SiriusXM company AdsWizz intros “Mood Targeting” for streaming music advertisers

Adtech company AdsWizz has introduced a new targeting technology for marketers who advertise in streaming music environments. Called Mood Targeting, “the new product seeks to match the mood or content of an ad, to the mood of the listener’s song or playlist. Ads placed between songs can leverage the mood of the music to deliver more relevant messaging and, in turn, create a more emotionally resonant and contextually relevant advertising experience for listeners,” AdsWizz observes in its announcement.

There is a privacy thrust to Mood Targeting. Adswizz notes that the digital advertising field is transforming around consumer privacy protections. “Adapting perspectives on targeting and context represents a crucial approach for advertisers to stay relevant while upholding privacy standards in this evolving environment,” AdsWizz says. “Through Mood Targeting, advertisers can connect with the most relevant audiences using privacy-conscious contextual signals.”

AdsWizz lays out four key benefits of Mood Targeting:

• Increased Relevance – Tailor your message to fit the context and make your campaign more effective.
• Wide Reach – Access the AdsWizz library of over 60 million songs categorized into nine Mood segments to connect with the right audience.
• Accurate Reporting – Evaluate your campaign’s performance based on the Mood segments you target to make informed decisions.
• Future-Proof Targeting – Reach your ideal audience using privacy-friendly signals.

This Sounds Familiar…

How is mood determined as a data quality? Adswizz’s answer to that seems to hark back to Pandora’s legacy breakthrough music analysis algorithms:

 

“It all starts with a machine learning algorithm that meticulously evaluates various elements of each song, including its harmony, rhythm, sound, and more, to determine the presence or absence of specific moods. Next, a dedicated team of music analysts reviews and validates the initial automated categorizations, further refining the associations made by the algorithm.” –AdsWizz

 

That sounds a lot like Pandora’s legacy human/algo hybrid music analysis tech. Pandora acquired AdsWizz in 2018 (RAIN coverage HERE), and in that context it might be a little surprising that the mood-related song targeting technology — originally applied to listeners — hasn’t been extended to adtech until now. (Both companies are owned by SiriusXM.)

At any rate, the new announcement (originally made at CES) lists off several “mood segments”: Angsty, Chill, Energetic, Focused, Happy, Soothing, Love, Celebratory, and Relaxed. AdsWizz says that “having this array of Mood segments leads to a stronger connection with the audience.”

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