Shazam Added to FEMA and Ad Council’s National Ready Kids Campaign PSAs

New York – September 23, 2013 - Shazam®, the world’s leading media engagement company, today announced a new partnership with the Ad Council to help people engage with critically important information about preparing for emergencies.  The first Shazam-enabled Ad Council campaign for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)’s Ready Kids campaign includes television, radio, outdoor, and web public service advertisements (PSAs), which were distributed nationwide as part of National Preparedness Month (September).

“This new partnership with the Ad Council perfectly exemplifies the value that Shazam can bring to public service advertising,” said Shazam CEO Rich Riley.  “The PSA that the Ad Council produces are designed to help educate Americans about issues that are important to them.  By integrating Shazam into this campaign, the Ad Council and FEMA will extend their message, providing additional facts, video and other resources that their audiences need to take action to prepare.”

When users “Shazam” the Ready Kids campaign PSAs, they will get instant access to a wealth of information and resources, extending the 30-second ads into several minutes of engagement.

Additionally, the Ad Council will have access to analytics provided by the Shazam Engagement Rate, so that the organization can see which ads are resonating more or less with viewers – with insights available by show, type of show, channel, day of week, day-part mix, and other key television planning dimensions.

“By working with Shazam, we can give Americans a new way to use technology to gain access to FEMA’s emergency preparedness tools and resources,” said Peggy Conlon, President and CEO of the Ad Council. 

Launched in 2006, the Ready Kids campaign provided preparedness conversation starters including: who to call as your out-of-state emergency contact, where to meet if everyone is separated, and what to pack as part of your emergency supply kit. Created pro bono by Deutsch Inc., the PSAs direct to www.ready.gov/kids where parents can find age-appropriate tools and resources they need to make preparedness a year-round family activity. The campaign is a family-friendly extension of the national Ready Campaign, which has proven to be one of the Ad Council’s most successful campaigns.

The Ad Council created the category of public service advertising in 1942 and, since then, has worked with leading American ad agencies to increase public understanding of issues that affect their lives. 

Shazam for TV advertising enables more than 100 million users in the US to tap one button in the Shazam App, and in a few seconds, arrive at a mobile-optimized experience built specifically for the brand campaign.  Over 300 TV ad campaigns from over 150 A-list global brands – such as Pepsi, Toyota, Barclays, and Sony Pictures – have leveraged Shazam for TV to instantly provide more information, special offers, and the ability to shop directly from the couch. Brands are using Shazam for TV to ‘continue and complement’ their 30-second spots in several minutes of engagement on the ‘second screen’ – smartphones, iPads and tablets.