Cosmetics brand NARS has launched a voice-activated ad campaign on Spotify as a response to consumers’ lockdown behaviours. Launching today, the campaign will be a UK test, targeting Spotify audiences and NARS beauty enthusiasts who are listening to Spotify through a smart speaker. It will enable the voice-activated delivery of blush, lipstick or mascara samples to listeners’ houses. The campaign was created by The Story Lab and Vizeum.

For the sampling element of the campaign, NARS has partnered with Send Me A Sample, a voice-activated sampling company which enables listeners to request samples via Alexa or Google Assistant. In order to make NARS’s female audience aware of the sampling opportunity, The Story Lab and NARS enlisted Spotify to distribute ads specifically through smart speakers to encourage listeners to say to their device: "Ask Send Me a Sample for NARS", with product samples then delivered to the listener’s home, hus engaging with beauty enthusiasts in a way that is useful to them during the lockdown period.

With fewer people streaming from their cars during their daily commutes and an increase in working from home, Spotify has identified that more people are currently streaming across devices like smart speakers, presenting a unique opportunity to engage with more people at home.

“During the current climate, we have had to adapt our way of engaging with our audience,” said Hannah Scott, Senior Partnership Manager at The Story Lab. “Delivering samples directly to consumers’ doors is a great workaround, and something we hope can add a bit of delight during these times, as the user has a blush, lipstick or mascara sample to choose from. Given that people in lockdown are tuning into their smart speakers more than ever, collaborating with Spotify was the perfect fit.”

The campaign will run for eight weeks.