Interview with Product Placement King Adam Kluger

Adam Kluger is the founder and CEO of The Kluger Agency, a full service non-traditional advertising agency that focuses on product placement within the music industry. Basically, Kluger’s agency works to get a company’s product name dropped into the lyric of a popular song and the accompanying music video. The Kluger Agency has worked with companies like Cadillac and Penthouse, along with musical artists like Lady Gaga, Flo Rida, Akon and T-Pain. Kluger took the time recently to do an interview with me about his innovative approach to advertising.

JC: You have a very unique and innovative business model with The Kluger Agency. What was the motivation behind forming it and how do you pitch yourself to prospective clients?

AK: Tons of different brands were receiving an extreme amount of recognition due to lyric integration in popular songs. At the same time, the music business was dealing with piracy issues, which created the perfect marketplace for The Kluger Agency. We deliver a significant amount of value to brands at a much lower cost than a television commercial or SEO. Doing a campaign in song lyrics or a video automatically transcends to social media, internet, television and radio. The reach is unmatchable.

JC: Can you talk about the process of working product placement into a song or music video, on both the artist on the company end?

AK: Most companies like the concept, it’s just all about finding the right fit creatively. We get a ton of offers on a variety of different artists; I try to only put the strongest opportunities in front of both our brands and the artists we work with. The process is extremely non-traditional, which is exactly why we’ve been successful in the field. Our agents know both the music business and the advertising industry inside out.

JC: Is there a good amount of initial hesitation from many artists to brand-drop within their songs?

AK: Yes. However, Most artists are becoming more open to the concept. As sales continue to decline and standard budgets and label advances are becoming smaller, this industry continues to grow. Still, the fit must always be perfect.

JC: Where do you see your Agency headed in the coming years? Are there any upcoming projects you are particularly excited about?

AK: We’re working on a few projects I’m very excited about with some of the most popular artists in the world. Can’t talk about them until the release though! In addition to the agency, I have a management company called Kluger Artist Management and our flagship client is a pop singer named JRandall. I’m confident he’s going to blow up beyond any of our expectations. Definitely a superstar on the rise.

Thanks to Adam for answering my questions. His handiwork can be spotted in Lady Gaga’s video for “Telephone” below: