Dive Brief:
- Procter & Gamble’s Downy is tapping into the growing popularity around audiobook romances for an new campaign on Spotify that promotes the launch of its Downy Gentle Soft + Fresh fabric softener, according to a press release.
- “Almost Scandalously Soft Stories,” features four original, 20-minute audiobooks meant to position softness and freshness as a sensorial escape. Titles include “The Other Bed,” “An Eternal Slumber,” “The Dragon’s Bed” and “Kitchen Heat.”
- Consumers can find the stories by searching “Downy Almost Scandalously Soft Stories” on Spotify, per release details. Audiobooks reached $2.22 billion in U.S. revenue in 2024, a 13% year-over-year increase, per data cited in release details.
Dive Insight:
Downy’s latest campaign is meant to provide a little indulgence for the consumers who find themselves constantly taking care of others and for whom a “quiet night in can feel a little scandalous,” according to Redge Abueva, vice president of North America fabric enhancers for P&G, in release details. The effort also taps into the explosive growth of both audiobooks and the romance subset, which saw 30% year-over-year growth, per the Audio Publishers Association.
Indeed, romance novel sales in general have risen 113% over the past three years, according to Circana, and are now the highest-earning genre in fiction, generating revenue of $1.44 billion in 2023. Much like the category, Downy created its stories to have a broad appeal. One story, “The Other Bed,” is a thriller in which a woman heads for a night of indulgence at a roadside hotel only to be confronted by a private investigator hired by her husband to follow her. They become trapped in a laundromat as a storm rolls in and the sparks start to fly.
A second story, “An Eternal Slumber,” features a Vampire haunted by her eternal love, while a third, “The Dragon’s Bed,” features a “dragon man” crashing into a young woman’s bedchamber, opening a portal into another world that “she simply can’t resist.” The fourth story, “Kitchen Heat,” written by USA Today bestselling author Priscilla Oliveras, depicts restaurateur business partners taking their relationship beyond the kitchen.
Downy’s campaign taps into a growing trend of brands using the “#BookTok” trend around steamy romances. Earlier this month, Neutrogena launched a campaign for its new Vitamin C serum that featured two short stories authored by media personality and content creator Serena Kerrigan that were designed to make consumers “glow,” just like the product.
The Spotify-based effort comes at a time when the audio streaming platform is working to demonstrate to brands how it can bring campaigns to life. Last month, the platform teamed with Netflix to create a gaming experience themed around “Happy Gilmore 2.” Earlier this year, the company showcased several new ad-buying and management capabilities, as well as creative opportunities through its in-house agencies.
Still, Spotify’s financial picture is a mixed bag. While the company’s revenue rose 10% from about 3.81 billion euros, or $4.2 billion, compared to the same period a year ago, it posted a net loss of 86 million euros, or nearly $100 million, for the quarter. Monthly active users on the platform rose 11% to 696 million, and paying subscribers increased to 276 million, up 12% from a year ago. However, ad-supported revenues dropped to 453 million euros, down about 1% from the year-ago period.
