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Digital
O2 launches big marketing push for ‘less is more’ streaming service
By Chris Cooke | Published on Friday 8 March 2013
Often useless phone firm O2 (yeah, still haven’t forgotten how they screwed up the internet at CMU HQ) has launched a massive £7.3 million ad campaign for O2 Tracks, an interesting mobile-based streaming service that went online last month.
O2 Tracks is interesting in that it costs about the same as a basic (albeit non-mobile compliant) Spotify subscription (£4.99 a month, or £1 a week for O2 customers), but only provides access to the current UK Top 40 and a couple of themed playlists. But while for most streaming music services the massive size of their catalogues has been one of the big selling points, for O2 Tracks the lack of the music on offer is the USP.
Presumably the assumption is that for mainstream consumers less is more when it comes to digital music, and a pound a week to access the latest chart hits and a timely playlist (a Mother’s Day selection is currently available) on a mobile is actually an attractive offer, even though a similar amount would get them access to millions of tracks on their PC. It will be interesting to see if there is, indeed, a market for such a thing.
Certainly O2 is putting a lot behind the new service, which is currently available via an app for Apple and Android phones, and also includes a free 30-second-previews-only option to whet appetites. The seven million pounds will go on a big Emeli Sandé-fronted TV and online ad campaign.
Says O2 Consumer & Marketing Director Sally Cowdry: “O2 has a proud heritage in offering our customers brilliant music experiences and O2 Tracks forms a key part of this. We’re thrilled to be working with Emeli to promote the app and continue our tradition of working with some of the world’s best artists”.
