Brief:

• Estée Lauder for the first time is letting Spotify listeners verbally request a sample of its new beauty serum. People who listen to Spotify's free, ad-supported service on a Google Home device will be given a chance to request a sample of Estée Lauder's Advanced Night Repair serum, per an announcement shared with sister publication Mobile Marketer.
• The product giveaway is part of a broader audio experience on the streaming platform that includes a customized playlist to accompany nighttime skincare rituals. Users also can create personalized "New Beginnings" playlists based on their Spotify streaming history at a customized microsite. Each playlist features low-tempo sounds to help listeners unwind at bedtime.
• Each week, Estée Lauder and Spotify will refresh the playlist to add short audio annotations between tracks to explain the importance of a nightly skincare routine. Estée Lauder is working with Send Me a Sample on the product sample offer, per its announcement.

Insight:

Estée Lauder's campaign on Spotify for its new Advanced Night Repair serum is notable for giving listeners a chance to verbally request a sample of the product through their Google Home smart devices. The sample offer gives Estée Lauder a way to gather information from consumers who are most likely to use its products, helping to support its future direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales efforts. Many consumers are either avoiding stores during the pandemic or can't sample products at beauty counters, challenging brands to find other ways to demonstrate their products in a safe environment. Estée Lauder can provide that convenience to homebound consumers with its product sampling.

The beauty campaign also is notable for engaging people in a more immersive audio experience that supports its branding. The selection of customized playlists is a more holistic approach to the brand's marketing efforts that seeks to make its products part of a nightly ritual of winding down before bedtime. Estée Lauder not only offers a relaxing audio experience, but also reinforces its messaging with audio annotations that help to remind people to use its products.

This more holistic approach to branding is part of a broader trend of providing experiences that elevate the trial of packaged goods. While the pandemic has put a damper on experiential marketing programs in public settings, companies can still create branded experiences with music playlists, augmented reality (AR) content, video games, hashtag challenges on social media, livestreamed programming and merchandise. For example, Reckitt Benckiser's Mucinex cough medicine brand earlier this month hosted a livestreamed fashion show to introduce a limited-edition clothing line, and vodka brand Ketel One plans to livestream a happy hour and meditation this weekend featuring social influencers who guide audiences through experiences designed to strengthen their relationship with the host brand.

Estée Lauder's campaign also shows how Spotify is expanding its platform to advertisers, even though most of its revenue comes from subscribers to its ad-free platform. Spotify's ad revenue rose 9% to $185 million in Q3 from a year earlier, though its subscription revenue climbed 15% to $1.79 billion, per its quarterly earnings report. The results show a strong 41% rebound in advertising revenue from the prior quarter, when many marketers slashed spending or delayed campaigns because of the pandemic. Spotify's ad-supported monthly average users (MAUs) rose 31% to 185 million in Q3 form the prior year, while total MAUs increased 29% to 320 million worldwide.

Estée Lauder's campaign for Advanced Night Repair comes as the company sees greater demand for skincare products among homebound consumers, who have tended to buy fewer makeup and fragrances. Travel restrictions and store closures led to a 32% decline in revenue to $2.43 billion during its most recently completed quarter. Skincare sales rose 1% to $1.61 billion, the only product category to show growth as makeup, fragrances and hair care posted double-digit declines, per its quarterly earnings report.