Playing that brand tune
By Hugh Jordan. Joined-up music. While some brands are busy trying to position themselves in the music space – think Bacardi signing Groove Armada, Topman and Diesel promoting new bands – Music Concierge is offering to position music within the space of the brand.
Rob Wood, the company’s founder, reckons many brands underutilise music. “Often the music that retailers play is supplied by technology companies as part of a bigger package,” he says. “These companies offer music as a bolt-on. There’s a real need for a more brand-focused approach, bespoke soundtracks tailored to suit specific environments.”
Wood, DJ, journalist and self-styled music guru, formed Music Concierge in 2007, with much of the company’s work finding its way to hotels and high-end retailers. However, Wood isn’t interested in muzak, but in matching music to brand.
When fashion retailer Mulberry approached Music Concierge to design an in-store playlist, for example, Wood wasn’t content with poring over brand values and customer profiles, so he took to the road, visiting fashion shows and meeting designers to try and understand what makes Mulberry Mulberry.
“There has to be a coherent, joined up approach,” says Wood. “In this case the music had to appeal to a wide demographic. You might get a 25 year-old girl shopping for a handbag in Mulberry, but her mum is just as likely to go handbag shopping there too.”
What should a brand expect from a playlist?
“The right music can definitely have an impact on the till,” says Wood. “Research shows that music can even impact on our physiology.”
A recent study found that restaurants playing up-tempo music had a faster turnover of tables, as diners ate more quickly. Conversely, restaurants playing slower music had diners opting to stay and have another course.
These are the kinds of things Wood believes the High Street should take on board. “Music in retail is generally aimed at women,” he says. “Stores tend to play fast tempo pop, but for a department store that often isn’t appropriate. Why play music that drives people out the door faster?”
“In a design-savvy age, a culturally aware age, music is going to become more important for brands,” says Wood. “Sight is the primary sense, but sound is the secondary… As a retailer, do you want your store to sound like all the others on the high street or do you want to differentiate yourself?”
And clearly Music Concierge doesn’t sound like the all the others either. The company has just been acquired by UK digital media and music agency Kaleidovision and will be positioning its new asset as an “in-house boutique music profiling brand for clients who need the very highest levels of site-specific music consultancy”.
