Spotify is rolling out interactive carousel ads, the company announced on Tuesday. The company is looking to attract more dollars across the marketing funnel from brand awareness down to generating sales—while also accommodating changing users preferences towards a more visual platform.
The new swipeable ads allow brands to spotlight up to six different products. Each slide in the lineup includes its own image, link, description, and optional pricing or promotional information. The ads will pop up in the app’s Now Playing view appearing on screen while users actively consume content.
Though the carousel ad format was pioneered by Meta in the mid-2010s, Spotify is only now rolling out the offering as users spend more time watching—and not just listening—to Spotify. This is thanks to the platform’s foray into music videos and its push for podcasts to be published with full video.
“The user experience is becoming a much more interactive, audio and visual experience,” Brian Berner, Spotify’s global head of advertising revenue and partnerships, told ADWEEK. “It’s just time for us to make sure that our ad strategy reflects the trends we’re seeing and the user engagement we’re seeing from our consumers.”
Priceline and GNC are among the brands piloting Spotify’s carousel ads.
The platform is also introducing a branded takeover of select Spotify playlists including some of its flagship selections like Rap Caviar, Today’s Top Hits, and New Music Friday.
Advertisers can pay to be the only featured brand on a given playlist where their name appears prominently on the playlist’s main page and their ads run exclusively during play. To improve the user experience, listeners hear fewer ad breaks throughout the duration of a sponsored playlist.