Inspiration

Iron Mountain demystifies data storage with digital audio ads

Today's world runs on data. Iron Mountain, a company that provides data storage, management, and information disposal services to businesses around the world, knows this. The company's customers know it too—but they may not know which services to trust with sensitive information.

The agency team at ality were tasked with finding new and interesting ways to build brand awareness and educate potential customers about the Iron Mountain offering. On the back of success with other clients, ality proposed using digital audio ads. The flexible, self-serve approach of Spotify Ad Studio allowed Iron Mountain and their agency to test multiple campaigns—and gain valuable insights along the way.

The media mix:

  • Brand vertical: Tech
  • Objective: Awareness and conversion
  • Target audience: Business decision-makers, 25-60
  • Targeting used: Location, Interests, Device Type
  • Market: U.K., Germany, the Netherlands, the Middle East, North Africa
  • Format: Audio

The Brief:

In an increasingly digital world, cybersecurity and data compliance are more important than ever. Iron Mountain wanted listeners to really absorb this message. They hoped to reach key markets like the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, South Africa, and United Arab Emirates (UAE).

They saw digital audio ads as an opportunity to appeal to people seeking educational resources. So, they turned to Spotify to drive traffic to an online resource center, where the brand publishes tons of content—online events, whitepapers, and best practice guides. On top of driving traffic, they also wanted to increase sign-ups. To reach as many potential customers as possible, they targeted audiences across relevant locations, interests, and age groups.

The Solution:

Iron Mountain knows their target audience includes people who value professional development and educational content. In each geographic market, they targeted Spotify listeners between the ages of 25 and 60 with related interests like business, tech, commuting, and podcasts. Since Spotify drives higher engagement than TV, digital video, and even social media, they knew the platform would be a great place to find potential new customers.1

As this was Iron Mountain's first time advertising on Spotify, they took a test-and-learn approach to creating and running digital audio ads. They rolled out up to four variations of their messaging, switching up voice-over profiles, background music, and CTAs to figure out which creative factors would drive the most engagement.

Iron Mountain also anchored their campaign messaging around seasonal moments and holidays like Halloween.

The Impact:

Custom audio ad creation with Ad Studio offers flexibility—such as free creative tools and services like background track options, professional voice-over, and audio mixing. With a custom-tailored approach, Iron Mountain successfully captured audience attention and drove traffic to their content hub. By testing different combinations of assets, scripts, and voice profiles, the brand also boosted awareness of their services.

"Seeing changes in user behavior on the market over the past couple of years prompted us to try new things... We were surprised with the profound impact [digital audio ads] had on driving traffic to the website. They were significantly more efficient compared with some other tactics we had in the mix."

— Darren Peacock, Director of Marketing EMEA & APAC
Sources: 1 "Spotify x Neuro-Insight, Sonic Science," neuro research conducted among 624 participants in the U.S. 2021

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