SXSW 2014: Interview with Pandora – Are Connected Cars the New Wearables?

Walking around SXSW and enjoying the many conversations with my fellow attendees, it was hard to not talk about the Internet of Things – after all, it has grown exponentially in recent years and the opportunities for marketers are huge. But what is really moving ahead in the realm of “things” is the car. Along with integrated apps, vehicle data and the data cloud, the rise of the connected car is growing faster than one could imagine.

One company that is taking full advantage of the connected car is Pandora. The internet-based radio service launched in-car audio ads earlier this year and has been using the ambient data coming from the cars in order to achieve smart ad targeting across the demographic of its listeners. Has the connected car turned into the ultimate wearable device that is able to provide precise context and data-driven insights of its user?

ClickZ spoke with Heidi Browning, senior vice president at Pandora who gives her view on the relationship between connected cars and wearables. She also discusses the opportunities for marketers in the “connected” space, as well as the future of advertising that surrounds it. Lastly, we learn how Pandora is proliferating data in order to influence its marketing decisions both in and out of cars. Watch the video below.