Turning skippable ads into unmissable content

Brief

We were challenged with developing an audio ad for PayPal using Spotify’s new skippable ad format that (a) demonstrated how PayPal is ‘the easy way to pay’ for everyday verticals (like streaming, food and travel), and (b) listeners wouldn’t skip when given the opportunity.

Strategy

Skipping ads is natural, habitual behaviour in 2018. Considering the brief, we quickly realised a traditional audio ad wouldn’t cut it. That’s when we started thinking about podcasts – often long-winded, padded out and excessively long, and yet they’re the defining audio format of the 21st century. We decided to transform our ad placements into podcasts.

Solution

Skipping ads is natural, habitual behaviour in 2018. Considering the brief, we quickly realised a traditional audio ad wouldn’t cut it. That’s when we started thinking about podcasts – often long-winded, padded out and excessively long, and yet they’re the defining audio format of the 21st century. We decided to transform our ad placements into podcasts.

Results
77% completed ad listens
16% lift in message association
233% lift in ad recall
959K Incremental transactions volume
3.8 increased transactions per user per month

Which means Gen Z now gets that PayPal is the easy way to pay for their day-to-day expenses.

And it only took 20 seconds.