Is it possible to make online ads “sticky” so that users engage with them longer? That’s the aim of a new partnership between CBS-owned Last.fm and MXP4, the interactive music startup.
Using MXP4’s technology, Last.fm is to begin offering brands the option to create ads that users of the music streaming and discovery service can interact with, such as remixing a track in realtime or “singing along in karaoke mode”, all within the ad itself. In a way it’s similar in concept to Apple’s new iAds in the sense that ads become fully blown apps. And obviously, a music oriented app is a perfect fit for Last.fm.
MXP4 is describing the concept as a “game like music experience”. Brands will be able to create sponsored pages that integrate MXP4’s “FanMix”, “Remix It”, “Max It” and “Sing It” (see our previous coverage), as well as social gaming features such as “Karaoke Battle”. The type of interactivity incorporated includes being able to turn instruments on and off for a particular track, combine different versions of the same song, or sing along as lyrics scroll across the player. That sounds like a lot more fun than a static audio or banner ad.
And it pays off for advertisers too, says MXP4, claiming that music fans use the company’s applications for an average of 9.1 minutes per session, and that click through rates to purchase goods online have exceeded 3%. It’s on that basis that MXP4 says it’s talking with all major music platforms, specifically name checking Spotify and Deezer. That said, MXP4’s VP of Business Development Jeff Marois is ex-Last.fm so perhaps this particular deal was easier to pull off.
MXP4, based in Paris, is well funded having raised $13m to date, including its most recent round of $4 million led by Paris-based Goojet funder Orkos Capital, and involving previous investor Sofinnova (which backs Streamezzo) and Ventech (in Eyeka).