CMA Festival offers inside scoop to performances, giveaways via Shazam
The Country Music Association Festival, which aired on ABC this week, partnered with music-recognition service Shazam to offer second-screen ads encouraging users to take a more in-depth look at the featured stars.
Offering behind-the-scene footage, additional performances, giveaways and more, the Shazam experience gave viewers a way to step further into the experience. Since those tuning in are there simply to enjoy the entertainment, and music fans are known to go the lengths for a closer look at their favorite singers, this lends a convenient opportunity for an app such as Shazam to engage viewers.
?We know that more than 40 percent of tablet and smartphone owners use these devices while watching TV, so creating customized, integrated experiences on mobile for broadcast, especially live tent pole events like the CMAs, is a no brainer,? said Jonathan Verk, executive vice president of strategic partnerships and head of television at Shazam, Los Angeles. ?Shazam has been at the forefront of creating these experiences for our TV and ad partners because we understand engagement and entertainment better than anyone.
?A Shazamable TV experience just works.?
Exclusive experiences
During each performance, the Shazam incentive appeared at the bottom of the screen. Once activated, a variety of virtual experiences became available.
For example, users could watch a backstage video of Hunter Hayes, win a trip to see Blake Shelton, enter to win Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood bobble head dolls, learn more about Lady Antebellum?s upcoming album 747 and more.
For each song performed, users were given the option to listen to the song via online music services, such as Rdio or Spotify, download it on iTunes and read a bio on the singer or band.
Users could also read the discography information, search the singer or band?s future concert dates, watch the music video of the song and share the song on social channels.
Given the wide reach of the show and the huge number of country music artists that were involved, Shazam had a multitude of opportunities to offer, and the app continuously refreshed itself with additional incentives.
Country music fans are dedicated to knowing more about their favorite A-listers, and during the three-hour show, users could utilize their time during commercial breaks to dive into the Shazam incentives.
Updates taking effect
Following a series of updates launching this year for Shazam, the app continues to partner with players in the TV entertainment industry, such as the NFL Super Bowl championship game. Shazam?s capabilities can be applied virtually anywhere across TV.
In February, more than 700,000 Shazams occurred during the Super Bowl, and with a revamped iOS application, Shazam has placed itself as an attractive option for second-screen marketing by providing its growing user base with added value.
During the Super Bowl, Shazam recognized all of the ads for the first time ever, with Chevrolet and Jaguar leading the way with top-Shazamed ads. Following the success of these second-screen engagements, Shazam announced a new look for its iPhone app (see story).
In 2013, automotive manufacturer Toyota made a bid for its popular Corolla line to appeal to tech-savvy millennials with a campaign that put mobile at the center of digital advertising, television, out-of-home and social media efforts.
Toyota?s campaign for the 2014 Corolla leveraged mobile to hit a millennial audience that is looking to buy their first real car to accelerate their career. The campaign included a 60-second television spot that synced with Shazam. Consumers who tagged the audio spot using the Shazam app could download the songs featured in the campaign and access the same virtual test drive feature that is on Toyota?s mobile site (see story).
Given mobile users? desire to incorporate their favorite shows and televised events into a deeper mobile involvement, Shazam has the potential to stay alive if the app continues to deliver one-of-a-kind experiences.
?During the 2013 CMAs, Shazam notified 3 million of its country music fans to tune-in to the show,? Mr. Verk said. ?People ?shazamed? the show over 500,000 times, and more than 10 percent of them went on to purchase music by artists featured in the program.
?Fans were excited about the exclusive content we offered, and that excitement turned into real engagement for the network and real sales for the performing artists. Shazam is not only fun and intuitive, it also produces real results for our partners, which is why we?re excited to partner with the CMAs year after year.?
Final Take
Caitlyn Bohannon, editorial assistant for Mobile Marketer, New York
