I previously blogged about the potential of Shazam as a marketing channel. The company are taking another step forward in that direction. This time it’s in the form of brand promotions on the tagging screen. Called Listening Screen Takeover, Shazam is offering the opportunity for brands to replace their usual tagging logo with their own banners. Once the track has been found, the banner remains at the top of the page. At the moment their roster for the take over includes 28 artists such as Lady Gaga and The Black Eye Peas.

Whilst I think the move is in an interesting direction, it looks like they are missing a trick. Afterall, the take over is little more than display advertising. I think the marketing opportunity lies in brands getting customers to tag audio – music or voice – using Shazam and then allow the brand to continue the marketing experience there. Think of the latest John Lewis Xmas ad, the one that uses the popular cover by Ellie Goulding. Wouldn’t it be great if I could simply tag the ad with Shazam and I’m taken straight to the (brand spanking new) John Lewis mobile site. Or I could do the same if I heard the ad on the radio. The benefit of using the tagging as the brand engagement is that the consumer has chosen that interaction. I’m not sure how taking over the tagging screen will go down with consumers. They may just find it annoying.