The pioneer of music discovery announces new technology to connect global audiences with the world’s largest brands
NEW YORK – Shazam, the world’s most popular app for connecting artists and fans, announced the launch of Shazam for Brands. Shazam is known by consumers as the standard in music recognition, and will now unite brands with its global audience.
“In the year that we launch Lions Entertainment, we’re delighted to have Shazam on board as a partner”
The company is an ecosystem of hundreds of millions of global users, all of them making a personal connection to content through the app. As a result, Shazam’s credibility within the music industry is born out of the fact that its hand-raising data influences radio plays, music sales and streaming revenue for artists. Shazam users are passionate, active, engaged and in abundance – in over 190 countries at home, bars, stores and stadiums, Shazaming where brands already exist. Brands can now leverage data-driven storytelling to produce their own content.
“We are launching Shazam for Brands because we believe Shazam is uniquely positioned to become the default platform for connecting the mobile world with the real world,” said Greg Glenday, Chief Revenue Officer, Shazam. “This began with music identification, and has allowed us to be the first to occupy invaluable real estate on smartphones around the world. Today’s launch introduces new technology and content tools for brands to utilize data and engagement in a way defined by the very audiences they seek.”
Earlier this month, Coca-Cola launched its “Share a Coke® and a Song” campaign, which uses the first-ever Shazam-enabled bottles. When consumers scan lyrics on specially marked bottles and signage, they can record a digital lip-sync video and share their creations on social media with the hashtag #ShareaCoke.
Shazam for Brands will also be the official music partner of the 2016 Cannes Lions, the eight-day consortium of creative inspiration, advertising, celebration, education and networking, attracting over 15,000 delegates from around 100 countries. At Cannes, our advertising and business development teams will highlight how Shazam humanizes the brand experience.
“In the year that we launch Lions Entertainment, we’re delighted to have Shazam on board as a partner,” said Philip Thomas, CEO, Lions Festivals. “Their ‘Sound of Cannes’ activation is set to be an exciting showcase of Shazam for Brands and we’re looking forward to putting this in front of the Cannes Lions delegation which is made up of the entire creative communications ecosystem.”
Shazam for Brands creates a seamless engagement from the time consumers Shazam up to the moment they receive a result. The new offering creates new specific ad units customized for brands, and it will launch with a core toolset to help advertisers engage audiences, including:
- Shazam Data Insights: Shazam recognizes the unique engagement data it brings to the marketplace, and is heavily invested in helping partners leverage those learnings. The company has expanded its data offerings to brands, by focusing efforts on analyzing consumer engagement with content. Shazam Data Insights opens the door to unparalleled advertising opportunities, whether it’s predicting hits and giving partners an early opportunity to associate with up-and-coming artists, or measuring the effectiveness of a brand’s message through analysis of behavioral patterns.
- Shazam Branded Content: Shazam has become a music-industry standard in data and predictive behavior based on its fan-built engagement, originating from consumers seeking more information about content they already love. Shazam Live Events and Shazam Next Generation promotions will to tap into these thriving relations to create branded content, starting with our first live, sponsored events in 2016.
- Shazam Brand Connect: In addition to the global reach of in-app media, Shazam helps brands reach consumers in new and unique ways. One primary element will be Visual Shazam, which allows consumers to scan real-world items such as print ads, packaged goods, displays and more. Another technology utilized by brands will be Beacons and Audio Watermarking, which have unlocked the ability for any live event to become “Shazamable.”
Shazam for Brands will launch with invitation-only events on April 20, 2016, in New York City and London featuring special musical guests.
About Shazam
Shazam is one of the world’s most popular apps, used by hundreds of millions of people each month to magically connect to the world around them. Building on its pioneering leadership in music identification, Shazam now helps people discover, interact with, and share video, audio, or printed content on TV, radio, movie screens, magazines, newspapers, packaged goods, and retail stores — and now Shazam lets music fans follow their favorite artists to see their Shazams and share in the thrill of discovery. The app has exceeded 20 billion total Shazams since its launch, and users Shazam over 20 million times each day. For more information on how Shazam has created new technology tools for brands to utilize data follow us on Twitter @Shazamforbrands or for more information, visit shazam.com/brands.
