Spotify streamers = holiday shoppers. Here’s how to reach them.
The most wonderful time of the year starts on Spotify—as early as September—but when the festive season reaches full steam, Spotify streamers shop to the sound of their own jingle. Here’s how you can reach them when they’re primed to buy.
The holidays are for gift-giving and get-togethers—made all the merrier by that familiar seasonal soundtrack. After all, where would we be without holiday themed playlists? Spotify helps set the mood for the festivities, enticing millions to tune in while they decorate, celebrate, travel, and shop.
Last year's holiday shopping season saw retail spending in the U.S. grow by 3.9%, and a much larger gain of 4.8% is forecast for the 2024 holiday season.1
Advertising on Spotify is one way to ensure your product is top of mind as we move into the busiest shopping period of the year.
Be the voice in people’s ears
Come November, most retail stores waste no time in embracing the holiday spirit—but did you know that many shoppers prefer to bring their own soundtrack? In fact, most ad-supported Spotify fans stream music and podcasts while they’re shopping—whether in-store or online—creating a unique opportunity to deliver a message about your product or service at the most crucial of moments.
7/10
people say Spotify aids in their purchase journey²
86%
Spotify users streamed music while holiday shopping³
1/2
Spotify users streamed podcasts while holiday shopping⁴
Scroll for more
Engage through sight and sound
Being able to reach shoppers while they’re in-store or browsing online is one of the major benefits of advertising with Spotify during the holiday season. You can reach them with audio ads during screenless moments, or with video ads when they’re interacting with the app—say, searching for a new playlist. As long as content is playing, video ads are served either between songs (sound-on) or during songs (opt-in, sound-off)—and always when the app is in focus.
Our research shows that combining audio with video is the more effective strategy for increased familiarity, intent, and sales:
2.3x
Higher familiarity compared to audio only⁵
2.2x
Higher intent compared to audio only⁶
66%
Incremental sales when you combine video and audio ads, compared to audio alone⁷
Scroll for more
Holiday ad campaign examples on Spotify
Check out how these brands were able to successfully reach and engage Spotify fans during the festive season—and fuel your own creative inspiration for an effective holiday campaign on Spotify.
WETHENEW
Music, art and fashion intersect on Spotify—with many artists expressing their creativity through their music and what they wear. That was the premise for French ecommerce retailer WETHENEW, who opted for a combo of audio and video formats for their 2022 holiday campaign on Spotify Ads Manager.
The brand’s audio ads encouraged buyers to shop for the latest streetwear trends online, while video ads—produced in collaboration with Spotify's specialized ads team—were shot from inside a gift box being unwrapped to bring the festive vibe full circle. The result? A 98% completion rate on audio ads, and a .98% CTR on video ads.
Naïma
Italian perfumery brand Naïma and agency partner Workup Srl launched a beauty advertising campaign on Spotify Ads Manager to reach their target audience during key "me time" moments during the fast-moving holiday season.
Leveraging both audio and video formats, the campaign delivered +8M overall impressions and reached +2M users—helping to raise awareness, interest, and more.
Heineken
Working with Spotify's creative strategists, Heineken crafted a series of holiday-themed audio ads delivered via the Spotify Audience Network—reaching German podcast listeners with a simple message: The best gifts are in the fridge.
The campaign led to strong lifts in Recall (+15pts) and Message Association across ads served between songs (+6pts) and during podcasts (+15pts).
Wonderbox
How do you promote a gift box, a dream experience, and an innovative brand all in one package? Experiential gifting company Wonderbox showed the competition exactly how, when it tapped Spotify Ads Manager for its holiday advertising campaign.
Casting a wide net, the brand targeted people aged 18-65 across all interests. Plus, they created audio ads using Spotify’s free creative tools—a decision that paid off when its campaign achieved a 96% completion rate, helping improve brand awareness throughout France.
Beefeater
Iconic British gin brand Beefeater wanted to increase its brand association with Christmas among Spotify listeners in Spain. They teamed up with Spotify to produce creative focused on three familiar holiday themes: Christmas markets, ugly sweaters, and hot drinks.
Audio was a key asset, as it allowed the brand to personalize their messaging and record many different creative versions to promote throughout the holiday season. The campaign delivered more than 10M impressions and reached 2.6M unique listeners.
Get started on Spotify Ads Manager
It’s easy to create and manage your own campaigns with Spotify Ads Manager. Choose from a range of objectives to optimize for your business goals, and combine different formats to ensure your holiday ads are seen and heard at different moments throughout the holiday season.
Reach holiday shoppers on Spotify.
Log into Ads Manager to kick off your next—or very first—campaign, or visit our Get Started page to learn more.
Sources & References