Berocca launches ‘actionable audio ads’ with Amazon Echo smart speaker

People listening to Global radio stations can order Berocca tablets by talking to their Amazon device during a radio ad break

Vitamin tablet brand Berocca has launched “actionable audio ads” for its Berocca Boost variant, which allow digital radio listeners to interact with them and buy the product via an Amazon Echo smart speaker.

People listening to Global radio stations can use voice commands to ask for more information about the product and ask Alexa, the Amazon voice assistant, to order it directly.

Different versions of the ad will begin running during Global radio ad breaks, such as on Capital or Heart, and are variable by time of day, day of the week and weather.

Brand owner Bayer Consumer Health said the campaign is an industry first and that it is the first FMCG company to use “actionable audio ads” in this way.

MediaCom, the media agency for Berocca brand owner Bayer Consumer Health, said the direct effect of the campaign’s ad spend can also be measured in terms of how well users engage with the ad.

The campaign came about after Bayer instructed MediaCom and its creative agency MullenLowe Group to deliver a new approach across creative and media planning.

MullenLowe London and its sister Colombia shop, MullenLowe SSP3, came up with the creative concept around voice, whilst the dynamic audio ads themselves were created by A Million Ads. MediaCom worked up a strategy for digital audio and drove partnerships with Global and voice tech company Say It Now.

Vicky Keenan, marketing director for Bayer Consumer Health, said: “We are always looking for new ways to capture our consumers’ imagination and engage with our brands. With e-commerce proliferating and voice commerce a rapidly emerging channel, we looked to audio as increasingly effective, especially when everyone is spending so much time at home.

“This ambitious activation for Berocca required a hugely collaborative effort from all of the marketing and agency teams – Say It Now, MediaCom, MullenLowe London, SSP3 and A Million Ads – to deliver. It’s exciting to be the first FMCG brand to embrace this innovation and to set the tone for tomorrow’s radio advertising.”