
Do you think it will be easier for brands to secure music rights, especially with the amount of “free” music available on the internet?
For sure. The steadily increasing amount of music being made makes it easier to access quality music at a better price than before. However, music rights is an area which scares away many brands from involving themselves more deeply (and investing more) in music.
Do you receive much criticism regarding your approach to music? There are some who might say that musicians working with brands are ‘selling out’. How can art and brands work together without compromising an artist’s integrity?
The reaction we get from the music industry is actually very positive overall. It’s very important to say that we don’t believe this is the right way to go for all artists and bands. I believe that today is a better time than ever for bands to take control over their careers and be independent. Working with a brand can be the right way for some artists; depending on their own values, who their fans are and what they want to achieve. In a way, partnering with a brand is not very different from signing to a major record label – sometimes you need to make compromises. Although, our experience shows that most brands don’t want to interfere with the artist’s creativity, but rather tap into that in order to create the right associations around the brand and its products.
In the future, can you see there being music branding specialists, i.e, musicians hired specifically to write music to sell a product? Or is this happening already?
Yes, this is happening already but quite often artists are not public with what they compose or produce specifically for a brand. We will see more artists working with this as a side-income to their own professional career.
Where do you hope to take the company in the future?
We have a vision to make heartbeats everywhere. This means that we are constantly on a search for new brands and people who understand and share our perspective on a more human type of market communication. Right now we are expanding our movement heartbeatsmovement.com, and are looking for individuals to represent us in more countries internationally. On a more personal side of things, I will release the first book on music branding in English later on this year, which is entitled ‘Sounds like Branding’, and we are currently discussing the release with various international publishers.
Other Readers also Read:
When Commerce Eliminated Art… (And Then the Music Industry.)
The Economics of Making Money as an Artist in the Digital World…
The Ongoing Devaluation of Music
Event Report: SXSW- 1,000 Digital Tools and Strategies
Event Report: Music and Money Symposium New York
Exile From Mainstreet – The Rough Trade Experience
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Posted by Chris Hainslin
on Jun 22 2010. Filed under featured, Live Industry.
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