Tag: Spotify Ads

Rak Patel, Head of Enterprise Sales, Europe, Shares Why Podsights Marks a New Opportunity for European Advertisers

October 18, 2022

Earlier this year, Spotify Advertising continued our focus on delivering innovation in audio advertising with the acquisition of Podsights, a leading podcast advertising measurement service that helps advertisers better measure and scale their podcast advertising. With Podsights, we’re bringing greater transparency to podcast ads around the world. Advertisers will now be able to apply key analytics and measurement solutions, enabling them to easily track the success of campaigns or specific placements. And since podcasts are growing in popularity and are slated to become a €1.5B ads business in Europe by the end of 2023, we’ve been investing to grow digital audio advertising across the region.

So earlier this month, we launched Podsights for podcast advertisers in the U.K., France, Germany, Spain, and Italy. This means advertisers in these markets can now easily access real-time insights about their podcast investments and understand how podcast ads drive actions that matter to their business campaigns. In the U.K. in particular, we’re testing these tools for ads in our Free music experience with media agency Omnicom Media Group. Over time, we plan to extend these measurement capabilities beyond podcasts to the full scope of the Spotify platform, including audio ads within music, video ads, and display ads.

And no one is more excited for these advancements than our Head of Enterprise Sales in Europe, Rak Patel.

“We’ve been working hard to create major demand outside of the U.S.,” he explained to For the Record. “We’ve done it through investments on the international side, investments on building a team and set of resources to truly capitalize on the opportunity, and investments on the podcast advertising side for international. All of these components are steps to make Spotify even more attractive as we go on our amazing journey.”

Podsights is now available for all podcast advertisers in the U.K., France, Germany, Spain, and Italy. What was the road to getting here like?

About a year or so ago, our advertising business started building out further capabilities in the EMEA region and in particular the major markets—the EU5 (Including U.K.!)—putting investment not only into the team, but into expanding our offerings as well. And that’s a really important milestone for us because it meant that we were starting to maximize our opportunity with advertisers and agencies outside of the U.S. And a big part of being ready to do that was through really maturing our product offering: advertising via podcasts.

Now, clearly, podcasts are a big thing at Spotify, so what’s really important to us is being able to maximize the opportunity of podcasts on our platform for our advertiser partners, whether that’s through the content that we have on the Owned and Exclusive side or through building our ability to have an audience buy on our platform with the Spotify Audience Network. And then what advertisers still need is to be able to measure the effectiveness of the activity on their site.

And that’s where Podsights comes into play. Rolling this out now across the EU5 is another important step for us to be able to go to advertisers with the full suite of capabilities, which means that they’re able to both reach their audience and measure the effectiveness of that activity on our platform.

Is there a market you’re particularly excited to watch on the podcast advertising front?

This is like asking if I have a favorite child. (I do, but I’m not going to share that here.) So what I’ll say is: I’m massively excited about all five. Simply because each market is at a different stage, but we have a readiness to really do more within each of the markets. Now, Germany and the U.K. are more progressive at the moment in terms of the marketplace. And there’s fantastic content that we have there, and opportunities to match. But equally important for us is France, Spain, and Italy too. So I’m excited for all of my country-children.

In the U.K., we’re testing Podsights with music ads for the first time. What does this mean for advertisers?

First off, I’m delighted that we’re starting this test in Europe. Secondly, what’s really important here is being able to offer our measurement tools to our advertisers at scale across our whole portfolio, whether it’s podcasts or music. The music side of our business is something that we’ve been obviously very focused on for many years now. So the opportunity for us to really scale our new tool, Podsights, in a really fast way across advertisers who already know us really well on the music side, I think that’s a great move.

What are some tips for brands who want to get started with audio advertising?

Our efforts here are making the whole landscape of podcast advertising incredibly attractive because we’re enabling an advertiser to reach their audience at scale—while still offering them ways to sponsor individual shows—and then also to be able to do that on a repeatable basis. The key desires for an advertiser are to be able to share their story, to share their product, and to engage with the audience. There’s three things I would say are going to be really important for advertisers who want to do that through audio:

Be brave. The podcast advertising landscape is one that’s going to evolve very quickly over the next several years. Come with us as we learn and go on this journey.
Think about what our platform can offer from a personalization perspective that other brands can’t do—and then think about how you can really engage with your fans in that way. With unique tech like Streaming Ad Insertion, you know your ad is being heard by the audience you’re aiming to reach. That’s a game changer for podcasts. And not to mention, it’s quite cool.
Think about how you can include podcast ads in your full media plans on a regular basis. Don’t just come try it out and then move on. Make it something that’s evergreen. We see the most impactful, most memorable campaigns from advertisers who continually engage. And this is where Podsights really helps, because it gives those proof points. Don’t stop the conversation.

To learn more about Spotify Advertising, head to Ads.Spotfy.

How Film Director Amber Grace Johnson Brought the Immersive Spotify Experience to Life in Our New Spotify Advertising Brand Campaign

September 28, 2021

When advertisers create digital audio for Spotify, they have the opportunity to reach passionate music lovers and dedicated podcast listeners who tune in day after day—a truly engaged audience, if not the most engaged audience. And as audio content consumption is on the rise with no signs of slowing down, digital advertising is also becoming more mainstream. Now, Spotify Advertising is taking advantage of this reality to excite advertisers, publishers, and creators about this opportunity with our first global B2B brand campaign, All Ears On You.

We’re showing advertisers what it truly means to reach a fully engaged audience by imagining the Spotify experience as a moment where each listener is immersed in Spotify as they go about their day—protected from the noise and distractions of everyday life.

One part of our campaign is a stunning video created in conjunction with film director Amber Grace Johnson. The video, which was shot in Mexico City, shows this true immersion in a beautiful sync of live action and visual effects, all set to the song “Feet Don’t Fail Me Now” by Spotify RADAR artist Joy Crookes.

For the Record grabbed time with Amber to speak with her about her love of music, the creative direction that went into the campaign, and her goal in working with Spotify’s advertising team.

Why were you interested in working with Spotify?

Music is one of the biggest motivators in my life. I’m a person who needs 360-degree stimulation. Music helps me romanticize the mundane by injecting it with pure delicious immersion. It’s pretty wild to think of how terrifyingly vital a role Spotify plays in my every day—feasting my ears with the infinite soundtracks of my life.

And because I love all genres (and even surprise myself with what I come to love), Spotify gives me the means to discover newness (and oldness). I truly believe the world would be a lost and scary place without this medium.

I’ve always been a fan of Spotify. Since I started professionally directing three years ago, I had Spotify on my list as a brand I admire and dreamed of working with. And this experience absolutely lived up to that dream of mine.

Tell us a little about the direction in the All Ears On You film. What are the elements you set out to convey?

Powerful women and the art of letting go. This film is a window into the life of someone truly present—a young woman who defies the gravity of today’s experience by way of music. Our main character is able to rise above the ambush of the digital zeitgeist, an at-times suffocating frenzy.

As someone who lives and dies by Spotify, I believe music has healing powers. And whenever I’m in a bad mood, I play James Brown’s “People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul,” and it works like magic. I wanted to share the wonders of music and how it can transport you to another dimension, if you let it.

In this piece, we revel in a spirit so comfortable in herself that she makes you feel free enough to do the same. If anything, we want people to watch this and feel inspired to romanticize their lives, add a bit of spice—no matter how mundane—to something like a dizzying commute home from work. My goal is to sweep you off your feet with some Spotify.

The song in the video is “Feet Don’t Fail Me Now” by Joy Crookes. How did you choose this song? How did it influence the story within the video, and vice versa?

We were all hell-bent on finding the perfect song that was magnetic and soulful and by an artist on the rise. Spotify’s algorithm is strong and has personally put me on to a number of artists I wasn’t privy to. Finding that balance was essential, especially for a brand with real influence on how the world experiences music.

When we were auditioning songs (I want to say, we tried hundreds of options!), “Feet Don’t Fail Me Now” just hit differently. It had this Amy Winehouse-meets-Bond feeling. There’s something with the instrumentation that made me feel like it’s in the spirit of a James Bond soundtrack. And, of course, the lyrics are very synchronistic with the visuals. Joy Crookes is an artist’s artist, on the cusp of something greater, with real intention behind her craft.

Director Amber Grace Johnson

There’s a part of the video where the music totally cuts out and then little podcast snippets start. Was that something that you envisioned from the beginning?

The original concept was centered around this one girl inside her bubble living her best life amidst an intense world of distractions. I was inspired to expand beyond her point of view and introduce other characters who also find an almost delirious escapism in music. Whether you’re a couple falling in love while sharing a song, listening to an alien podcast trying to pass time in bumper-to-bumper, or a dreamer who’s healing her anxiety with a meditation podcast—we all can live at ease in our bubbles if we desire to.

You typically work on consumer campaigns. Did you change your approach when directing this B2B video for Spotify Advertising?

I think the best advertising is rooted in a simple idea: how to successfully sell a dream and a feeling. In this film, you hardly see the product, but you can feel its impact.

In order for me to fall in love with anything I do, I have to see the beauty and purpose in it. I try my best to approach advertising as an art form and with some psychology. At a basic level, what do people want? What makes us feel? People are excited about what other people are passionate about. And I personally engage in videos that make me forget where I am and take me on a ride. For this film, music in itself, is a lifeline to so many people. In no way did this concept or process feel like advertising to me.

What are you hoping people walk away from this thinking and feeling?

We live in a special time where social media and technology have made us question ourselves and perform in an unrealistic and unnatural way. I believe we’re all dying for some realness—a much-needed pivot to a more stripped back, raw and real, less self-serious existence. I hope this piece reminds viewers of their inner child and that it’s sexy to be yourself!

Learn more at ads.spotify.com/all-ears-on-you.

Sustainable Sonics: Carbon-Neutral Advertising Takes Root on Spotify

April 22, 2021

Digital audio consumption has taken off in recent years as consumers spend more time listening to music and podcasts as part of their daily routines. From Songs to Sing in the Shower to help pump you up for the day, to an episode of Crime Junkie to zone out with on your morning walk, time spent with digital audio increased 8.3% in 2020, with the average consumer streaming 1 hour and 29 minutes per day (eMarketer). Advertisers have taken notice and have tapped into Spotify and our streaming intelligence to reach these highly engaged audiences.

As Spotify’s reach with advertisers continues to grow, we’ve started to examine ways we can offset the environmental footprint of our ads. One of Spotify Advertising’s teams, the Creative Collective, was formed earlier this year to cultivate some of these new opportunities for advertisers. Amanda Hoyle, a Creative Strategist on the team, dug into her own lifelong passion and interest around sustainability and environmentalism to help lead the charge in creating Spotify’s newest ad offering: Sustainable Sonics.

Sustainable Sonics enables brands to make their music and podcast advertising fully carbon neutral (or in other words, to have net-zero carbon impact by balancing out the carbon emissions by funding an equivalent amount of carbon savings elsewhere in the world) on Spotify for one year.

For the Record grabbed time with Amanda to learn more about her role in creating the offering, how it works, and the larger opportunity around environmentally conscious options in the audio advertising world.

What is the role of the Creative Collective advertising team at Spotify?

We essentially work with advertisers to unlock, create, celebrate, and inspire ideas worth listening to—and that’s really our guiding principle and mission statement. The Creative Collective team is a network of strategists around the world focusing on creative excellence in advertising, with a particular interest in audio. The way we see it, the creative potential of audio is endless, and we’ve only just scratched the surface so far.