• Bloomberg, Tuesday, October 12, 2010 12:29 PM

It seems like only yesterday that critics were writing-off Pandora for its inability appease music labels or please advertisers. But, as Bloomberg reports, the streaming music service is now attracting top advertisers like Hallmark Cards and MillerCoors, and is poised to steal a share of the coveted drive-time market. To make that possible, Ford Motor Co. early next year is expected to begin shipping Fiesta cars with software that operates Pandora via voice controls.

Meanwhile, Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz is promoting the radio service in vehicles, and Pioneer Electronics is selling car stereos that include Pandora. "Pandora needs a foothold in cars to challenge traditional radio and attract more advertisers, which pay a premium to reach listeners during commute hours," writes Bloomberg, citing statistics from the Radio Advertising Bureau. The advantage of Pandora is marketers can target users based on age, gender, home ZIP code and musical taste, Scott Kelly, digital marketing manager at Ford, tells Bloomberg.

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