• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, November 25, 2013

WPP’s Mindshare Worldwide and audio recognition platform Shazam said today they are launching a new program called AUDIO+ that will use the Shazam app to help better link brands and the music they utilize in commercial messages.

The companies noted that text (search and social), video (YouTube and other platforms) and image (social such as Facebook) assets are all audited and distributed as part of a brand’s paid, owned and earned media strategy, but that audio assets “have until now gone un-categorized and un-leveraged.”

Audio+ is designed to change that by enabling, for example, ads to be tagged to the music that is integrated within them.

Shazam claims more than 375 million users in 200 countries and says it is adding 10 million new users each month.

AUDIO+ will audit and map brands’ audio assets, helping to provide insights to clients into the ROI on those assets. All of a client’s ad campaigns with audio can be Shazam-enabled, potentially presenting different mobile experiences to consumers depending on the type of media or placement.

The deal will provide Mindshare clients with Shazam’s audio recognition service across TV, Radio, Branded Video and In-Store media for what the companies said would be “attractive pricing.” They will also gain access to consumer engagement data, reporting and insights; first access to Shazam beta offerings for new capabilities and enhancements; co-produced workshops; and an impact study into the value of audio branding on brand metrics, ROI and other benefits.

“TV and online video is an audio visual experience,” said Mindshare Global CEO Nick Emery. “It’s time that brands were given the power to leverage the audio, not just the picture.”

Rich Riley, Shazam CEO, said: ”This program will help brands worldwide to understand more about when and where people want to engage for more information about their products and services, whether it’s on television, in the cinema, on the radio, in retail locations, online or anywhere else.” He added that “the partnership offers brands an unprecedented way of looking at their ad spend to see which ads are the most effective and see the most engagement.”