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Radio Shack, AEG Live engage moviegoers in theaters via Shazam app

Author

Chantal Tode
Radio Shack and AEG Live are among the first brands to take advantage of a new program that enables them to drive engagements with mobile users from the movie screen in a theater. 

National CineMedia, which provides the FirstLook pre-show on 20,000 movie screens in United States theaters, and mobile engagement application Shazam have teamed up to make certain elements of the programming recognizable by the app. The Shazamable content includes ads from AEG Live and Radio Shack. The latter features Weird Al Yankovic. 

?Moviegoers can Shazam spots in FirstLook from AEG Live promoting upcoming concert tours for Taylor Swift, Kenney Chesney and John Mellencamp this month to be taken to a mobile-optimized page where they can buy concert tickets, purchase music and learn more about the artist,? said Cliff Marks, president of sales and marketing with National CineMedia

?With Radio Shack?s new holiday campaign, moviegoers who Shazam the spot will get to check out an extended version of Weird Al Yankovic?s ?Toyland? and will also be sent a mobile coupon from RadioShack with discount offers to help them  ?Gift Smart? this season,? he said. 

Additional campaigns from national advertisers are lined up for the upcoming holiday season. 

Audio recognition
The Shazam in-theater experience, which was first announced earlier this year, is now live in theaters. 
Moviegoers can load the app on their phones to engage with the content appearing on the movie screen before the film starts. 

Moviegoers can use the Shazam app to unlock additional content, including music and special offers. 

Shazam uses audio recognition technology to enable smartphone users to engage with music, television, advertising and radio content. With the NCM partnership, it adds cinema content to the mix. 


?Your phone is already out when you are at the theater waiting for your movie to start, so why not put it to use?," said Patricia Parra, chief marketing officer of Shazam. "Now if you want to know more about what?s on the screen during the NCM FirstLook pre-show, just tap when you see Shazam to discover music, exclusive extras, special offers and more.

Millennial moviegoers
To support the launch, NCM and E!?s Maria Menounos, along with her AfterBuzz TV network, have produced a new series of spots that premiered last week and encourage audiences to download the Shazam app and tap to discover music, extended content and exclusive offers whenever they see Shazam on the big screen.

Additionally, moviegoers can Shazam the spot for a chance to win a prize. For each sweepstakes entry, Shazam and NCM will make a donation to the Young Storytellers Foundation.
The sweepstakes runs through Dec. 4. 


?We know that our millennial moviegoers love to stay connected to content with their smartphones, so introducing Shazam interactivity into our FirstLook pre-show is great for both audiences and brands,? Mr. Marks said. 

?For audiences, they now have an instantaneous way to get more information about what they are seeing on the big screen before they put their phones away to enjoy the movie experience, and for brands, it provides a very valuable way for them to directly reach out to these highly engaged audiences with unique content and offers,? he said. 

Final Take
Chantal Tode is senior editor on Mobile Marketer, New York