French spirit-maker Grand Marnier has partnered with sound discovery and recognition app SoundHound to bring the “DNA of Music” to a millennial audience, with a custom in-app program that lets users break down a song to learn about the covers, remixes, and samples associated with the tune. The program is powered by WhoSampled, the largest online database of sample-based music, cover songs and remixes.
For example, if users search for Lady Gaga’s song “You and I,” they not only see an ad by Grand Marnier, but also an integrated row that lists the samples that are incorporated in the song (Queen’s “We Will Rock You” in this case), as well as the songs that sample it in turn, such as Jontron’s “The League and I,” and Savannah Outen’s “You and I” in this case.
“Our message is conveying the art of blending,” R. Scott Green, senior vp of sales and marketing of parent company Marnier Lapostolle, told Digiday. “ SoundHound is an ideal digital partner because we both offer the experience of blending: SoundHound through its music, and Grand Marnier through its product,” which is itself a blend of cognac and tropical oranges.
The program is part of Grand Marnier’s “Blend Out” campaign, which aims to inspire drinkers to become a “master of remarkable combinations.” It has also rolled out engaging content, centered on music as the theme, which it is promoting through its social channels of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #blendout.
“The Art of Blends – Music Edition” program, features Grand Marnier-branded charts to help users discover the anatomy of the most sampled, covered and remixed songs, and the artists behind them on Soundhound. Grand Marnier has also developed a series of short films featuring musicians playing with diverse elements in music and creating something unique, including a beatboxing, jazz, country and salsa.
“Through this highly engaging experience for music fans, we are fulfilling Grand Marnier’s philosophy to challenge convention, create new possibilities and shake up the status quo, all while inspiring our users through custom music discovery, unrivaled by any other platform,” said Cheryl Lucanegro, vice president, advertising strategy and sales, SoundHound. The app has previously worked with other brands, including Geico, Fiat, Samsung and Chanel.
The “DNA of Music” campaign in SoundHound was developed by Mobext, a Havas brand, and will be available to users through the end of February 2015, with additional custom music charts highlighting the “blending” of different music genres to come.
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