HMRC - MEDIA FIRST VOICE CTV CAMPAIGN
HMRC partnered with us to launch the UK's first voice-activated CTV campaign for government services. I led the development of this groundbreaking experience that allowed viewers to say "Alexa, launch HMRC" during CTV ads to access tax information and download the HMRC app - creating a new format for government digital services.
Head of Product | Producer
MGOMD
HMRC
UK
Challenge
HMRC needed to drive awareness and adoption of their mobile app while making tax information more accessible to UK households. With 60% of UK homes having a smart speaker, there was an opportunity to transform passive TV viewing into active engagement - but no government department had attempted voice-activated CTV advertising before.
The challenge was pioneering an entirely new format: programmatic voice-activated ads that would run across multiple CTV publishers and OEM environments (LG, Samsung, Rakuten, Pluto), making government services accessible through voice while maintaining security and trust standards required for tax-related content.
Results
Proved that programmatic voice-activated CTV advertising was technically viable across multiple publisher environments and OEM platforms, creating a reusable model for future government digital campaigns.
Delivered real-time engagement data that enabled mid-flight media optimisation - a capability traditional TV lacks - showing demonstrably greater results from the same media spend. This validated the value proposition of voice-activated advertising beyond just engagement metrics.
Process
Voice Experience Design: I designed the conversational flow activated by "Alexa, launch HMRC" during or after the CTV ad. The experience provided information on staying on top of taxes and offered send-to-phone functionality to download the HMRC app, making the path to action seamless.
Programmatic CTV Integration: This was the UK's first programmatic voice-activated CTV campaign for HMRC. Working with MG OMD, I coordinated technical integration across leading CTV publishers (LG, Samsung, Rakuten, Pluto) and OEM environments. Each platform had different technical specifications, requiring flexible implementation while maintaining consistent user experience.
Media First Innovation: As the UK's first voice-enabled, actionable TV campaign from government, this required educating stakeholders on what voice CTV could achieve. We collaborated closely with MGOMD to demonstrate how real-time engagement data could optimise media delivery mid-flight - a capability traditional TV advertising lacks.
Testing & Launch Coordination: I managed Amazon certification and coordinated testing across all CTV publisher environments to ensure consistent activation and performance.
Analytics & Optimisation: Analysing campaign data week by week revealed which CTV environments drove highest engagement and which creative messaging prompted voice interaction. I worked with MG OMD to optimise programmatic media delivery mid-flight, shifting budget toward higher-performing publishers and time slots—proving that voice-enabled ads could offer optimisation capabilities impossible with traditional TV.
Conclusion
The HMRC voice-activated CTV campaign proved that government services could successfully leverage emerging advertising technology to improve citizen access and engagement. By pioneering programmatic voice CTV for public sector communications, we demonstrated that voice technology isn't just for commercial brands - it's a viable channel for making government services more accessible.
The campaign established a new standard for how government departments can use interactive advertising to drive digital service adoption.
