06 Tools Funtoad 07-08 Campaigns Frank Ocean, Sia, Massive Attack, Starkey/VR 09-12 Behind The Campaign Area 11 AUGUST 10 2016 sandboxMUSIC MARKETING FOR THE DIGITAL ERA ISSUE 162 WILL CHATBOTS TAKE OVER MARKETING? COVERFEATURE The robots are taking over. Well, not quite, but chatbots are the buzziest thing in social media marketing right now. The idea is not exactly new in music – Radiohead were using them 15 years ago after all – but they appear to have come of age with acts like Bastille and Hardwell using them. This is all aligned to the rise of ver since assorted research messaging apps and the reports came to light fact that ‘dark social’ is Eclaiming the younger generation are not quite as keen on often out of the reach Facebook as those in their 30s, the hunt of marketing teams. has been on in the music industry to find where the youth are hanging out, digitally Chatbots are their speaking. way in and are also The answer has been messaging apps more likely like Snapchat, WhatsApp, Facebook’s own Messenger, Line, WeChat and so to serve up on – which have seen usage shoot up messages that over the last five years. Just last month, in fact, Facebook announced that are read compared Messenger now has more than 1bn to other social active users, after adding 200m in platforms. We just five months. WhatsApp, which Facebook owns, passed the billion-user speak to those mark in February, while Snapchat is said building them to have 150m daily users. Not all of these users are young, of to ask how they course. But as Syd Lawrence, co-founder can move from of We Make Awesome Sh, explains, the interesting privacy of messaging apps has boosted their appeal for young consumers. gimmick to “Parents have done quite a good job proper explaining to teenagers that what they do on the internet isn’t private,” he says. marketing “I probably wouldn’t like Katy Perry on opportunity. Facebook or follow her on Twitter, but 2 | sandbox | ISSUE 162 | 10.08.16 COVERFEATURE I probably would have Record Bird, also available for Facebook a conversation with her Messenger, allows users to ask about new in private. It is a private music releases. (Facebook Messenger, communication – like a incidentally, is very much the chatbot king guilty pleasure.” among messaging platforms, with 11,000+ chatbots already available.) Trying to cast light Andreas Mahringer, founder of Record on ‘dark social’ Bird, recently explained on ProductHunt why he chose to create a bot rather than But what is good news an app. “ First of all, barriers of for fans of privacy and downloading an app, typing URLs concerned parents has proved into mobile phones, signing up, something of a conundrum putting in credit card details, etc. for the music industry. are being eroded almost entirely Whereas social media for a first product experience platforms like Facebook through chatbots . Users can play and Twitter are open for all to see – and use of chatbots/messenger bots, currently around with new products or features therefore easy to analyse and make use of – one of the hottest topics of interest in the from the well-known environment of their messaging apps are closed off. That makes tech industry. Chatbots are, essentially, messaging app. It will be hard to predict behaviour there hard to track. “Some 30% of programmes designed to simulate whether bots offer the opportunity for time spent on smartphones is in ‘dark social’, conversation with human beings using AI deep engagement for all products, but they messaging apps largely, where we have (artificial intelligence). surely will play a crucial role in the growth very little visibility on what is being shared,” They’ve been around for years but engines of many future products and explains Luke Ferrar, senior digital marketing have really come to prominence with the companies.” manager at Virgin EMI Records. “We’re keen recent boom in messaging; so much so, to get amongst this conversation.” in fact, that many people are now talking Bots, super-fans and He’s not the only one. The last two years them up as a possible replacement for avoiding the hard sell have seen the music industry do all it can to apps, the thinking being that instead try to figure out how to push together digital of, say, opening up Shazam to work out The music industry has also started to music and messaging. There have been what a piece of music is, you could ask a integrate bots into their digital marketing some successes. Snapchat has become bot instead, saving valuable seconds and campaigns. One of the first examples one of the most important digital platforms freeing up memory on your phone. of this happened in June when Virgin for musicians to communicate with their That’s one fairly obvious use for a EMI act Bastille got their own Facebook fans and Paul McCartney has done well musical chatbot – and there are already Messenger bot, which promised to furnish with his sticker sets on Line. But on the several chatbots out there that will users with information about the band’s whole, music and messaging remains an perform a similar task. Peach, which was new album, Wild World. unconsummated marriage. created by Vine founder Dom Hofmann, “The bot started by asking fans if has a Shazam-like music recognition they’ve been good or bad, or were full Rise of the chatbots feature, as does AudioShot ; of joy or grief – which teased the single Music Rover is a Facebook Messenger name [‘Good Grief’, released on 16th June],” The latest attempt to bridge this divide bot that recommends music on Spotify explains Ferrar. “It sent you exclusive video might just work, though. It involves the based on the tracks you like; and teasers and GIFs. It’s also played along 3 | sandbox | ISSUE 162 | 10.08.16 COVERFEATURE be used on Hardwell’s On Air show, vote for their favourite tracks and even submit fan art. “Hardwell’s audience is mainly under 25,” says We Make Awesome Sh’s Lawrence. “They don’t use Facebook as much as we do. But they do use Messenger to send messages to their friends. They are constantly on it.” The original idea of the Hardwell bot was to promote On Air, but it has since evolved into a more general communication tool. The bot will respond to about 1,600 keywords, some of which are pretty straightforward – say “Hi” and the bot will respond “Hey!”; ask about Hardwell’s next gig and the bot will send with the narrative of the music videos to extremely personal space to a user, so you to the Hardwell website. There are help bring Bastille ’s creative world alive. it’s a softly, softly approach,” he explains. also some more amusing uses. If you We are building out more functionality “We wanted to do something cool and mention “Yanicke Agnes” (Hardwell’s and developing its personality.” creative that aligned with the Wild World ex-girlfriend) to the bot, it responds The bot also asked – very politely – if campaign. It obviously has PR value, with a broken heart; if you say “Tiësto”, users would be interested in hearing but it also allows the band to operate the bot tweets a link to Hardwell and more news about forthcoming music from in the messaging space, something Tiësto’s collaborative track, ‘Zero 76’; the band, with some 20,000 fans saying super-important for their fanbase; and if you mention Dimitri Vegas or Like yes. That is a pretty promising response, and it has opened up a whole new Mike – two DJs that Hardwell has had his although Ferrar says that the greatest marketing channel for us. It will disagreements with in the past – the bot value of the bot will be to the band’s never be a ‘sales tool’, but I think simply responds “Who?”. “super fans”. it can guarantee near 100% Lawrence says the response has been “We’ve sent some cool exclusive instant delivery of a message strong. “Over the first few days there GIFs and had a great response, though to a group of superfans, which were lots and lots more people than we it’s tricky to measure how far through is quite a powerful thing. ” expected, actually having conversations messaging networks these travel,” he Joining Bastille in the musical chatbot with the bot then posting them to Twitter,” adds. “There are very few analytics party is Dutch EDM DJ Hardwell , whose he says. “They know it is a bot, but it is available at present, but we believe own Facebook Messenger bot – built by still increasing their relationship with the this will change as more start to get We Make Awesome Sh at the behest of artist.” developed. We are doing some more Sorted Management – launched in July. testing with how much traffic it can refer; The idea was to encourage two-way fan From gimmick to proper but at the moment it’s focused on being interaction with fans: the Hardwell bot marketing tool? fun and engaging.” will supply users with information on the The intention, Ferrar adds, was not to DJ’s gigs, releases and merchandise; but The challenge now, Lawrence explains, will be overtly commercial. “Messaging is an fans can also record audio messages to be to prove the promotional worth of the 4 | sandbox | ISSUE 162 | 10.08.16 COVERFEATURE RADIOHEAD’S GOOGLYMINOTAUR prove a promotional success. “You can send a message out and you don’t have to do a Facebook boost to get people reading,” he says.