I see Shazam has completed advertising deals with a whole host of different companies such as Starbucks and Honda. It seems the app is going from strength to strength.

From a negotiating point of view, effective brand campaigns are based around the emotional negotiating needs of the parties – normally it is “belonging” needs that are addressed. Each party wants a connection with the brand values of the other so that users will associate it with those positive values.

In this case Shazam gets to associate itself with the mainstream market values of all of these larger brands which helps it extend its reach.

For the brands themselves they get to make an association with a cool emerging brand (Shazam) and also a connection with the music that is featured. Music is normally used in ads to create positive emotional connections which reflect well on the brand concerned – the Brand imports some of the emotional associations of the music and so we think more positively of the brand. In this case, by tying up with Shazam, the depth and range of that connection with the music is emphasised.