Australians are are apparently clicking the Shazam button 12 million times every month. A lot of those are from people hearing new tunes on the radio and working out what they are, said the firm. So now it's launching 'Shazamable' radio ads, loyalty apps and a lot of other new stuff for brands that drive offline sales.
Shazam, the music recognition app, is to launch a bunch of features locally that it thinks will help drive consumers to branded content.
The new products include radio ads, redeemable vouchers and an auto-tagging feature that means users can Shazam without having to touch their phone.
The first Shazamable radio ads in Australia are planned shortly after trials in the US and Germany.
Without the visual cue Shazam serves on TV ads, radio ads will need 'top and tail' style bumpers inviting listeners to use Shazam, or to be integrated within the radio broadcast.
A radio network in Phoenix in the US and one in Germany have already trialled radio ads.
Advertisers can currently make TV, cinema and online video ads Shazamable.
Next month it will roll out its auto-tagging feature to mobile devices so that users don't even have to press to Shazam a track or an ad. The feature, already available on iPad devices, automatically recognises Shazam-enabled ads if the background record function is turned on.
Redeemable vouchers that brands can serve to users who Shazam their ads will also come into play, so advertisers can offer money off vouchers or incentives to drive consumers in-store or online.
Steve Sos, Shazam Australia country manager and sales director told AdNews: “Radio is not far off at all, there are some good conversations going on." He said that Australians were "pressing the blue [Shazam] button 12 million times every month and a lot of that is people listening to radio to find new music so it is definitely something we're focussed on.
“All the campaigns in Australia so far have been anchored in TV … but the powerful thing for advertisers and marketers is being able to Shazam multiple media within the mix and drive traffic to one destination.”
On the redeemable vouchers, Sos said the firm is now working out how to make the service broadly applicable so that retailers can sign up to the scheme without point of sale technology issues.
Ahead of that, Sos could not commit to a launch date but said the ability to drive customers into store from what they heard on radio and TV is precisely what advertisers want.
And should they want any more, the company is set to bring its live product to the region too. That means activations at half time will be coming to stadiums in Australia.
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