Why is this work relevant for Media?

This campaign successfully launched Sonos’ new Roam portable smart speaker through a 100% digital media strategy that demonstrated a deep understanding of changed consumer habits during the pandemic, and delivered significant, measurable sales result for Sonos’ new product.

Background

In Q3 of 2020, Sonos launched Roam, a premium, portable smart speaker, one of its most competitively priced products to date, which was key to Sonos’ strategy to both empower listeners and take share of the wireless portable speaker category. A turbulent and unpredictable media landscape, combined with a consumer restricted in their ability to travel by COVID 19, presented a challenging context to launch a product designed for on-the-go listening. As well as taking Sonos into a new product category, Roam was built to attract a broader, more diverse audience. This presented the challenge of not only building new product awareness and consideration from scratch, but doing so against a younger, in-market audience with less disposable income. We were challenged to convert interest into purchase at a local return on ad spend of 300%, and drive traffic to site with a dwell time of at least 60 seconds.

Describe the creative idea / insights (30% of vote)

Research indicated a mood of optimism, with domestic travel, sport, and events re-emerging in the Australia. But in other global markets, COVID was still having a massive impact. Sonos is a global business and relies on its agencies to provide insight into local trends and opportunities, so we had to educate the client on Australia’s COVID context and its strategic implications. Our insight? While Aussies were no longer stuck at home, they were still restricted, living their lives close to home and enjoying social moments in smaller groups. A walk to the park, a road trip, or a swim went from being taken for granted to highly valued, as Aussies were now required to be more deliberate and organised when leaving their home. International travel was replaced with domestic, and QR codes were here to stay. We weren’t immune to change, but we still had a feeling of freedom.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

Leveraging that feeling of freedom through our media was key to landing the use case for Roam - a smart, portable speaker with amazing audio quality, providing the perfect soundtrack for a consumer hungry to get back into the world, reconnect with their passions and explore, albeit it in their own backyard. Combining our core insight, a broader, younger-skewed audience for whom digital and social media are key drivers of influence, as well as the COVID context, we developed a 100% digital, full funnel strategy with two key communication pillars that spoke practically to Roam’s quality and ease of use, and emotionally to how it can bring a sense of joy back into these post-COVID social moments at home, and close to home. At home moments comprised of small get-togethers, streaming, working from home, and studying, while Close to Home focused on picnics, road trips, community sport, and more.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

We created hype in the lead up to the product launch via pre-order messaging targeting tech enthusiasts, and created sponsored content with Broadsheet on regional travel to build association with the product. This was boosted across social to ensure scale, accompanied by click driving formats across social and search. On launch day, we used a YouTube Masthead and multiple reach buys across social to build awareness. We utilised audio ads on Spotify, targeting road trip playlists and travel interests. We partnered with the Guardian to create content around At Home activities, and partnered with Concrete Playground to do the same for Close to Home moments. All this was underpinned by targeted video at scale, as well as dynamic search ads and retargeting. Our performance activity was also accelerated through automated Smart Shopping activity, using the Google algorithm to show products across search, YouTube and display to in-market users.

List the results (30% of vote)

The product launch day in April 2021 saw a massive 140% increase in users on the Sonos site. Quarter on quarter saw a 25% increase in quality site landings, 50% of which were directly attributable to the campaign. Transactions from paid ads increased by 54%, and delivered an ROI of 364%, 64 percentage points higher than the client's key campaign benchmark. An overall business success that showed the Australian audience how to Roam, while close to home.