MusicStats.org is permanently open for partnerships and collaborations. This time we feel extremely proud to announce a new research collaborator: Prof. Dr. Cansu Hattula.
Prof. Dr. Cansu Hattula is already working a collaboration project together with Prof. Dr. Francisco Tigre Moura to investigate listeners’ perceptions and behaviors towards tangible and intangible music products. The project also includes the supervision of 6 students working jointly on the project.
Summary of Career
Currently Prof. Dr. Cansu Hattula is a marketing lecturer at IUBH School of Business and Management (Berlin, Germany). She has completed her studies of business administration at the University of Hannover and her PhD at the University of St.Gallen. Her research interests include mainly marketing strategy and consumer behavior.
Prof. Dr. Cansu Hattula has worked in Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom with different companies and institutions, such as Bayer CropScience, Deutsche Messe AG, Too Good To Go or Cass Business School.
Interview with Prof. Dr. Cansu Hattula
1. MusicStats.org: Dr. Hattula, first of all welcome to MusicStats.org! Please tell us what drew your attention to the MusicStats.org project?
Prof. Dr. Cansu Hattula: I first discovered MusicStats.org through an email of my colleague Francisco Tigre Moura who was introducing the website to us. I immediately liked the content of the website. As I identify myself with music and consumer behavior, I am happy to contribute to this project as a teacher and researcher.
2. MusicStats.org: For a reader that is not familiar with Marketing or consumer behavior, what makes this field so interesting? Why do you find it fascinating?
Prof. Dr. Cansu Hattula: I think no business can be successful without any targeted marketing efforts. For instance, you need to know your target customer, when you introduce a product or service. Although this is a no-brainer for many of us, companies tend to neglect this frequently. That is why the failure rate of innovations is being constant throughout the last decades (e.g., 75-90% depending on the industry).
By studying consumer behavior, we can understand our customers` needs, attitudes, and behaviors. This is crucial in order to create products/services that create customer value and thus, succeed in today`s highly competitive markets.
3. MusicStats.org: The music industry has gone through many changes in recent decades, due to technology. How do you see the future of how we will buy and consume music?
Prof. Dr. Cansu Hattula: I think we live in an era full of technological developments. For instance, virtual and augmented reality technologies will play a crucial role in the music industry in future.
I think some consumers will be open to adopt these technologies within the next years, whereas others will be skeptical to adopt. Lead users and social influencers on the internet will play a major role in this adaptation process, as they will act as trendsetters.
4. MusicStats.org: In recent years the industry has seen a resurgence of vinyl, showing how consumers might be heading back to tangible consumption of music. What do you think motivates this trend?
Prof. Dr. Cansu Hattula: I think we can see two major trends in consumer behavior: using state of the art technology (such as customized software that tracks our music tastes and mixes our tailored music list) and having a high degree of “nostalgic simplicity”. Moreover, there is a major discussion about owning versus sharing products.
On the one hand, we face a boom of the sharing industry (e.g., car sharing, flat sharing) on the other, some consumers still want to own things that they can touch, feel, and store (e.g., vinyl). Consumers who buy and collect vinyl are highly involved in this product category.
They would like to make this a part of their consumer identity, show their passion about vinyl to their friends and family, and at the same time enjoy the unique experience of owning and listening to this scarce music medium.
5. MusicStats.org: Do you believe that the amount of entertainment possibilities, such as the internet and smartphones, might reduce the desire of concert experiences? Or will it never be affected by it?
Prof. Dr. Cansu Hattula: I think it will have an impact to some extent as it facilitates that more people can watch and listen to concerts. For instance, this might be beneficial for people who cannot afford the concert ticket or who do not want to travel to the specific venue. However, consumers do not only go to concerts to listen to music.
They like to experience the atmosphere, share the venue with other fans, and see the artists live. I cannot imagine exchanging a real concert experience with a concert stream on the internet. Of course, this will extremely depend on the degree of involvement you have for the artist/music genre.
6. MusicStats.org: Musicians often discuss the development of new revenue streams. What do you think are potential revenue streams that are still untouched by the music industry?
Prof. Dr. Cansu Hattula: I think there is lots of potential in smaller concerts in private flats, such as sofa concerts. In particular, this is a great opportunity for independent artists to travel and meet new fans. For instance, the concept works very well in Germany and Switzerland.
Furthermore, social media channels (e.g., Instagram, You-Tube) enable artists to interact with more customers and co-create value with them.
7. MusicStats.org: Finally, since we are talking about music, can you recommend the readers some music for them to listen? And explain what makes these artists special?
Prof. Dr. Cansu Hattula: Currently, I like to listen to British artists/bands that perform great in live shows. I think their style cannot be defined by a single music genre and this makes them very special to me: Bombay bicycle club, Lucy Rose, Dutch uncles, London grammar, Steve Folk would be some examples.
