Fender strikes the right chord: driving high-quality clicks with Goal-Based Bidding
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How a legendary guitar brand used Spotify’s ad tech to connect with fans—and hit their performance goals.
Key Facts:
Brand vertical: Retail
Objective: Drive traffic
Targeting used: Interest, Behavioural
Market: US
Flight length: 3/12/2025–3/30/2025
Activation channel: Ads Manager
Formats: Video Takeover
The Goal
Fender set out to launch its new Player II series—an updated line of guitars and basses designed for both seasoned musicians and first-time players. The goal: engage music lovers in an authentic way, while driving meaningful clicks to Fender’s website.
The Solution
To reach the right audience, Fender turned to Spotify—a natural fit for a music-first campaign. They ran a series of video takeover ads that showcased the new models’ vibrant colours and versatile tones, right where fans were already listening.
But the real unlock was goal-based bidding. By optimising for cost-per-click with aggressive CPC targets, Fender ensured their ads were reaching people most likely to take action—without overspending.
Watch Fender's campaign in action.
The Impact
The campaign outperformed Fender’s benchmarks, proving the impact of a smart media and bidding strategy:
$0.87
CPC: Lower than their $1.20 benchmark and $1.00 bid target
1.5%
CTR, Significant improvement on Fender’s historical benchmark of 0.9%.
With Spotify Pixel in place, Fender also captured post-click insights — like page views and conversions — helping validate the value of goal-based bidding across the full funnel.
"The Player II Series was all about evolution – elevating one of Fender’s flagship product lines with upgraded features for the latest generation of players. Spotify provided the tools for our agency Gupta Media to bring that story to life in a context that’s completely music first. We created authentic, high-impact moments with audiences that sparked real consideration, not just impressions."
—Emma Matteson, Media Manager, Fender Musical Instruments Corporation
The Takeaway
For Fender, pairing bold creative with precise targeting paid off. Goal-based bidding gave the brand control over performance and spend, while Spotify’s platform delivered the right audience — making this launch not just loud, but effective.