The Auto Channel
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
Official Website of the New Car Buyer

Acura TSX Wagon Campaign Gets Extra Mileage with Rhapsody's Field Trip! Campaign


acura (select to view enlarged photo)

A rock 'n roll road trip to Austin drives engagement through sponsored editorial

FYI: Acura Buyer's Guide

SEATTLE--March 7, 2012: Rhapsody and Acura teamed up to put the number-one premium subscription music service's South by Southwest editorial coverage (Acura Blog) into overdrive.  The innovative video campaign, "From Silver Lake to Austin" centered around a rock 'n roll road trip and delivered millions of ad impressions, with viewers spending more than five minutes engaging with the Acura brand.

The "From Silver Lake to Austin Field Trip" campaign took Rhapsody editors in an Acura TSX from Silver Lake to the 2011 South by Southwest music festival, where they interviewed bands and visited legendary rock 'n roll locales. The series starts in LA, where Rhapsody visits with Smashing Pumpkins in Silver Lake, and ends with G. Love and others in Austin, with stops in-between, including the hotel room in Joshua Tree where Gram Parsons spent his final moments, Las Vegas with Panic! at the Disco and aboard a sky tram in New Mexico with BrokeNCYDE. All videos from the campaign can be viewed at: http://www.rhapsody.com/blog/acura.

Original editorial content has been a cornerstone of the Rhapsody experience.  For the past decade, Rhapsody has employed a diverse staff of renowned music journalists who guide Rhapsody members through its 14-million song catalog spanning nearly 600 genres with features, videos and playlists, including sponsored content.

"We work closely with our editors and advertisers to create sponsored content that amplifies the advertiser's brand while upholding the editorial integrity Rhapsody has built," said Gina Perino, director, advertising sales and operations, Rhapsody. "As a result, brands benefit from being tightly integrated into the content, and Rhapsody members get a richer editorial experience that is surrounded in music to make an even deeper emotional connection between our members and advertisers."

Acura Roadtrip Campaign Snapshot

  • Average Time Spent on Page: 5:13
  • 20 percent of visitors to the program viewed a Field Trip segment to completion

"The campaign with Rhapsody was compelling because it associated the stylish and sporty Acura TSX Sport Wagon with entertaining, music-centric content," said Mark Ortiz, national interactive marketing manager at Acura. "The Rhapsody program thoughtfully integrated the fun videos into the media rather than interrupting the music or video."

With more than one million members, Rhapsody is the largest premium on-demand music service in the United States. The Rhapsody service is available on more than 70 consumer electronic devices, including all smartphone platforms; more than any service of its kind.  Rhapsody subscribers also enjoy original editorial content from its staff of the most renowned music writers anywhere, including reviews, features, playlists and more than 200 programmed radio stations.

About Rhapsody
The Rhapsody® digital music service (www . rhapsody . com) gives subscribers unlimited on-demand access to more than 14 million songs, whether they're listening on a PC, laptop, Internet connected home stereo or TV, MP3 player or mobile phone. Rhapsody allows subscribers to access their music through more touch-points than any other digital music service, including mobile phones from Verizon Wireless and MetroPCS, through Rhapsody applications on the Apple iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, RIM BlackBerry and Android mobile platforms as well as through devices from Vizio, SanDisk, HP, Sonos and Philips.  Rhapsody is headquartered in Seattle, with offices in Frankfurt, London, Luxemburg, York and San Francisco. Rhapsody, and the Rhapsody logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Rhapsody International Inc.  Follow @Rhapsody on Twitter and keep up with the latest on the Rhapsody Facebook page.