Spotify used its in-house creative team to pump out an innovative cross-channel campaign to kick off 2018. Dubbed “2018 Goals,” Spotify mined the search and playlist data of its user base to develop thematic, branded ad experiences on billboards in 18 markets around the world.
For example, the ad at the top of this story will run globally. The headline reads, “Take a page from the 3,445 people who streamed the ‘Boozy Brunch’ playlist on a Wednesday this year.”
The ads running globally go for broader humor, including an amusingly dark execution about medical professionals.
The campaign also includes life-size cutouts in New York, Los Angeles and Miami, featuring artists including Cardi B and Bruno Mars, into which passersby will be able to stick their heads for a photo.
The work was made in-house. Like the first round of ads last year, the campaign remains one of the most delightful deployments of user data in advertising today. The ads exude a feeling of joy, even in difficult times, and capture the wonderful quirks of its users—who clearly dig deep into the service and make it an everyday part of their lives.
Why it works? Because Spotify knows how to build relationship with cyclical effect!
Spotify’s data-driven approach combines the best of digital analytics with the physical ad space of public areas. Ads were featured on the sides of buildings, in subway platforms and along busy streets for maximum visibility, with the added benefit of the artists themselves – and their fans – taking selfies in front of the billboards and posting to their social profiles.
This created a cyclical effect: digital data taken offline for physical advertising then brought back online by users.
Spotify’s tongue-in-cheek appeal worked on several media channels and brought hyperlocal moments to larger audiences online. It also imprinted forward-looking, hopeful tones into ordinary experiences like walking to work or waiting for the bus.
If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to reach us out!