Reebok reveals Cardi B footwear in Spotify soundboard experience

Brief:

Reebok this week started promoting its first footwear collection inspired by rapper Cardi B in an interactive audio experience on Spotify. The "B Unexplainable" experience in the streaming platform's desktop app lets users of its free service mix 40-second beats that include Cardi B's catchphrases, and download them to play again, per an announcement shared with Mobile Marketer.
Cardi B recorded audio ads that urge listeners to visit the online soundboard experience and start mixing beat tracks. Adidas-owned Reebok also is sponsoring the "This is Cardi B" playlist that has 42 songs, including hits like "I Like It," "Bodak Yellow" and "WAP."
Reebok sells the latest collection on its website, where the sportswear brand is giving customers a chance to win a "Cardi Mouthy" gift kit valued at $4,000. Visitors to Reebok's website have until Dec. 9 to enter the sweepstakes, according to the contest rules.

Insight:

Reebok aims to engage consumers with its Spotify audio experience featuring Cardi B, who has expanded her collaboration with the sportswear brand by offering the first Reebok x Cardi Footwear Collection. The rapper has been a Reebok brand ambassador since 2018 and has about 45 million monthly listeners on Spotify. The streaming platform's most recent weekly chart shows Cardi B's song "WAP" in the top 10, a sign that Spotify is well-suited to reach fans who are most likely to buy items from the collection. When Cardi B announced on Instagram last month that the first sneakers from the collection were available, they sold out within 24 hours.

The apparel brand's campaign for a new Cardi B collection comes as parent company Adidas seeks to build on a sales rebound as it reopens stores across the country. E-commerce has been a bright spot for the maker of athletic apparel, which experienced a 93% yearly jump in online sales in the second quarter, followed by a 51% gain in Q3 as consumers shifted back to shopping in stores a few months into the pandemic. Reebok's revenue had plunged 42% in Q2, but recovered somewhat the following quarter as the declined narrowed to 7%, according to public announcements.

Reebok has shown a willingness to experiment with audio experiences as it looks to drive awareness of its relationships with Cardi B. The brand last year introduced limited-edition versions of its first Club C sneaker inspired by the rapper with a voice-powered campaign. By saying "Open Reebok Sneaker Drop" to devices running the Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant virtual assistants, consumers could enter a sweepstakes to win limited-edition versions of the sneakers decorated with Swarovski crystals. The voice-powered contest was an extension of its previous "Nails" campaign starring Cardi B.

For Spotify, the Reebok campaign is another sign of how marketers are embracing the audio platform's ad-supported service that's free to listeners and how product-driven marketing is a focus as online shopping becomes a bigger focus for many consumers this holiday season.

Spotify's ad-supported monthly average users (MAUs) rose 31% to 185 million in Q3 from the prior year, giving advertisers a way to reach a broader audience, though Spotify also offers audience-based targeting. Among the recent interactive campaigns on the platform, Hyundai this week unveiled a mobile and digital experience to highlight the features of its 2021 Elantra sedan. The carmaker's "My City Unlocked" activation includes three recording artists who provide virtual tours of their hometowns in a series of podcasts, videos and annotated playlists. Before that, beauty brand Estée Lauder let Spotify listeners verbally request a sample of its latest product. The campaign was integrated with Google Home smart speakers, giving listeners a way to interact with Estée Lauder's audio ads.