On the heels of updated privacy laws and data restrictions, advertisers are faced with significant challenges in targeting their audiences. Recently, META introduced new products that enable users to opt out of data tracking for personalized ads, while TikTok has tightened controls on first-party audiences to enhance privacy. In this evolving landscape, contextual targeting emerges as a privacy-compliant alternative.
Diving Into Contextual Targeting On Digital Platforms
Music is often consumed in specific contexts and associated with certain moods. People listen to upbeat songs when working out, cry to breakup songs alone in their bedrooms, and play party songs to dance in social environments. By identifying the contexts in which a track fits best, advertisers can strategically place ads in feeds that match the mood of the release, targeting users who are more likely to be interested. This increases the likelihood of recall and repeat consumption.
How We Leverage Contextual Targeting
Before launching an advertising campaign for a new release, it’s crucial to identify the target audience. Consider who is most likely to connect with the lyrics or enjoy the melody. Which audience segments would be motivated to stream the song after watching a 10-second snippet on TikTok? Who resonates with the storytelling in the music? What memories or emotions does the artist’s sound evoke for listeners?
Users who relate or feel a connection to the song or to the lyrics may then stream the music or create their own content using the track. Ads can encourage users to create content by driving users to the sound page. User-generated content (UGC) is beneficial to artists for a number of reasons:
- Authentic and organic: People trust recommendations from their peers more than traditional advertising. This word-of-mouth marketing can significantly boost the song’s credibility and engagement.
- Increased Engagement & Viral Potential: The organic nature of UGC boosts engagement, as users interact with their friends’ posts. It also has viral potential, reaching a wider audience through social media challenges & trends, quickly introducing the song to millions.
- Longevity of Promotion: UGC can continue to promote the song long after the typical release cycle.
When selecting contextual targeting, it’s also important to consider the moments surrounding an artist’s music:
- Is the artist attending an award show, or experiencing a surge in streams due to a trending track?
- What is the cultural context of the release?
- Is it surrounding or adjacent to a political, social, or cultural shift?
- What does online chatter look like at the time of the release?
Examples:
Here are a few ways we incorporate contextual targeting into our campaigns:
Regina Song “the cutest pair”
We launched an advertising campaign on TikTok for an indie-pop song that was gaining traction on the platform. The track tells the story of a girl confessing her love to her crush, and the campaign asset featured a video of the artist singing the song in front of her crush. Besides targeting fans of indie-pop music, we also targeted TikTok users who interacted with hashtags like #fallinginlove, #lovergirlera, #lovecore, #crushtips, and #couplesgoals.
Kelsea Ballerini “Sorry Mom”
To support the release of the country artist’s latest track, our team targeted family and mother/daughter interests. The song narrates the story of a remorseful daughter reflecting on her past behavior. By capitalizing on this theme, we found that the target audience focused on mother/child pairings achieved the lowest cost per click compared to other target audiences in the campaign.
RAYE at GRAMMY®S
RAYE celebrated another great year with a GRAMMY performance of her hit song ‘Oscar Winning Tears.’ The track had gained significant organic traction on TikTok, sparking multiple viral trends – such as of users dramatically running away from the camera, hilarious lyric changes, and incredible figuring skating routines.
With 3 GRAMMY nominations and a spotlight on the iconic stage, we wanted to take advantage of the buzz around the artist and continue momentum of the track in the US. Our ad strategy aimed to engage users searching for GRAMMY-related content or interested in other artists highlighted at the show (Grammy Awards, Best New Artist, Album of the Year, Kendrick Lamar, Teddy Swims, Benson Boone, Sabrina Carpenter, Chapell Roan, etc.). TikTok ads drove a great 12% engagement rate, with a great comment section and high share rate across both Instagram and TikTok.
Meaningful targeting in advertising campaigns can significantly enhance an artist’s reach and impact. By leveraging contextual targeting, you can connect with social media users who are most likely to engage with the artist or release—without relying on first-party data. Looking to elevate your next campaign? Implement contextual targeting to optimize your results.