Tag: advertising

A New Era for Podcast Advertising

February 22, 2021

Over the last year, Spotify has made significant moves to modernize audio advertising. From the launch of Streaming Ad Insertion to the expansion of our self-serve ad platform, Ad Studio, to the acquisition of Megaphone, we’re committed to ensuring this industry reaches its full potential.

Today, we announced an exciting leap forward for audio advertising, creating a path for creators to earn more for their work while delivering greater impact for advertisers.

We believe that this space is primed for innovation as digital audio becomes an integral part of consumers’ daily routines worldwide. According to eMarketer, in the U.S., mobile time spent listening to audio content is now outpacing time spent on social media, video, and gaming.

It’s no secret that podcasts have played a pivotal role in the rise in audio consumption. Their intimate nature makes them an ideal medium for advertisers looking to connect with engaged listeners who are ready to learn, discover, or be entertained. Read on to learn about how we’re powering the next era of innovation for the entire audio advertising ecosystem.

Introducing the Spotify Audience Network

The Spotify Audience Network is a first-of-its-kind audio advertising marketplace in which advertisers of all sizes will be able to connect with listeners consuming a broad range of content. These include Spotify’s Originals & Exclusives, podcasts via Megaphone and Anchor, and ad-supported music. We’ll leverage our medium-defining technology to give advertisers the ability to reach our audience of hundreds of millions of listeners—at scale—both on and off Spotify. We are in the early stages of developing this offering and look forward to sharing more in the coming months.

 

Unlocking new features on Streaming Ad Insertion 

At the top of 2020, we unveiled Streaming Ad Insertion (SAI), which delivers the intimacy and quality of traditional podcast advertising with the precision and transparency of modern-day digital marketing. SAI introduced an entirely new set of data-driven insights to podcast advertising, including a full digital suite of planning, reporting, and measurement solutions. SAI is available in the U.S., Canada, Germany, and the UK, and we plan to launch in additional markets later this year. 

Over the past year, we have been refining SAI with our Originals & Exclusive content and now are ready to scale our innovation. We’re unlocking more product features, like audience-based buying, native ad placements, and reporting on creative performance, all of which play a key part in powering the Spotify Audience Network. Later this year, we’ll start to make this technology available to Megaphone podcast publishers and leading Anchor creators.

Simplifying podcast advertising with Spotify Ad Studio

The best way for advertisers to get started with Spotify Advertising is through our self-serve platform Spotify Ad Studio. Spotify Ad Studio makes streaming audio advertising accessible to advertisers of all sizes, from Fortune 500 brands to artist teams to local coffee shops. Through Spotify Ad Studio, advertisers have the power to reach our audience of hundreds of millions of listeners and leverage our streaming intelligence to ensure their message is heard by the right listeners, at the right moment.

Today, we’ll begin beta testing podcast ad buying on Spotify Ad Studio in the U.S. The introduction of podcasts to Spotify Ad Studio makes it simple for any advertiser to connect with engaged listeners at scale, whether they’re streaming their favorite podcast or discovering a new playlist.

These advancements—the Spotify Audience Network, Streaming Ad Insertion, and podcast buying via Spotify Ad Studio—will benefit creators, advertisers and listeners for years to come. We spoke to HBO Max’s Vice President of Growth Marketing, Katie Soo, to get her thoughts about how the streaming platform is leveraging Spotify as part of its marketing mix. 

“During the launch of HBO Max, our strategy was to expand our reach and align with digital audio to find entertainment seekers. We turned to Spotify, given its audio-first strategy, scale and cutting-edge technology, to address both of these key pillars,” noted Soo. “Our early campaigns have been successful, and we plan to continue partnering with Spotify to explore what’s possible in this growing medium.”

To learn more about these paradigm-shifting innovations, head over to Ads.Spotify.com.

5 Tips from Miguel, Samira Wiley, Jessie Ware, and Ramy Youssef on Creating an Authentic Brand

June 22, 2018

If you feel like you “really know” your favorite musician or TV star personally, you’re not alone. Between on-demand, streaming music and video and a never-ending array of posts on social platforms, today’s artistic creators and audiences are closer than ever before. For some celebrities, that connection gives them the chance to share their brand in a very new, meaningful way.

Spotify and Hulu acknowledged and celebrated this newfound engagement during a panel at the 2018 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity introduced by Spotify CMO Seth Farbman and Hulu CMO Kelly Campbell. The execs then handed the mic over to moderator God-is Rivera, Creative Executive at VML, who invited four influential creators from across the music, film, TV, and advertising worlds—Grammy Award-winning artist Miguel, musician Jessie Ware, actress Samira Wiley, and comedian Ramy Youssef—to explore what these connections mean for artists, brands, and creators in the digital age.

Hulu CMO Kelly Campbell and Spotify CMO Seth Farbman

 

We collected a few tips from the panelists on creating and sustaining your own brand:

1. Use culture to engage authentically

Miguel: “I am genuinely interested in creative work. I love to watch film, listen to as much music as possible, and just generally keep in touch with culture. It’s inspiring and helps continue the conversation.”

Samira: “I want to be able to have fans and people who are following me on social media feel like they are getting a real piece of me. So I try to post pictures where I’m hanging out with real people. I say yes to people a lot on the street—I used to shy away, but being accessible when I can helps me feel like I’m connecting more. I hope it makes them feel like they’re connecting with me as well.”

Jessie: “I try to be as honest as possible. I have a podcast, which helps me be relevant. It was very accidental, I did it to escape myself, but people have quite enjoyed it. I do it with my mother while she cooks dinner … It has shown my fans another side of me. A lot of fans think I’m very mysterious but I’m absolutely not, so this breaks down a barrier where they can see that other side, tap in, be relatable and accessible.”

Jessie and Ramy prepare to share

2. Keep your fans in mind

Ramy: “When you do stand-up, you’re kind of ambushing people with comedy. It informs the messaging. You’re like, ‘Ok, if I’m trying to get people’s attention right away, how can I do it?’ and you have to be as authentic as possible right away. … When you only have a small amount of time to engage people, it becomes really clear what the message is and what you want to say.”

Jessie: “Everyone has a story, and you may not know what’s going on when you’re serenading them, and you’re kind of getting a bit frustrated that maybe the crowd’s not warming up enough, but you’re not doing it for you, you’re doing it for them. That’s very humbling for me.”

3. Take a stand for what you believe in

Miguel: “Being of Mexican and black descent, knowing the journey that my father took as an immigrant to the United States from Zamora, Michoacán Mexico makes trying to figure out the proper solution for undocumented people in the States something that has been really dear to my heart. Learning and speaking up about that is a way that I’ve been able to include something that’s authentic to where I came from into my communication and conversation with my fans.”

Samira and Ramy having a laugh

 

4. Use your platform to spread your message

Samira: “Why do I have this platform? People are looking at us to say things. I felt like I needed to speak out on political things because of who I am. I had a wonderful experience coming out … but I know there are so many LGBT youth who do not have that experience. The leading cause of death for LGBT youth is suicide. To have one person who is an advocate for you in your life reduces that by 30 percent. And if I can do that for someone through social media, then that is what I want to do and that is one of the reasons I have the platform I do.”

5. Find a connection

Ramy: “Every time we talk we have influence. Being Muslim is a political thing. Just who I am is political. Now I have a platform and people care. They want to know. So I have to be as much me as possible, as human as possible, and that means putting the flaws first. People respond to ‘Yo, we’re both messed up in the same ways, and we’re both dealing with the same issues,’ and in order for me to do that I have to be vulnerable and honest and human.”

One—perhaps unspoken—piece of advice was that an artist never rests: Miguel brought the evening to a close with a performance of his chart-topping “Sky Walker.”

Miguel performing “Sky Walker”

 

Whether showcasing their work or sharing their thoughts, these influencers are able to create a unique connection that they don’t take for granted.

L-R: Miguel, Samira, Seth, Jessie, God-is, and Ramy

Spotify Celebrates the Connection Between Brands and Consumers at Cannes

June 18, 2018

Spotify was founded upon the simple truth that personal discovery is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Our mission from the beginning has been to connect fans to culture and bring creativity to the world.

That premise makes our presence at the 2018 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity particularly meaningful. From our Spotify Beach headquarters on the Croisette, we celebrate a turning point for the company. We are proud of how far we have come and what we’ve learned along the way. As the recipient of the Cannes Lion Media Brand of the Year award, we consider 2018 as a reflection of that journey.

To date, Spotify connects musicians with over 170 million fans globally, utilizing personalized insights to inspire people to discover even more. From our perch in the cross currents of culture—and at the nerve center of Cannes Lions—Spotify Beach hosts the leaders of the world’s most exciting brands to exchange ideas and learn more about the possibilities of partnership.

At the core of our offerings is the trusted relationship we’ve developed with music fans. Users on our free tier stream over two hours each day, and they stream everywhere: on mobile phones, in connected cars, and through smart speakers at home. This allows us to understand unique insights—like moods, mindsets, tastes and habits on an individual level—and deliver content tailored to each listener.

This valuable intelligence provides advertising partners with opportunities to place personalized and inspiring ads in ways that resonate deeply with a wide range of cultures. Our streaming intelligence connects us with new audiences, providing real time insights that deliver more relevant and engaging ad experiences for our brand partners and users.

At Spotify Beach we present an array of exhibits and interactive tools that give a real, tangible impression of who we are and what we have to offer brands. We highlight everything from our creator programs, personalized and cultural playlists (including Rise, Viva Latino, Rap Caviar, Hot Country and Spotify Singles) and New Free Tier listening experience to our rapid growth in podcasts.