Skol is Music to Sao Paulo's Ears

Brazilian agency F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi has created an app for beer brand Skol which allows users to define specific places with music. We all know how certain places can evoke the memory of a particular song and now, with the Soundspot app, Sao Paulo residents can tag locations with with songs from a list of over 30 million from music library Deezer.

The launch also involves partnerships with Vice magazine and Brazilian music ambassadors including Karol Conka, DJ Marky and Kondzilla. They, along with several other influencers, graffiti artists, skaters, DJs and night life personalities, are tagging songs to their favorite places in the country.

Theo Rocha, creative director of F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi, explains more;

How did the idea for Soundspot come about?

People associate places with music all the time in their minds and are always on their mobile phones listening to music. So we thought, shouldn't we be able to make it sharable with our friends? That's what Soundspot does.

We also think that following your favorite artists and friends and getting to know what music they are listening to and where is a pretty cool way to discover music and places.

Is Skol known for its association with music in Brazil?

Very much so. Skol created the first and most famous electronic music festival in Brazil back in 1999 and helped to develop the genre in Brazil.

It also created one of the most successful rock festivals in the country. It sponsors many festivals like Lollapalloza, it's bringing Tomorrowland to Brazil for the first time next year, and it’s working closely with music producers to launch new and upcoming Brazilian artists through its own labels.

What were the biggest challenges with this project?

People nowadays are so used to having great experiences with mobile apps that they won’t give you a second chance. You need a killer experience and you have to keep improving all the time if you want people to embrace a project like this.

We are competing with great start-ups, so we've got to act like one. We've been working for eleven months on this project, and we have a dedicated team that will keep working on it as long as the app exists.

What do you hope the campaign achieves?

Music is part of Skol's and the target's DNA. And we want to deliver a great new music experience to people and be recognised for that.

Is it far more important now to connect with consumers rather than simply advertise to them?

Definitely. I don't think a young brand such as Skol can live solely on advertising if it wants to be relevant to people today.

The Soundspot app is free and is available for desktop and mobile (iOS and Android).