UK charities Macmillan Cancer Support, NSPCC, and Crisis have partnered with Octave Audio and Say It Now to launch a targeted digital audio campaign on Alexa-operated devices to make donating easier than ever.

The smart speaker technology invites listeners of Bauer Media stations such as Magic Radio and News UK stations such as Virgin Radio to send money instantly and securely through speech, reducing barriers and encouraging more people to donate.

The campaign follows recent research from Bauer which found that during the pandemic, 59 per cent of audiences listened to more radio on their smart speakers than before, with 61 per cent of them stating that they would continue this increased smart speaker listening now after restrictions have lifted. 

Furthermore, a study from Savanta found that the not-for-profit sector is more likely than the private sector to have been negatively impacted by the pandemic – with greater proportions of charities reporting adverse impacts such as a decline in income and decreased donations.

Listeners of the ads will be instructed to respond to the creative, prompting Alexa to begin the donation process and ask the audience how much they want to give. Once the listener has confirmed their amount, the donation will automatically be processed, with money being taken out directly through their Amazon Pay account.

In addition to making audience’s lives easier, the connected nature of the devices enables the direct effect of ad spend on user engagement to be measured, providing invaluable information for the charities too.

“We’re delighted to be partnering with Say It Now to connect these incredible charities with targeted audiences across iconic Bauer and News UK brands. We believe this campaign will not only encourage new audience behaviours but also change the way brands work with voice activated technology via smart speakers going forward. It combines the opportunity around more consumers listening to radio digitally via smart speakers, Say It Now’s innovative tech, and our scaled reach together. We hope this campaign will increase donations and make a difference to those in need using the very best in digital innovation” said Product Strategy Lead at Octave Audio, Anna-Lena Mikoteit.

The campaign will last three months, with each charity’s creative airing for one month. Ads with Macmillan creative begins today.