Audio recognition app company Shazam is launching new technology and content tools for brands to engage with users “in a way defined by the very audiences they seek” as part of an initiative called ‘Shazam for Brands’.

For example, a feature called ‘Visual Shazam’ will allow consumers to scan real-world items such as print ads and packaged goods.

Brands will also be able to use beacons and audio watermarking, which allow any live event to become “Shazamable.”

Meanwhile, Shazam Data Insights will predict hits and give brands the chance to associate with up-and-coming artists. They will also be able to measure the effectiveness of their message through analysis of behavioural patterns.

The initiative also creates new specific ad units customised for brands, and Shazam will launch with a core toolset to help advertisers engage audiences.

The app maker wants to “unite brands with its global audience” and become “the default platform for connecting the mobile world with the real world.” In November, the company said the app was used by more than 120 million people each month.

Earlier this month, Coca-Cola launched its “Share a Coke and a Song” campaign, which uses Shazam-enabled bottles.

When consumers scan lyrics on specially marked bottles and signage, they can record a digital lip-sync video and share their creations on social media with the hashtag #ShareaCoke.

The move seems to be an extension of a strategy announced last May, when Shazam announced its move into the visual space to “create a world where everything from posters, to packaged goods, to print media, and more are transformed from static images into dynamic pieces of content”.