Marketer and “out of the box” thinker James Kekanovich first burst onto the Canadian Music Scene as a promoter for Dj Iain in 1991, earning the reputation of building successful themed nightclub events in Toronto. James met Dj Iain during their mutual stint as music advisors at Sam the Record Man’s flagship store on Yonge Street. While at university, James applied and synthesised his marketing knowledge to real life opportunities in the music business by building and promoting events targeted to segments of the Toronto music scene.
James strategized with Iain to build a loyal following around the “Dj Iain” brand. This brand loyalty was then leveraged into a variety of themed events ranging from nightclubs to venues such as the CN Tower, the Shell Aerocentre Hangar and The Ontario Science Centre. Attendance at these events ranged from three hundred to three thousand.
In order to generate interest, attendance and a one-of-a-kind experience at these events, James successfully combined print, radio, and TV promotions with guerrilla marketing and on-site event experiences – that is, “experiential marketing.” These events, ground-breaking at the time, are still a topic of conversation in the Toronto music scene today.
James’s success continued with marketing opportunities for major record labels such as Sony, Island, and Universal, leading to a special record deal with Sony Music around the release “Dj Iain’s Electronic Revolution.”
In 1998, as the Internet began to transform the music business, James transferred his experience to the corporate world of tradeshow exhibits, special events, and retail design, venues where he developed brand environments for DuPont, GE, Visa, Michelin and Sony Ericsson. These environments were specifically designed to position a brand image and target specific segments of a market, while engaging the audiences in memorable experiences. In 2004, James co-created an award winning experiential marketing program for Sony Ericsson (“Sony Ericsson Rocks Cross Canada Tour”) ; in 2008, an award winning speciality store brand environment for Michelin (“Michelin on Main”) ; in 2009, an award winning tradeshow exhibit for Trojan UV technologies (“Splash”).
From a marketing perspective, James understands both the business to consumer and the business to business markets. In 2010, James was offered the opportunity to share his real world experience with a student audience via “the theatre of the classroom.” Graduating from the Teaching & Training Adults program, James understood that the classroom provided an excellent environment to create “learning events.” As a part time Professor at Durham College in the Music Business Management Program, he has taught “Promotions & Publicity”, “Entertainment Marketing” and “The History of Popular Music”.Also in 2010, James was commissioned to write two new “General Education” courses for Durham College: “The Brand Experience” and “Adventures in Ideas.”
