Spotify reportedly pilots a new kind of in-app ad in the US

These days, many users will go to great lengths not to have to listen to or watch ads on the content they consume. However, it is also true that companies still see the industry in question as a potential source of revenue. Therefore, Spotify has been observed to be trying a new and innovative way of driving user engagement with the ads on its platform.

This, according to XDA contributor Doug Lynch, involves a trial of voice-activated ads in the US. It works out pretty much as described: the listener is exhorted to activate a sponsor-branded playlist by speaking a pre-defined command into the mic of their device.

The new initiative is thought to affect a select number of users with Spotify for iOS or Android in the country at present. So far, it is also only associated with the sponsor Axe Body Spray and with Spotify Studios. One such ad attempts to get the user to say "Play now" in order to direct them to "Stay Free: The Story of the Clash" (a Spotify Original podcast), whereas another similarly tries to build play-counts for an Axe-branded list.