'Name that Tune' app Shazam powers its way into TV advertising
Once Shazam was the free iPhone app (see video below) whose original mission was simply to "name that tune.” But now with 175 million downloads, it's heading for the big money: making TV ads work much better.
Shazam identifies a commercial by sound - and directs users to more content, information, coupons or giveaways. It kicked off off last year in the Superbowl with just one ad, reports Adweek.
That was an experimental giveaway for Dockers. Roughly 20,000 users "Shazam-ed" that ad, said Evan Krauss, vice president of advertising at the company. This year many, many more Superbowl spots will be "Shazam-able.”
Client names aren’t available until the Super Bowl advertising embargo lifts on Feb. 2, but Shazam has been "particularly active" with auto and entertainment advertisers, he said.
In the last year, the company has run campaigns for Old Navy, Bud Light and Unilever among others - achieving more than two million interactions with consumers.
Often Shazam capabilities are indicated by a logo on the screen, but sometimes the ad’s creative works in a mention from the spot’s stars, said Adweek.
Axe Body Spray recently used Shazam to direct users to “uncensored” versions of its “Premature Perspiration” spots.
Humour and giveaways are the biggest drivers of engagement, he said. Advertisers have also shared content like recipes or free song downloads with Shazam-ers.
“Last year, no one would bet their Super Bowl spot on a test. Fifty campaigns and millions ofinteractions later, up to a third of the spots will be Shazam-able,” said Krauss.
Currently, campaigns deliver a 350 percent increase in engagement over ads with a call to action such as “Fan us on Facebook” of “Follow us on Twitter.”
No major advertiser in the UK has yet used Shazam in this way, (although the pop group Faithless has) . The technology is there, said Shazam's London PR company, Skywritepr. Pepsi have tried it out in Australia. So who's going to "Shazam" it in the UK?