Welcome everyone. If you’ve seen my personal posts and are ready to explore a more professional side, I am humbled you are back and be prepared for a fun journey. For you first-timers, sit-back and I hope you enjoy.
Kicking off my first professional post is exploring one of my passions: brands and their growths. More specifically, we’ll be looking at one of my favourite campaigns of all-time:
THANKS, 2016. IT'S BEEN WEIRD.
If you’ve seen this (or similar) ads around you, you probably chuckled at least a bit. Spotify launched its global outdoor ad campaign revolved around the 2016 year end titled: “Thanks 2016, it’s been weird.”
Although it’s a global campaign, the ads itself are different around the world, because each ad is developed with localized messages in respect to music, which backed by data from listeners and trending topics from 2016. It gets localized to the point where there was one in New York that says, "To the person in NoLita who started listening to holiday music way back in June. You really jingle all the way, huh?"
This point is what I find fascinating. Utilizing the large data Spotify has amassed from its platform, to create a personalized touch with consumers, is an excellent way that Spotify distinguishes itself from competition. Spotify’s platform has always been about personalization: whether it’s with your own music, or tailoring music around you; and to me that’s how a brand succeeds.
It’s also an interesting avenue of how Spotify leveraged the immense amounts of listener and market data they have, into something that grows their brand even further. In today’s day and age, I hear so many people throw around buzzwords like “Big Data” “Analytics” and “Machine-Learning,” but it’s interesting to see a very clear use that shows traditional data crunching still makes impact. Adweek quotes that the campaign is a “clever, engaging way to use data to humanize technology.” I’d even extend that into humanizing Spotify as a brand. Spotify has been used more and more from consumers as a verb and humanized object, because of its personal touch. And music and audio is such an emotionally-driven part of our life, it only makes sense to appeal to emotions.
Spotify also extends beyond this campaign too. In today’s crowded media space, Spotify has landmarked & shaped the power of audio. A whole new opportunity in life’s moments has been uncovered, with Spotify mobile moments. Whether you’re working out, being productive, or going out, brands can uncover opportunities with audio with Spotify. That’s why identities like KitKat and Starbucks have leveraged this opportunity, to better connect and get intimate with their consumers. If you’re literally whispering in the ears of your consumers, isn’t that the best touch?
Thanks for reading my first professional post. There’s definitely a lot more about Spotify that is fascinating to explore, which I hope to expand on. Feel free to get in touch to let me know of your thoughts.