Shazam appoints its first chief marketing officer

Media recognition apps vendor, Shazam, has appointed Patricia Parra as its first chief marketing officer as it looks to improve its user engagement globally and expand its product offering.

Parra has 15 years’ experience in consumer marketing across a range of entertainment and digital brands and joins Shazam from gaming startup, OUYA, where she served as CMO. Prior to this, she was head of content marketing at Hulu, where she led global brand strategy, original series campaigns and launched new produced.

Parra’s resume also includes a stint on the digital network distribution team at TV channel giant, HBOI, where she helped implement and market new entertainment products such as HBO On Demand and HBO Go.

At Shazam, Parra will be responsible for driving brand vision, crafting marketing and communication strategies and leading the overall marketing function. In a statement, the company said she will also be tasked with delivering increased user benefits to its 450 million customers as well as help expand Shazam into new entertainment and content services.

She reports directly to Shazam CEO, Rich Riley and will be based in New York.

In a statement, Riley said Parra’s combination of technology, design and marketing skills, along with her focus on improving user experiences, were key reasons for her appointment.

“Patricia’s extensive background in television, her track record leading innovative and creative global campaigns, as well as her understanding of digital entertainment platforms makes her an ideal addition to our leadership team,” he stated. “She will be critical to our success as we rapidly innovate to connect our users with the world around them.”

In a further statement to CMO, Riley added it was important to have a marketing leader in place now to help expand the brand's market position.

"Shazam has become a verb and we plan to continue to expand the definition of that verb to be about music and much more, which is why having the right person in place to shape this strategy and messaging is crucial," he said.

Parra said she was attracted to the role because of Shazam’s reputation, as well as the opportunity to help build a new entertainment experience category.

“I look forward to helping Shazam continue to move into new areas and build upon its existing success,” she said in a statement.

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