Heartbeat, a marketing technology platform that connects brands with Millennial and Gen Z audiences has acquired Influencer Commerce company Iconery. Together, Heartbeat and Iconery will leverage their shared expertise in brand-building, influencer marketing, and e-commerce to amplify both brands’ presence moving forward.
Heartbeat’s mission is to harness the voices of real people sharing about brands they love. Through their platform and mobile app, Heartbeat provides brands with access to over 200,000 consumers to run large-scale influencer-style campaigns on Instagram. Heartbeat has executed campaigns for brands like TOMS, Drybar, Bose, MVMT, SWEAT, Le Tote, Dunkin’, DSTLD, The Bouqs, One Hope Wines, Suja, and Iconery. What’s unique about the platform is that they turn everyday people with an average of 2,000 followers and 4-10% engagement on Instagram into citizen influencers. With their proprietary technology, and thousands of consumer-provided data points, Heartbeat curates campaigns that match brands with their perfect audience. In turn, Heartbeat generates scalable, trackable content using real people who love these brands.
Since 2015, Iconery has been a cherished brand in the fashion industry, touting jewelry collaborations with top influencers like Rashida Jones, Michelle Branch, Jen Gotch, Nastia Liukin, the Streicher sisters, and Pia Arrobio. Iconery is a pioneer in influencer commerce, recognizing in 2014 that influencers would want to evolve from marketing other brands to producing their own, particularly in the luxury space. Iconery has successfully pushed the envelope, producing compelling, sold-out influencer-driven collections.
Iconery CEO and Founder Ivka Adam has nearly two decades of marketing and e-commerce leadership experience and understands how to build digitally native brands. Ivka launched Iconery with creative director Andrea Linett, whose previous roles include founding Creative Director at Lucky Magazine and Vice President-Global Creative Director at Michael Kors. Together, they have developed over 20 influencer collections including a recent collaboration with Jen Gotch, the CCO and founder of popular LA based lifestyle brand ban.do.
“When I had the idea to create a collection of necklaces to raise awareness about mental health and open up conversations on the subject, I knew I needed to partner with a company that understood the purpose behind the project and would also deliver a beautiful product. Iconery was the perfect match!” shares Gotch. “Working with them has been a dream. Together we produced the Feel Better line—necklaces with the words “Anxiety,” “Depression,” “Resilience” and others that repeatedly sold out and ultimately generated over $100k for the charity Bring Change to Mind.”
In approaching the acquisition, Heartbeat sought a well-funded, profitable company to enhance their understanding of their brand clients and deepen their expertise at the intersection of influence, brand-building, and commerce. Iconery developed an algorithm that can predict purchase behavior based on an influencer’s audience, unlocking a “holy grail” for marketers.
Ivka will now lead all marketing efforts for the Heartbeat team and continue to expand the Iconery brand. The terms of the deal are not being disclosed.
Heartbeat Co-Founder and COO Kate Edwards commented: “We have a deep conviction around supporting female founders—so many of the brands we work with are female-led—so it was only natural to add Ivka to our leadership team.”
“Heartbeat’s platform lies at the intersection of content, commerce, and community. We know that authentic content created by real people drives commerce so the acquisition of Iconery will help us deepen our expertise in this area and adds a key retail piece to the solution,” shares Brian Freeman, Co-Founder and CEO. “Ivka has been instrumental in providing insights and feedback on our technology and offerings. Her deep background in e-commerce, brand-building, and marketing has filled a void here at Heartbeat.”
About Iconery:
Iconery is the leading jewelry design, manufacturing, and logistics company serving brands and influencers around the world. Combining industry experience, trend forecasting and proprietary sales-predicting algorithms, Iconery has produced 23 collections since 2015 with influencers including Rashida Jones, Michelle Branch, Jen Gotch, Pia Arrobio for LPA and retailers including NordstromXNike, Goop, REVOLVE, and Ban.do. Iconery is backed by Crosscut Ventures, Human Ventures, Amplify, and Canyon Creek Ventures.