DATA DONE WELL
We’re in the age of being data-driven. We’re capturing so much data, but it’s a matter of ‘then what’? One brand that’s using this data-capture exercise extremely well is Spotify. Their Wrapped Campaign is killing it on the data front, by turning their user insights into a campaign that’s now regarded as a global sensation. At the One Club, New York, we were lucky enough to meet these great minds, and learn from their insights and thinking.
MUSIC TO MY EARS, MY HEART, AND MY MIND
The true sweet spot of branding is when the brand has a place in the heart and mind of the consumer. Music has always been used to self-represent who we are, and to create a deep personal connection with others.
Spotify have cleverly capitalised on this emotional connection. The wrapped campaign celebrates how Spotify users are using the platform, with personalised data at the core of its success. At the end of every year, share cards are created for each and every individual user, citing the top artists, top songs, minutes listened, and top genre. You can even find out the very first song you listened to as the year opened. To put it simply, Spotify are serving up personal data in context, that’s to be celebrated and shared.
UNEXPECTED SUCCESS
What Spotify didn’t expect was the strength of social currency that this campaign has created. 7 million shares of cards over social media globally, people are now competing on ‘number of minutes listened to’ through the platform. They have created something deeply meaningful to the individual that they want to share with their friends. It’s creating conversations, in a truly special, data-driven way. Not only has Wrapped driven user-loyalty, it also helped drive re-activation for those experiencing FOMO.
Those crippled by FOMO and seeking conversion were siphoned through a separate path on the website. If they clicked the button ‘I’m not on Spotify yet’ they were offered a special subscription price at a reduced rate. Having this separate conversion channel meant it was easier to attribute new users to this particular campaign.
“At the heart of it, this campaign was about creating a closer connection between the artists and their fans.”
COLLABORATION WITH THEIR ARTISTS
Spotify are just as much about creating that emotional connection with their artists, as they are their users. They realise both are as equally important to the brand’s success. As part of their latest campaign, they worked with some of their most successful artists to create sharecards of their own, listing where their audience is the largest, and how many fans they have. The artists were involved in choosing their image for their sharecards, as Spotify understands the trouble that artists go to, in protecting their personal brand and image. It was a highly collaborative process – when the artist shared their cards over social, fans could respond. At the heart of it, this campaign was about creating a closer connection between the artists and their fans.
What can we learn from Spotify’s success?
CO-CREATION IS THE NEW WAY FOR BRANDS
By developing a platform for co-creation between Spotify and their users, fans are now taking it into their own hands. Some even going to the trouble of creating fake sharecards. It has helped established Spotify as a meaningful brand, to help their users show to the world how they want to be represented, through music.
TONE IS VITALLY IMPORTANT
Tonally, Spotify are right on the money. Their tone has been carefully considered and well executed throughout rollout. The tone is celebratory and positive, which is evident in every piece of communication. Spotify balance wit, a slight cheekiness with warm positivity, to create a celebratory tone.
DELIVERY IS EVERYTHING
Throughout the year Spotify drop hints as to how the user is tracking, or reminders, however they’re always careful to ensure that the build up to release is never compromised. They always ensure surprise, anticipation and excitement is maintained when the share card is released.
BIGGEST DRIVER FOR THEIR BRAND IS WORD OF MOUTH
Spotify have noted that the biggest driver for their brand is the simple old marketing tactic, word of mouth. They understand that their platform is creating communities across the globe. That’s why Spotify is helping people spread the word, in a way that celebrates user loyalty, and deepens connections between people from all walks of life, through their love of music.
DATA-DRIVEN MARKETING THAT’S PURPOSEFUL AND POWERFUL
Creating an emotional connection with users is at the heart of this campaign, helped by data collection that is personalised to the individual user. The campaign is not data-driven, but rather data-supported.
How can we use the data we collect to help connect with our customers, in real and meaningful ways? When it comes to helping your brand successfully create a strong emotional bond with your customers, the above points are all worth thinking about…..
