5 Minutes with… Arthur Kannas
Arthur Kannas, currently the president and founder of heaven, wasn’t always drawn to the industry. In fact, he started his higher education studies doing private and social law at the University of Sceaux in paris. In 1995, he made a sharp turn out of law and into music, creating the musical identity for Rémy Martin. In 1996 Arthur ‘discovered the internet’ and only a year later he joined Edelman, in January of 1997.
At Edelman Public Relations group he worked on the Microsoft account, and advised many clients in the field of interactive media such as Canal+/Vivendi and their subsidiaries at the time Vivendi Games. He also advised on new tech, communication strategies and approach to the internet.
Arthur was part of the launch of the Edelman Interactive Services ‘EIS’, which was, at the time, a department dedicated entirely to the use of the internet as part of communication strategies. A communicating and decentralised vision of the internet centred on content generated by individuals constituted the innovative base of EIS, which would later become heaven. In 2001, heaven was officially a reality as an online communications and marketing agency.
As its president, Arthur actively participates in defining the agency’s strategy and its organisation, in commercial development, in communication and is in charge of creativity within the agency.
LBB> You studied Law at the University of Paris, but suddenly ended your education to pursue a career in music - what went into that decision and how did you make that move?
Arthur> Life is sometimes made out of hundreds of lucky moments. I’ve always created music, composing small easy-to-listen-to tunes, that appealed to people around me. So I decided to make the jump by quitting law, to focus on music, which was what I really loved. I then landed a job in a videogames store and… That’s it. My music never went much further than that!
LBB> But during in your music phase, you did do some work for Rémy Martin - how was that?
Arthur> Creating the Rémy Martin sound identity was my only work as a professional musician. I built a simple melody around the names of the notes RE MI LA DO RE (D E A C D in English) which in French also meant ‘the beloved Remy’. The approach struck a chord and won the account. One could say that was my first mix between music and communications.
LBB> How did you go from having a musical identity to joining Edelman in 1997? What did your role back then entail?
Arthur> My music endeavour was interrupted by a job offer at Edelman in Paris in 1997. A friend of mine could not take the job and advised me to go for it. The mission was to lay the groundwork for Microsoft’s arrival in the video game industry. What ultimately helped me get the job were my knowledge of videogames and curiosity about the PR world. I worked for Microsoft the 13 following years, through Edelman then Heaven, and launched several Xbox brands and systems by focusing on word-of-mouth marketing.
LBB> Tell me about your participation in the launch of EIS - how did it change the company and what was its goal? Why did Edelman need EIS at the time?
Arthur>In 1998, Edelman was all about integrating digital in the PR world. I was lucky to be part of a French team with a strong will to go full digital. We went to Chicago to meet all the ‘digital champions’ that Edelman gathered from around the world. Returning home, we decided to take a different approach. While Edelman was building Edelman Interactive Solutions in the US, to build websites for its clients, we would launch Edelman Interactive Services, focused on bringing PR to the digital world. We believed that conversations about brands were happening on the internet, and that brands should take notice, to build and protect their reputation. And we were right.
LBB> In 2001, EIS became heaven. Tell me more about that transition. What has changed at Heaven since then, in terms of your vision, ethos and practice?
Arthur> We decided to create heaven to have a better grip on budgets from the marketing departments, when Edelman was getting the ‘communications’ budgets. It allowed us to create innovative types of approaches that are widespread today, such as Community Management, Content creators programs, social listening, brand content, and so on. Xbox was our first client with this kind of strategy. In 4 years, we had built a network of Xbox amateur websites reaching 5 million users each month.
LBB> You have been president of heaven for 22 years. What are these two decades defined by? What did they teach you and what does heaven look like today?
Arthur> A lot has changed in 22 years, except one thing - we are still here to help brands connect to communities and conversations born on the internet. In these almost three decades, conversations are still here and thriving but we’ve witnessed different waves. The rise of amateur websites, the rise of social platforms, the rise of content creators. Next up - new worlds?
Whatever the new thing is, brands still need experts to steer them to the relevant conversations.
I would like to highlight one project that specifically makes this point. In 2011 we created ‘Unleash Your Fingers’, an ad for Samsung Galaxy S2. With this short film, we reached an urban dancing community with JayFunk, a then lonely student in his room, doing a ‘finger tutting’ dance. We teamed up with him and Samsung to demonstrate how technology and a bigger smartphone screen could create an incredible playground for your fingers. ‘Unleash Your Fingers’ is still one of the most viewed Samsung ads and JayFunk has become Dr Strange’s official choreographer for Marvel. Can you imagine? Conversations under the video were super positive for Samsung, which was the objective - making Samsung credible again in the Smartphone business.
LBB> What are the subjects you are most passionate about in the industry today? Have they changed over your career?
Arthur> Every single day, I’m amazed by the internet’s creativity and possibilities. It's a pool of immense talents and infinite content, and I can’t wait to see how we can connect them with brands. Personally, throughout these two decades in my career, I have learned something cool every day. It could be in music harmony, mathematics, science or just a trick to help me finish a game like Immortality.
