FEATURE - Building the brand
Published: MEA
When it comes to global brands, there are few more recognisable names than the Hard Rock Café. Made famous by its music, memorabilia and meals, the international restaurant chain is a case study in how to build a successful global brand. Now Turkish audio manufacturer, Apia, is using Istanbul’s Hard Rock Café as a key reference as it attempts to grow its own reputation.
Located just off Istanbul’s ever-popular Istiklal Cadessi shopping thoroughfare, the multi-storey Hard Rock Café is a constant draw for tourists and locals alike. The 360-seat venue opened in December 2013 with a full PA and all the equipment required for live performances. However, in March 2015 it began a multi-phase refresh of the system.
‘Just before Hard Rock Rising – a global competition for bands by Hard Rock International – we changed the full PA system and brought on board Apia,’ recalls Hard Rock Café’s Cristina Lopes. ‘They are an amazing, brand new company in Turkey. The equipment they provided us with is really interesting and even visually attractive.’
Apia itself may be a new name to many, but its origins run deep in the Turkish audio rental market. ‘We grew out of a rental company, Pia Sound,’ explains Apia general manager, Yaşar Aksu. ‘As a rental company we have used many products from many famous brands but there was something missing from every product. We thought we could make things better, we could make our own products that had all of the best things inside. Now we believe that we have created a strong catalogue of loudspeaker systems. We have 25 products from large-format to very small installation speakers. When you look at Apia, you can find whatever you want. We have a full range of products.’
While building good quality products is an important start, getting them installed into well-known locations with very specific standards is a completely different kind of challenge. Engin Akkaya, member of the executive board at Apia, takes up the story: ‘We had known of Hard Rock for a long time and we thought “why not try to work with them?” We got in touch with Christina and offered to demonstrate our solution. Hard Rock liked it very much and could see the difference from what they already had.’
‘Since we first opened the restaurant, the structure of our stage and the ground floor where we host our events had always given us some challenges regarding the acoustics,’ observes Ms Lopes. ‘Apia provided a very good solution for this.’
Following a successful demonstration, the first phase of the system refresh has seen Apia’s Mio cabinets installed as the main PA for the ground floor stage. Left-right hangs of three Mio per side are tucked under a balcony which encloses the recessed stage. These are supplemented by a pair of Mio Subs for low end reinforcement. On stage, six Axi-M wedges serve as monitors while the whole system is powered by one of the manufacturer’s QDS-13 amplifiers.
‘We chose Mio because of the environment,’ explains Mr Aksu. ‘The stage is not so big but everybody wants high SPLs for loud music at the Hard Rock. The size of Mio is quite compact, but the SPL is very high, we get 136dB from the 2.5-inch compression driver inside. It looks small, but it’s very powerful.
‘We didn’t need to do any custom modification to Mio or any custom presets to meet the Hard Rock’s needs because our product is designed for everybody,’ continues Mr Aksu. ‘The clarity and quality is very high and it fits into any venue. We have many models, but the Mio system was perfect for this Hard Rock.’
‘The real difference comes when the system is used for live bands,’ adds Mr Akkaya. ‘It’s very powerful but the clarity is perfect.’
Away from its technical qualities, another factor in the selection of the Mio system was the fact that it was made by a local company. ‘At Hard Rock international when we open a new venue we always try to support local producers and local brands. It’s the way that we say thank you to the community for accepting this international brand in their market,’ explains Ms Lopes. ‘Local support is also very important. We haven’t needed any maintenance work so far, but it is very reassuring to have the factory and people who work with the equipment located very close to us. This is something that was very valuable for us.’
The installation itself was relatively straightforward and it took only one day to get the solution in and commissioned. ‘At 19kg a cabinet, it’s a very light system and because of this we didn’t need any extra accessories to hang them,’ recalls Mr Aksu. ‘It was a very easy install.’
Following the installation, Ms Lopes reports a very positive reaction to the new system. ‘It’s not only us, our guests as well as experts like sound engineers have noticed the quality of the sound has improved,’ she reveals. ‘The sound engineers who work with the bands and the sound engineers who work with Hard Rock have said it’s a really good quality sound and they have enjoyed playing with the Apia system.’
While the sound was key, other elements of the solution have proved to be just as important. ‘Visually it’s really nice,’ furthers Ms Lopes. ‘The speakers fit very well with our stage. Also Apia has been really kind and added our logo to the cabinets which makes them unique to us.’
While it is only a small system that has been installed, it is elements like this customisation which have turned this project into a potentially very successful one for the manufacturer. ‘It’s not only about the equipment itself, it’s also about the company and the people who work for it. We have a partnership, they are part of the Hard Rock family now,’ states Ms Lopes. ‘We would certainly look at Apia again for other phases of the project. Also, as an international brand we have already shared the contact details for Apia with other partners and there is a great chance that Apia will win more business with new Hard Rock Cafés in certain markets.’
This is exactly the kind of result Apia was looking for when it initially approached the chain. ‘Our strategy is to have good reference projects for the different kinds of systems we have,’ says Mr Akkaya. ‘It is a very big opportunity for us. Hard Rock Café is a worldwide company and a very big brand, we know the power of their brand which is why we wanted to cooperate with them. We want people to hear our sound and this is a very good opportunity for a lot of people to do that. Lots of people come to the Hard Rock and now they can listen to the Apia sound.’
Becoming a globally-known brand is not an easy task for companies in any industry, let alone pro audio. It may still be early days for Apia, but its involvement with venues such as Istanbul’s Hard Rock Café will go a long way towards building its reputation as a manufacturer.