One of the most interesting roles I’ve ever had was as VP of Strategic Partnerships for a large but very old-school media firm. This company had been around for ages, curating the background music you hear in retail stores, restaurants, and pretty much any public space you can think of. The business was all about creating playlists and handling music licensing—a solid, if somewhat traditional, operation. My challenge? To bring some fresh energy into this well-established, but let’s face it, slightly stale company.
At first, the task seemed daunting. How do you innovate in a space that’s been doing the same thing for decades? Especially when the brand is synonymous with elevator music.
The answer hit me when I came across a simple but powerful statistic: At the time, up to 20% of Shazam's were happening at retail store locations. That little tidbit was a game changer.
After quickly reaching out to Shazam, myself and President of our company flew out to London to meet with the then CEO of Shazam. We cooked up a partnership that would allow us to “fingerprint” stores. This meant that when someone Shazamed a song in a store, they’d get a unique, brand-specific result—something different than what they’d get outside. It was a small tweak, but it opened up big marketing possibilities.
And that was just the beginning. We started working with other tech companies, like Shopkick, to integrate digital signals that bypassed the GPS limitations of the time. Before long, we were meeting with—and partnering with—some of the biggest names in Silicon Valley. What started as a traditional music company was now seen as an innovative player in the tech space.
The takeaway? Even the most traditional businesses can reinvent themselves with a bit of creativity and the right partnerships. Sometimes, all it takes is a fresh perspective and a willingness to take that first bold step into the unknown.