Feeding America brought listeners food for thought during the holidays
For many, the holidays are synonymous with joyful feasts, the whole family gathered around a roasted turkey or honey-baked ham. But for families experiencing food insecurity, the holiday season means something very different—it can be an especially challenging and stressful time. Feeding America—the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization—partnered with Spotify Advertising to reach the hearts and minds of listeners during the holiday season, proving podcast ads are an effective way to drive their mission forward.
The media mix:
Brand vertical: Non-Profit Organization
Objective: Lift intent to support
Target audience: People 25+
Targeting used: Age
Market: U.S.
Flight length: October-December 2020
Format: Audio Everywhere, Podcast Media, Video Takeover
The Brief:
The pandemic was difficult for everyone, but especially for the millions of Americans without a financial safety net. Knowing that food banks needed extra support and donations over the holidays, Feeding America turned to Spotify Advertising to create a podcast-centric audio ad campaign that reached compassionate and philanthropic-minded adults.
The Solution:
There's no better time to give than during the holiday season, and this is the exact sentiment Feeding America wanted to instill in Spotify podcast listeners. They were confident that people would be more likely to take action if they felt connected to a cause—so getting their message to the right listeners at the right moment was paramount.
This was Feeding America's first campaign with Spotify, and they wanted to reach as many potential donors as possible. Both holiday music streaming and podcast listening tend to surge on Spotify during November and December1, so it was the perfect time of year to reach a large number of listeners. The non-profit took a test-and-learn approach to its digital audio ad campaign, seeing which context, channels and ad formats performed best. They set a wide range for their audience targeting, addressing all adults ages 25 and up.
Feeding America selected different shows on which to share their message, opting for scripted, host-read ads. They scaled their message across many different types of podcasts, including Spotify's original & exclusive (O&E) podcasts, whose audiences aligned perfectly with Feeding America's initiatives. Plus, host-read ads have greater emotional connection with listeners, meaning they're ideal for introducing a new brand or product for the first time.2
The Impact:
Through audience targeting and strategic podcast placement, the campaign reached listeners and helped nurture Feeding America's mission: to end the fight against hunger in the US. The non-profit saw big lifts across metrics like message association and listener intent to support their cause.
Ultimately, the campaign allowed Feeding America to reach listeners at a time of year when donations can have a serious impact—and maybe even change the meaning of the holiday season for families in need. Success was measured in percentage points (pts) against a control group of listeners who weren't exposed to the campaign media.
- +16
pts lift in user association of Feeding America and mission of solving domestic hunger
- +11
pts lift in user intent to support Feeding America in the near future
- +8
pts lift in users attributing Feeding America to supporting families facing hunger
Ready to get your message heard by the right people, in the right moment? Get in touch with your Spotify Advertising team today—or let Spotify Ad Studio guide you to success.
- Source: Spotify Internal Data, US, Spotify Free Users, moment=holidays
- Source: Custom Nielsen Ad Format study commissioned by Spotify. Survey conducted from November 20 - December 9, 2020. Sample of 5,999 respondents age 18+ who are podcast listeners and Spotify users.