Budweiser turns real songs into ads

Beer company Budweiser recently reimagined how to sell itself on Spotify without interrupting the flow of your playlist.

The company's just introduced "UninterruptAds" in Brazil. This means free Spotify listeners won't hear Budweiser ads between songs. Instead, they'll hear real songs that mention the brand's name.

The idea was driven by Budweiser's efforts to get closer to the music scene. And, surprisingly, the brand name shows up in over 500 songs on the platform.

What's the UninterruptAds campaign all about?

Spotify's free version is handy, but famously annoying with its vibe-killing ads. The app plays 2-3 minutes of ads in an hour, all being 15-30 seconds long and popping up every 5-6 songs.

Rather than using sudden and jarring ads, Budweiser is selling itself more organically to listeners and artists alike. But they aren't just adding in songs that mention their name. They're choosing songs that actually suit the playlist being listened to.

So if you're listening to a reggae playlist, Budweiser will sneak in a reggae song that mentions the brand rather than an ad or a random Budweiser-esque song.

That's cool, but why all the effort?

Most of Spotify's 500m+ listeners use the free version. And the global digital audio ad market is expected to hit almost $12 billion this year. When your brand's tied to music, it'd be crazy to let this opportunity slide!

This campaign shows the brand's commitment to the music-centric angle it preaches about. They're obviously hoping that authenticity resonates with listeners. Only time will tell whether that clear respect towards artists and listeners will turn passive listeners into loyal consumers.

-Devin, Copywriter