The first in a series of promotions will focus on one of Ministry's up-and-coming acts Deepest Blue.
The promotion, which kicks off in late February, will proactively target a database of Deepest Blue dance music fans with 30 seconds of the duo's second single 'Give it Away'. The music clip will be sent to mobile phones using Shazam's Mass Songmail marketing tool and will be accompanied by a voice recording from the artists, producer Matt Schwartz and singer-songwriter Joel Edwards.
Support for the campaign will include a one-month advertorial on the Ministry of Sound . A Shazam banner will also feature on the Ministry of Sound customer newsletter, which is distributed to 80,000 consumers.
Tim Coulson, marketing director at Ministry of Sound Recordings, said: "We are continually looking for interesting ways to promote our artists. The mobile phone has become an extremely important medium from which to develop innovative and sophisticated artist campaigns, and is key to building a solid and loyal fan base and one that can be easily communicated to. We look forward to working with Shazam on similar campaigns in the future."
As part of the campaign, Deepest Blue fans can enter a competition to win a digital music player with Deepest Blue tracks preloaded on it, by forwarding the clip on to friends. It is the first time Shazam's Mass Songmail service, which allows users to send a 30-second licensed music clip between mobile phones, has been used for promotional purposes by Ministry of Sound. Previous labels that have opted to market their artists using Mass Songmail include Universal for Sting and London Records for Holly Valance.
Tim Porter, UK marketing director at Shazam, said: "Record labels are rapidly realising the value of using mobile phones as a marketing medium for their acts. The Mass Songmail tool is highly targeted, allowing artists to make a personal connection with their fans."
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