Spotify and Rubicon Project, operator of one of the largest advertising marketplaces in the world, have successfully executed multiple programmatic audio advertising campaigns in the APAC region, shortly after Spotify announced its global Programmatic Audio solution earlier this year.

The programmatic audio campaigns have been executed in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore, with the Spotify audio inventory being traded programmatically via Private Marketplaces (PMPs) on Rubicon Project’s platform.

APAC will be the fastest-growing region in the music streaming market and is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 21 per cent by 2020, according to Tech Navio. APAC currently accounts for one-fifth of the global music streaming market and over a billion smartphone users. This widespread smartphone penetration is reflected in campaigns being traded across APAC, indicating a healthy regional uplift in 2017 for this emerging media channel.

Mobile network providers are also supporting the growth of music streaming by increasing the availability of high-speed data connectivity and 4G mobile networks, and coupled with the ever-increasing use of smartphones, this will augment the growth prospects for the market in this region over the next four years.

Rubicon Project’s partnership with Spotify will give brands the ability to target audiences based on precise moments such as commute, party and workout. This is key for advertises as users are not just searching for specific genres or artists, instead they are now looking for playlists that would express moments in their lives. Thus, buyers would now be able to target these moments based on age and gender, all in real time.

Joanna Wong, head of business marketing at Spotify for APAC said: “Since the launch of our Programmatic Audio campaign in August we have seen an incredible response in APAC. For advertisers it’s a completely new and exciting channel through which to reach consumers – music is a universally-enjoyed medium, yet every single individual has their own listening habits – artist, genre, activity, time of day and more. Programmatic audio advertising means that buyers can reach individuals at scale based on not just the usual age, gender and geographical identifiers, but on a whole new data trove – their taste in music.”

Rick Mulia, managing director of JAPAC at Rubicon Project, added: “Rubicon Project’s technology and industry-leading advertising marketplace has enabled programmatic to become a pivotal tool rather than a mere ‘channel’, and Spotify’s Programmatic Audio proposition demonstrates the future of all media going programmatic. Our recent ventures into Out Of Home, TV and now Audio are all a part of this broader automation trend, and we look forward to continuing to collaborate with innovative partners like Spotify to offer buyers innovative ways to engage with consumers.”