Shazam’s second screen engagement represents the future of advertising; Australian Shazam users are amongst the most active in the world

The combination of TV and mobile is one of today’s most powerful advertising platforms for brands, according to Shazam’s VP of advertising in UK and Europe, Miles Lewis, speaking at Ad:Tech in Sydney this week.

Since the launch of Shazam for TV advertising in 2011, Shazam has witnessed how people using the app have dramatically changed the way in which they consume TV advertising. Most noticeably, people’s interaction with the brand or product is extended from a 30-second TV ad to several minutes of engagement. People are also using Shazam to ‘bookmark’ the information so they can go back and continue to engage with the information at a later time.

An independent study into the effects of Shazam for TV has shown that:

• 100% of people who tagged the ad recalled the ad, compared to 65% recall for those who did not tag the ad

• 55% of people who tagged the ad talked about the brand with others, compared to the 25% for those who did not tag the commercial

• 68% of people who tagged the ad went on to further engage with the brand, compared to the 23% for those who did not tag the commercial

Says Lewis: “Brands typically spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on developing an advert and so they are always on the look-out for ways to increase the impact and engagement associated with the ads that they’re creating. This research shows that a second-screen interactive experience both engages viewers and improves brand recall.

“With over seven million users in Australia, generating over 11 million tags every month, Australian Shazam users are amongst the most active in the world. In fact, Australian tags have grown by 102% in the last 12 months, so it’s a real opportunity for brands in this market.

“What’s more, research conducted by Google has found that 81% of people use their phone while watching TV. This represents a phenomenal opportunity for advertisers to engage on the second screen. Combine this statistic with the fact that only one billion of the six billion phones in the world today are smartphones, and you begin to appreciate the future potential of the second screen for advertisers.”

The study, commissioned by Shazam, was conducted by Frank M. Magid Associates over the course of three weeks and recruited participants to watch a primetime TV show live – in natural viewing conditions in their own homes – during which the brand’s commercial aired.

After viewing the TV show, Shazam users were asked to complete a follow up survey based on their recall of the brand’s TV commercial. Surveys were completed by 439 Shazam users who tagged the TV commercial and 431 people did not tag the commercial.

All respondents were: 18 years or older, based in the US, smartphone users (iPhone or Android), and able to access live TV at home including broadcast networks ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX or CW.