Ko Kawashima, music marketing pioneer, entrepreneur, and co-founder of BPM (brands+music), spoke to Laurence Trifon for Hypebot at last week's Bandwidth Conference. As the environment continues to shift, the branding strategy expert sees tremendous opportunity for artists and brands to help each other grow.
HYPEBOT: What does BPM (brands+music) do?
KAWASHIMA: Back in the Renaissance era, the Medici family was a patron to artists, supporting them in their musical endeavors. In the same way, we’re looking to have brands utilize their resources to support artists. What we do differently from other businesses is that we look to work with the brand to identify where they come from, where they are today, and where they want to go. We then create a program of music that fits them. We don’t have a roster of artists that we just use to try to fit a brand’s needs. We’re actually going to go out and apply something that is appropriate for who they are. And for the artists that we do identify that are appropriate for the brand, we enable them to utilize the brand’s resources in the way of finances and distribution.
HYPEBOT: What’s the most important factor you consider when pairing brands and bands?
KAWASHIMA: Our idea is not for this to be a first date. There have been plenty of other brand-band...
programs that have been built that were a one-night stand. What we’re looking to do is find a middle ground where the brand and artist can grow with each other for 6, or 12, or 18 months down the road.
For brands the question we ask ourselves is, "How do we utilize everything that you say you are, engage it in a way that’s full of integrity and that’s going to broaden your audience? How can we build programs that create a deeper relationship and are meaningful to the recipient?" We’re really interested in creating programs that aren’t contrived, that are also innovative.
HYPEBOT: Can you share an example of an innovate program that you’re working on?
KAWASHIMA: We’re working with a large retail chain. When you walk into
the store, you will get pinged on your cell phone with a text message
that asks you a trivia question about an artist, that drives you to the
company’s website to answer it. And it also puts you in a sweepstakes
for a concert ticket, or maybe an exclusive branded piece of
merchandise for the artist.
HYPEBOT: What steps can a brand take to help ensure that a music partnership will be well-received by consumers, and not simply viewed as some kind of marketing ploy?
KAWASHIMA: You have to be very thoughtful about how you introduce a campaign. Maybe you start a program virally and see what the feedback is. If it doesn’t work, maybe you choose another artist or shift some other component. As long as things are done in a way that’s artistically thoughtful and provoking and intriguing, consumers will dig it. We just have to be savvy and smart about how we position a program. If brands can demonstrate that they are really in for the long haul, that’s where the friendship and loyalty comes in. If you really want to create a base, that’s what it’s about.
HYPEBOT: Do you see brands taking over the role of record labels?
KAWASHIMA:: They could, if they want to get into that business. Labels still have the potential of maintaining themselves, but they can’t be afraid to step out of what they know.
HYPEBOT: Are there any industries or types of products where you think music branding would never work?
KAWASHIMA: Everyone keeps going to the Nike’s, the Toyota’s, the Pepsi’s and the Coke’s. But there are plenty of other brands out there that could utilize a thoughtful, intriguing, positive, community-building, music-oriented program. Every piece of our life can be associated to music. It all has some sort of soundtrack that it can be affiliated to. So chainsaws to Slurpees, the possibility and potentiality is there.
