Your Mood Targeting Guide for In-Tune Audio Campaigns

Audience? Check. Timing? Check. But what about the vibe check? Knowing the mood your audience is likely to be in when they hear your ad can have just as much impact on campaign success as demographics and time of day—and ultimately decide whether or not you have the audience or the timing right.

What Is Mood Targeting?

Mood targeting is a type of contextual targeting that allows advertisers to reach audiences based on the mood they’re in while they consume content. As we bid adieu to third-party cookies, brands should consider embracing privacy-conscious, audience-friendly targeting options. But that doesn’t mean sacrificing data-driven digital advertising strategies. Mood targeting is based on a combination of science and art to intelligently connect advertisers with audiences when they’re likely to be in a specific frame of mind.

What if you heard about the perfect gift for your significant other while listening to songs that tap into feelings of love and affection? Or what if you heard about the latest sneakers when you’re bouncing around to music that makes you feel lively and energetic? Imagine how much more effective those ads would be at getting your attention, piquing your interest, and inspiring action. That’s the power of mood targeting.

How Does Mood Targeting Work?

Our mood targeting is developed using the same music genome project data and strategy that fuels music discovery on Pandora. Our music analysts evaluate song elements to associate them with dominant moods. Once moods are selected, then we apply the logic to machine learning. These audiences are dynamic and extremely scalable, reaching listeners in real-time.

Why Is Mood Targeting Effective?

Mood audiences are contextual in nature, reaching listeners while they are in a relevant moment within their listening experience. Nearly seven in 10 listeners ages 25-54 say that streaming audio improves their mood. And over seven in 10 say music helps them relax. That means, audiences actively seek out music to improve, change, or complement their moods. And brands can benefit from being aligned with listener moods for positive associations and increased ad recall.

Get to Know Moods on Pandora

Our mood targeting audiences are based on music listening behavior analyzed by our data science team using a sophisticated algorithm that scores songs against various mood attributes to reach listeners in real-time moments.

Angsty

Our angsty mood reaches listeners who dive headfirst into music associated with feelings of unease or tension.

Highlights:

• 14.7M listeners

• 54% male

Celebratory

Celebratory mood listeners turn up for music associated with cheery and festive states.

Highlights:

• 18.2M listeners

• 55% millennial

Chill

With the chill mood, we’ve identified listeners who groove to tunes associated with a laid-back and wind-down state of mind.

Highlights:

• 11.8M listeners

• HHI >$100K (+8% more likely than other listeners)

Energetic

The energetic mood allows brands to reach audiences who listen to music that gets them in a lively and vivacious state.

Highlights:

• 15.6M listeners

• 51% male

Focused

Our focused mood targets listeners who we’ve identified as listening to music associated with a state of concentration and motivation.

Highlights:

• 12.8M listeners

• HHI >%100K (+13% more likely than other listeners)

Happy

Targeting our happy mood let’s brands get in on all the good vibes that music associated with positive, cheerful, and blissful feelings inspire.

Highlights:

• 20.6M listeners

• 54% female

Love

The love mood is your inside track to the hearts of listeners who listen to songs associated with feelings of deep affection, passion, or strong liking of another person.

Highlights:

• 18.5M listeners

• 57% female

Relaxed

Tap into the calm and quiet state of mind that our relaxed mood listeners are feeling.

Highlights:

• 18.9M listeners

• 1 in 5 Gen X

Soothing

Our soothing mood reaches listeners who are feeling serene and slipping into a meditative state of mind.

Highlights:

• 9.8M listeners

• 55% female

In the Mood for Better Campaign Targeting?

Our contextual solutions like mood targeting are privacy-forward and protected from industry headwinds like the decline of MAIDs, cookie deprecation, and state privacy legislation. Though contextual targeting isn’t new, we’re continuing to enhance our offering to complement more traditional data sources like demographics and geographics to provide better ad experiences for both brands and audiences.

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