Pandora is expanding its offering with music forum sponsored by Energizer batteries. The new Energizer Forum offers a place for Pandora users to discuss all things music: songs, artists, playlists, gadgets and more. As with all things Pandora, the site is clean and simple. Videos will be added next month.
The sponsorship with Energizer is part of Pandora's aggressive push to monetize their traffic ahead of large pending royalty increases. Major brands have already been drawn to the site both because of an impressive user base and a cutting edge yet safe image. (No small accomplishment in the overcrowded online music space.) By delivering ads outside of the listening experience, the Energizer Music Forum also overcomes Pandora biggest challenge: to expand revenue in ways that do not offend users accustomed to enjoying their stations without the clutter of ads.
According to VP of Acevertising Cheryl Lucanegro, Pandora has been researching users' behavior...
and interaction with advertising on the site to identify what works and what doesn't as it develops new ad platforms. "We know we are on the right track because of the large number of unsolicited emails we get from users who rave about how much they like the way advertising is presented on Pandora. As a result, brands have a higher recall rate, and ads have a higher click-through rate and are more likely to engage the users in some meaningful way that's positive for the brand."
The Energizer deal "is a great example of how we work closely with our clients to provide a branding platform to immerse their ad messages in a way that's perceived as a cool tool for our users and presents a great value proposition for them," says Lucanegro.
