“The sponsored listening offering is unique, and we jumped at the opportunity to align with this attention-based service during the launch of the new Discovery Sport”, said Land Rover’s digital marketing and social media manager, Kim Kyaw in a statement. Users gave Pandora positive feedback about the test, which resulted in a 12% lift in brand awareness and a 30% lift in purchase intent for advertisers, according to the streamer.
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Sponsored Listening is only available on mobile, which is how 80 percent of Pandora’s users listen to music. In exchange for a minimum 15 seconds of engagement, listeners will get an hour of uninterrupted music, which brands may follow with an audio ad thanking them for their attention. So far, that’s included brands like Land Rover North America, Corona Extra, Gatorade, TruTV, Yeungling. Those who pay a $4.99/month subscription fee to Pandora’s premium service can avoid ads altogether. In addition, total listener hours were also up by 5 percent year-over-year to 5.30 billion, the company said.
“As the competition for consumer attention continues to intensify, brands are looking for advertising products that can help them create a lasting impression and resonate with their target audiences”, said Lizzie Widhelm, Pandora’s senior vice president of advertising product strategy and sales.
Pandora is not alone in turning to sponsored sessions as a money maker. As a listener, you can expect to see videos and ads that involve swiping through slideshows on your mobile device, along with the new 360-degree view mode.
If you’re a Pandora user, you can try it out now on mobile. The Pandora’s and Spotify’s of the world don’t have to deal with such mundane issues.
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The new feature applies to the free version of Pandora’s music service.
