Companies like Honda and Dropbox are taking centre stage in their industries by integrating music into their brand engagement model.

By introducing musical elements like playlists and music communities, these companies are gaining Millennial momentum. Music streaming services have logged that “sponsored listening resulted in a 12% lift in brand awareness and a 30% lift in purchase intent for advertisers” (according to Fast Company).

Have you ever caught yourself humming the theme song to a TV show, ad or even just a new song? Plenty of brands have figured this out and are using music in their marketing campaigns for better customer retention solutions.

There are several key elements to successful brand engagement, from simply hiring the right staff, to acting on your worst feedback. The world’s leading business people, entrepreneurs and marketers give advice better than anyone else, so scroll down to see what their tips are when it comes to brand engagement and retaining your customers.

There’s no denying that music has an incredible effect on advertising sales. With 98% of people across the globe reporting that they listen to music, there is a big opportunity for companies to start building a brand with music.

The changing landscape of marketing means that customer engagement has taken a hit leading into the first couple of months in 2016. Also affecting the level of engagement is the rise of the Millennial and what marketers understand in order to connect with them. To  understand what it is you should be doing to enhance your brand, it’s important to first understand why customer engagement dropped this year.

Here are the top 4 reasons that brands are seeing less customer engagement in 2016:

Luxury Swiss watchmaker Raymond Weil once again is using its passion for music as the creative centrepiece of its collaboration with Universal Music Group and the BRIT Awards.

Music has always been an essential ingredient for Raymond Weil, and has been involved within the music industry for over three decades. The Swiss watchmaker is renowned for coining the phrase “Raymond Weil composes its timepieces the way musicians compose their chef d’oeuvres.”

This unique collaboration with UMG will be offering consumers a bespoke digital music streaming service. By aligning the brand so closely to the music industry in every shape and form - from exciting marketing campaigns to music sponsorship, this brand understands how the #PowerOfMusic can drive brand affinity with its consumers.

1Rebel, a new chain of gyms in London, brands itself as the "anti-gym". It is revolutionising London’s fitness and will be looking to extend this successful brand globally. It is a no-contract ‘pay-as-you-train’ boutiques, infamously ditching the typical stereotype gymnasium model.

1Rebel is taking fitness one step ahead of its competitors by using the #PowerOfMusic to differentiate and add value to its services. Music is the focal point at 1Rebel gymnasiums with curated bespoke playlists and even live music to inspire and motivate fitness enthusiasts.

Uber has achieved verb status: You don't call a car, you uber it.

The company is now introducing a new feature to its app called Trip Experiences.

App makers will be granted access to its service to give riders customised music, news and even restaurant reviews.

This new feature will see Uber leveraging music and other entertainment content in a bid to get to know their customers better using app integrations in the mobile space.

The Joy of Jazz Festival is one of the biggest music festivals held in Johannesburg each September, where music fans are treated to a stellar line-up of some of the world’s most talented musicians. This year, the festival’s sponsors decided to extend the reach of the festival to some very lucky motorists during rush hour traffic via an unorthodox and creative marketing campaign, bringing music experiences to life.

In what would be considered an authentic concert experience and extending the event’s  reach outside of the jazz festival, music fans were treated to a two-hour gig on a live jazz billboard on the corner of William Nicol and Republic roads in Sandton, Johannesburg. 

The live jazz performance on a billboard marked the start of South Africa’s premier jazz music festival, which featured more than 20 artists from across the globe and one authentic marketing campaign to reach wider audiences.

The trend of employing a music streaming service is fast becoming the latest marketing tool that retail stores are using to stand out in the crowded mobile commerce world, where more often than not, consumers are inundated with apps that get deleted as quickly as they're added or worse, have never been opened. 

Throughout American Eagle Outfitters stores, consumers are greeted by a collection of music which has been specifically curated in an effort to connect with music fans and give consumers an all-around brand experience. Now, the American clothing store is taking its music marketing strategy one step further by adding music streaming playlists to its mobile shopping app, ensuring that the mcommerce shopping experience is consistent with the in-store shopping experience.

By connecting with consumers over a shared love of music, this new music tool has kept consumers shopping in-app for longer periods and has boosted engagement and sales to its e-commerce app.