Lexus partners with Pandora on “pop-up” concert series

Pandora is working with car dealer Lexus to host a series of four free “pop-up concerts” in Southern California. According to Pandora’s press release, the streaming radio platform used its audience data to determine the best artists to feature at each concert location. It will extend invitations to the Lexus Pop-Up Concert Series to Pandora listeners who enjoy the headlining musicians and similar artists. While some Pandora users will get the targeted invites, the concerts do appear open to the public; the release includes links to RSVP to the first two shows.

This concert series and Lexus partnership is an example of Pandora’s brand integration efforts. In a recent conversation with RAIN, Pandora SVP Heidi Browning described what she called “innovative ad experiences” that sometimes involve affiliating a sponsor brand with a music group, and bringing a custom experience to a location which (according to Pandora’s data) will receive it enthusiastically. The Lexus-sponsored concert series is the latest high-profile version of that custom sponsorship platform.

There is a Big Data aspect to this venture, in addition to the integrated sponsorship. Pandora claims the ability to identify regional music preferences based on its registration data, and user behaviors within the service. Eric Bieschke, Chief Scientist at Pandora, spoke about the importance of the companies vast database at RAIN Summit Indy. See below for the audio: