Brands that include audio and video ads as part of their Spotify marketing strategy have a unique opportunity to reach a truly immersed audience—and create a competitive edge.

With 626 million global monthly active users (MAUs), including more than 393 million ad-supported MAUs,¹ Spotify offers a prime opportunity to connect with a diverse and engaged audience—and you can reach them via a variety of digital audio and video advertising tactics.

How to level up your Spotify marketing strategy

Ads on Spotify can be a valuable tool for marketers to fine-tune their brand voice and forge connections with their target customers. For one thing, our audio and video ads can go just about anywhere. Spotify users soundtrack their days with their favorite music and podcasts, spending more than two hours daily with us across devices.²

Content on Spotify also complements, rather than detracts, from people’s activities. In fact, 63% of respondents to our most recent Sonic Science study agree that Spotify plays an important role in their everyday routines.³

Below, we’ve laid out our top four strategies for businesses and brand marketers who want to tap into Spotify's audience.

1. Use sonic branding cues to drive recall.

Sound can help communicate your brand’s personality and identity in the same way as a logo or specific font. Whether it's a signature song or sound effect, audio creates another layer of identity and recognition for your brand.

A sonic brand cue can be as simple as a sonic logo like, "Hey, BRAND here" at the top of an ad, a jingle, a memorable character in a podcast ad, or a recognizable voiceover artist (or celebrity—with their permission, of course). You can add sonic brand cues to your audio, video, and social ads—anywhere an audio element is present. And when people hear your ad, they’ll be able to say, “Aha, I’ve heard from this brand before."

Timing counts in sonic branding, too. Our research shows that ads with brand mentions in the first five seconds drive 24% higher Favorability than those without a mention in the first five seconds,⁶ and repeated brand mentions tend to boost Favorability and Intent even further.⁷

You can also boost the effectiveness of your audio ads by adding a visual component. For instance, Spotify's clickable CTA cards add an interactive element that helps drive users to your site, and Canvas for Advertisers displays looping visuals alongside audio ads. Our research has found that users exposed to both audio and a full-screen visual of a brand's ad at the same time experience a 12% lift in Aided Awareness and a 6% lift in Purchase Intent, compared to those who don't hear an ad at all.⁸

2. Establish brand guidelines.

Make sure your brand’s sounds, visuals, and videos on Spotify align with your larger brand identity, from the cadence of the voiceover in an audio ad to the visuals you might choose for a Canvas integration.

Start by outlining your brand values and the key messages you want to communicate to your customers. Then consider the following questions to build a holistic soundscape or multi-format campaign:

• What sound effects could help convey the brand’s values and messages?
• What genre of music would resonate most with the brand’s personality and target audience?
• What personality should a voiceover narrator communicate?
• How can visuals complement or enhance these audio components?
• What visual elements or video styles best represent your brand's personality?
• How can you create a cohesive audio-visual experience that reinforces your brand message?

3. Connect with your audience in context.

People use Spotify almost everywhere—in the car, gym, office, and even in the shower—as well as in both screenless and screen-based contexts, like when curating playlists or watching video podcasts. Because our audience is logged in 100% of the time, we understand how people stream across devices throughout their day.

Understanding your audience’s context and taking an audience-first approach to your brand marketing strategy will help your brand show up in the moments that count—for both your target customer and your product or service.

4. Learn from your competitors.

Researching your competitors and learning what they’re doing well (and not so well) is a crucial step in building audio and video into your brand marketing strategy. Check out how they’re branding their business, and ask questions like:

Researching your competitors and learning what they’re doing well (and not so well) is a crucial step in building audio and video into your brand marketing strategy. Check out how they’re branding their business, and ask questions like:

• What brand stories do they tell?
• How do they use audio or video to bring those stories to life?
• How can your brand take a unique approach and highlight your differentiators?