Spotify Launches ‘Weirdest’ Global Campaign Ever
December 21, 2016
“Thanks 2016, It’s been weird.” Welcome to Spotify’s biggest ever campaign and boy is it weird – weird in a good way.
The Swedish based music, video and podcast streaming service released its 2016 campaign last month, built upon the quirky listening habits of some of their 40 million subscribers.*
‘Thanks 2016, It’s been weird.” Is offering a rare insight on the musical behaviours of it’s listeners and putting it out there for all of the world to see.
“Dear person who played “Sorry” 42 times on Valentine’s Day, what did you do?” Is one of the questions posed on a giant digital billboard in central New York. The campaign was inspired by Spotify’s 2015 “Year in music” campaign created from data compiled in specific areas in order to identify with that particular geographical market.
Some prime examples of this data-driven geographic-specific campaign include:
“Dear 3,749 people who streamed ‘It’s The End Of The World As We Know It’ the day of the Brexit Vote. Hang in There.” Displayed on a poster in the UK and; “Dear person in the Theater District who listened to the Hamilton soundtrack 5376 times this year. Can you get us tickets?” in New York.
So why is this 2016 Spotify campaign so good?
It’s interesting: Capturing the attention of consumers is getting harder by the day so you have to give them something in return, such as a bunch of useless information and ‘weird’ facts. Humour is one of the best mediums when it comes to advertising.
It’s not selling: Yes, Spotify obviously does want to keep growing it’s database of 40 million paying subscribers but a lot of that comes down to building a brand that people want to be associated with. This campaign is as much about – if not more so – keeping their existing subscribers as well as encouraging new ones.
It’s relevant: By targeting specific areas with facts their subscribers can relate to, Spotify has inadvertently instilled a sense of familiarity with their subscribers by appearing ‘local’.
While there does need to be an element of discretion used when it comes to disclosing the spending habits of your customers in a marketing campaign, if done in the right way, it could help build your brand, engage your existing customers and encourage new ones.
We promise it won’t be too weird – unless it’s in a good way.
*40 million paying Spotify subscribers as at September 2016
