Progressive utilized AI for its streaming audio campaign on music streaming platform Pandora.
Progressive's campaign aimed to increase auto insurance quotes with Pandora listeners by learning how to best personalize streaming audio creative. Progressive set out to use AI tools to create more advertising variety and context without sacrificing quality. With AI personalization ads from AI company Claritas, Progressive strove to generate business with Pandora listeners.
This campaign marked the first time Progressive approached streaming audio in this way. Progressive was interested in a new way to engage Pandora listeners and learn about their preferences in streaming audio creative. The brand created multiple message types in the value and brand creative tracks. The brand used generative AI tools, inputting a set of creative elements to compile including voiceover and music backing.
Progressive's target consumer was U.S. auto owners aged 18 and up. Using AI technology helped Progressive understand what creative messages and components performed best with them and with subsegments within that larger audience.
By leveraging Claritas' AI-powered personalization platform and generative AI, 120 distinct versions of creative synthetic audio were created. Then, Progressive leveraged AI Personalization (AIP) to activate 96 of these variations based on the insights gained from six million impressions. This approach enabled the AI to determine which messages would perform the best with different audiences.
The integration of AI not only enhanced the campaign's effectiveness but also significantly expedited its timeline, reducing the typical three-month duration to just under eight weeks, showcasing the efficiency of integrating AIP and generative AI with human capabilities. This data-driven approach enabled Progressive to optimize ad performance in real time, resulting in increased engagement and a deeper understanding of its target audience.
Claritas' AI-powered personalization platform and generative AI unlocked the full potential of streaming audio for Progressive. By dynamically tailoring creative to specific audience segments and continuously optimizing based on performance, Progressive achieved unprecedented results. This level of granular control and real-time optimization is unparalleled in other media channels, driving significant ROI for Progressive.
Generative AI-powered creative optimization led to a 52 percent lift in total conversions and a 197 percent increase in campaign performance compared to non-AI efforts. Exposure to generative AI ads tripled, with 98 percent of listeners engaging fully. Additionally, insurance quotes surged by 31 percent, demonstrating a direct impact on business objectives.
The use of generative AI and AI personalization was extremely innovative for the audio channel and media in general. Consumers were receptive based on campaign metrics, which showed that people who were exposed to the effort were three times more likely to engage in Progressive's quote process. Additionally, the optimization of AI contributed to a 4 percent incremental lift compared to the existing creative.
