This post was written for an advertising class. Since I’m more interested in tech and startups than creative, I decided to follow the prompt (deconstruct a creative idea), but focus it more on how digital media should be used to best engage consumers.
According to a recent Ad Week article, Shazam, the mobile app that allows you to scan audio for more content on your mobile phone, will be featured as part of the digital strategy for nearly a third of the Super Bowl ads airing this year. In 2011, zero companies attempted integrating Shazam into their advertising campaign.*
Think about that for a second – one in every three commercials during the most watched television event of the year will attempt to incorporate a new technology that will hopefully bridge the gap between what you watch on the big screen and what you consume on the small screen.
For marketers, this “second screen” solution may be a godsend in creating more value rich ad campaigns utilizing transmedia story telling (especially in an era when people spend less time on the couch and more time in front of a computer screen). For consumers, this technology can be really freakin’ cool and engaging.
The problem is, neither of these two claims are true.
Let’s examine an ad that’s run in the past and incorporated Shazam-able mobile content. (Feel free to watch fake Kim Kardashian break it down with wannabe Will.i.am – I’ll skip past that and go straight to analyzing what matters more – the mobile content):
Practicality
Imagine that you’re sitting on your couch watching TV and, 5 seconds into a commercial (assuming you didn’t skip through them), you see an icon telling you to Shazam this Old Navy ad for cool content on your phone.
We’ll assume that in this perfect world you know what Shazam is and already have it downloaded on your iPhone (meaning you’re either a Techie like me, or a tween girl who loves ID’ing those Glee songs you’ve never heard before). You pull out your phone, fumble to open up the app, hit SHAZAM! and…the commercial is over.
At it’s basic core, Shazam is nothing more than an audio version of the QR code. It’s cool if you know what it is and how to use it, but it sure as hell is a pain in the ass to use and takes more time than is convenient for many people.
Worse is that Shazam-ing a 30-second TV spot is near impossible to accomplish. It’s like trying to scan a QR code for an advertisement on the outside of a moving bus.
Kudos to Old Navy for trying something new to connect with a younger demographic, but connecting to the actual content may be harder than they realize for most people.
Creative
The similarities between QR codes and Shazam don’t end at practicality though. Like with many QR codes, Shazam leads to basic, boring content – nothing truly rich and engaging for a consumer.
If you are lucky enough to have had time to Shazam the Old Navy ad above, instead of getting a really slick mobile experience, you get a boring list of options: you can download the cheesy song, buy the outfit, or meet fake Kim Kardashian.
From a consumer perspective, there’s not much being done to make the mobile user experience great.
For example, the clothing brand could have used the touch screen technology found in iPhones and Androids to build a mobile site dedicated around the idea of trying on clothes by swiping.
It’s awesome that Old Navy is trying to reach out to the Glee loving tween masses through the screen they spend the most time using. But honestly, their money could have been better spent on making the actual content more engaging for users.
The bad news is, the Old Navy content is the best Shazam’s got. In an Xfinity ad, Comcast was bold enough to give away a coupon, offer their downloadable TV app or, in a shocking move, ask you to like them on Facebook.
Right now, Shazam only lives up to the “woah factor” in terms of it’s audio interpreting technology. However, like QR codes, the application is only a bridge solution in bridging the gap between traditional and digital media.
The Solution: Sonic Notify
So if Shazam isn’t the application that’s going to turn second screen enagagement on its head, what is?
Just like QR codes are a bridge solution for NFC, Shazam is a bridge solution for another startup, Sonic Notify: a technology that can really disrupt the way people think about the second screen during television viewing.
Essentially, Sonic Notify allows you to deliver rich media to tablets and smartphones through audio transmissions. However, instead of hitting a button every time to scan, you keep the Sonic Notify app open as content is delivered to you in real time.
Right now, mostly television studios like NBC are using the technology, but advertisers can also really benefit from this mobile application.
Sonic Notify can potentially change the way consumers engage with brands during television viewing. Imagine if Old Navy made a Glee application that updated in real time while you we’re watching the show. You’d be able to get behind-the-scenes facts on the episode, links to download songs as they occur, and insider tips on how to dress like Rachel Berry.
Instead of paying for media space, shooting the ad and hoping people will convert on the Shazam call-to-action, Old Navy would instead be able to own the entire second screen experience for the same price (or maybe even cheaper).
Technology is amazing and can truly disrupt industries like the media space. However, it’s important to remember that just because something’s cool, it doesn’t mean it’s convenient or engaging or can lead to something truly creative. Thankfully, help is on the way.
*Dockers ran a Shazam-able ad in the 2010 Super Bowl
Tags: shazam, audio tagging, sonic notify, second screen, buscd
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