Omnichannel

Bayer adds millions of listeners to its omnichannel audience with Spotify audio

Bayer set out to test whether programmatic audio could drive brand awareness for two of its consumer health brands, MiraLAX® and Alka-Seltzer Plus®. Using Spotify Ad Exchange through OpenPath and overlaying licensed third-party data to enable real-time optimizations, Bayer added audio to its omnichannel mix, unlocking millions of new households and listeners in the U.S.

Group of people making purchases in a pharmacy

Product

OpenPath
Industry

CPG, Pharma and health care
Channel

Omnichannel

in 3: households reached by Alka-Seltzer Plus® on Spotify did not see the ad on CTV

%: increased unique reach (Alka-Seltzer Plus® with Spotify)

in 2: listeners reached by MiraLAX® on Spotify did not see the ad on display, OLV, or CTV

BUSINESS OBJECTIVE

Testing audio’s role in extending omnichannel reach

Bayer is a global leader in health care and consumer health products, with brands spanning most everyday self-care categories. For two brands, MiraLAX^® and Alka-Seltzer Plus^®, the company wanted to explore how audio could play a role in its omnichannel strategy.

The goal was to test programmatic audio, measure whether the channel reached audiences outside of Bayer’s existing channel mix, and ultimately prove that it could deliver meaningful incremental reach.

SOLUTION

Activating Spotify programmatic audio through The Trade Desk’s OpenPath

Bayer’s in-house media team used The Trade Desk and the Spotify Ad Exchange, which is accessible via OpenPath, to activate premium audio inventory programmatically. The teams worked in close collaboration, overlaying Bayer’s licensed third-party data to measure incremental reach, while also enabling real-time optimizations on our platform.

Leveraging audio PMP deals through the Spotify Ad Exchange enabled Bayer to holistically manage the frequency and performance of audio in conjunction with the rest of the omnichannel strategy, which included connected TV (CTV) and online video (OLV).

RESULTS

Audio delivers measurable incremental reach

The campaign clearly demonstrated that Spotify audio added scale and efficiency across both product campaigns, reaching new audiences that Bayer’s existing channels had been missing.

For Alka-Seltzer Plus^®:

2 in 3 households reached on Spotify did not see the ad on CTV
By adding audio, unique reach increased by 15%

For MiraLAX^®:

1 in 2 listeners reached on Spotify did not see the ad on display, OLV, or CTV
Adding audio significantly expanded Bayer’s reach beyond existing channels

Across both campaigns, the results underscored that Spotify audio is a uniquely incremental channel. By unlocking distinct audiences, audio proved it can play a central role in Bayer’s omnichannel mix, complementing video and display to drive greater scale and efficiency.

“At Bayer, we’re focused on reaching as many consumers as possible to provide safe and effective self-care solutions in an accessible way. By partnering with Spotify and The Trade Desk, we proved the value of adding audio into our omnichannel mix, reaching new audiences that our existing channels weren’t capturing. The ability to buy Spotify audio programmatically gave us both scale and transparency, and it demonstrated that audio can play a bigger role in delivering incremental reach for our brands.”

Andrea Fischer, Media Strategy Lead for MiraLAX®, Bayer

Want to learn how to add programmatic audio to your omnichannel strategy? Contact us or reach out to your account manager at The Trade Desk today.

Omnichannel