Tag: Spotify

London – Spotify has launched a new global marketing campaign that pays tribute to the vibrant traditions and distinct cultures of music fandoms around the world, spotlighting the millions of passionate listeners who power the platform.

Brought to life through striking film photography, the campaign serves as a visual tribute to fan culture, spotlighting the spirit and identity of seven major global fandoms, including those of Chappell Roan, Doechii, Oasis, Olivia Rodrigo, ROSALÍA, SEVENTEEN, and Turnstile.

The initiative seeks to honour fans worldwide by highlighting the distinct symbols and traditions that define each community—from the pink cowboy hats of Chappell Roan supporters to the iconic recreation of Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album cover and the uniform mod haircuts embraced by Oasis enthusiasts. Through this campaign, Spotify casts a spotlight on the passion and loyalty that fuel these vibrant fan bases.

Marc Hazan, VP of partnerships and marketing at Spotify, explained, “At Spotify, connecting artists and fans is fundamental to what we do, and this campaign puts that into action. We’re fans too, so we understand the passion and unique identities that make these fandoms so special.”

“From the Pink Pony Club’s distinct energy to the iconic style of ’90s U.K. fashion, we wanted these visuals to really resonate. We want fans to see their communities reflected and feel that connection with the artists they love,” Hazan added. 

As part of the campaign, Spotify is rolling out a 360-degree activation across key UK cities, including London, Manchester, and Birmingham. The initiative features high-visibility out-of-home (OOH) placements, such as a takeover at 1 Quaker Street in Shoreditch beginning April 21, and advertising across the London Underground. Additional OOH installations will go live from April 14 at Albion Street East in Manchester City Centre and Lichfield Road near Aston Station in Birmingham.

Indonesia – Jasa Marga, one of Indonesia’s highway operators, has partnered with Dentsu Creative Indonesia to address the risk of microsleep-related road accidents, a major factor in 80% of toll road crashes. This danger is particularly high on the 1,167 km Trans Java Toll Road, where long stretches require sustained driver focus.

To tackle this issue, the initiative introduces WAKEUPADS, a scientifically engineered audio alert designed to enhance driver awareness and reduce the risk of fatal accidents.

In collaboration with Spotify, WAKEUPADS repurposes the familiar lullaby “Nina Bobo” into an auditory wake-up call, leveraging Indonesian drivers’ habit of listening to music on long journeys. Using advanced sound design techniques proven to boost alertness, the lullaby is strategically modified to serve as a subtle yet effective safety prompt.

Spotify’s geofencing technology ensures that these alerts are automatically triggered in high-risk zones, providing timely cues to help drivers stay focused. Additionally, WAKEUPADS integrates with Jasa Marga’s navigation app, TRAVOY, guiding fatigued drivers to nearby rest areas.

Since its launch, WAKEUPADS has reached 648,000 drivers in high-risk areas along the Trans Java Toll Road, leading to a 57% increase in rest area visits near geofenced locations and raising awareness of microsleep risks, encouraging safer driving habits.

United States – Spotify has been reported to launch its own ad exchange, known internally as Spotify Ad Exchange or SAX, as first reported by Axios. For this, the popular audio streaming service has tapped The Trade Desk as its first demand-side platform (DSP) partner.

According to media reports, this ad exchange will allow Spotify to capture more ad revenue from small and medium-sized businesses and make it easier for existing clients, including big brands, to spend more efficiently with the platform.

It will also allow Spotify to compete against bigger platforms like Meta and Google for ad dollars.

Moreover, it has been reported that Spotify began testing its SSP plugin with The Trade Desk last week. For now, the partnership is focused on connecting The Trade Desk’s North American advertising clients to Spotify’s video ad inventory. Audio ad inventory will soon follow.

A Spotify spokesperson has confirmed it was testing its new SSP with The Trade Desk, stating, “We routinely conduct pilots before launching products for our users, creators and advertisers.”

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for The Trade Desk commented, “We are excited to extend our partnership with Spotify on this pilot to help advertisers have direct access to high-quality inventory with as much signal and transparency as possible.”

Singapore – Spotify has announced the anniversary celebrations for ‘K-Pop ON! (온),’ its global K-Pop flagship playlist dedicated to giving listeners a platform to discover and tune in to the best from the genre. 

To commemorate this milestone, the popular audio streaming subscription service will be launching a special series of Spotify Singles headlined by ENHYPEN, SHOWNU X HYUNGWON (of MONSTA X), and STAYC.

Centred around the theme of ‘My First K-Pop Crush’, these Spotify K-Pop ON! (온) Singles feature covers of songs by the sunbaes (senior artists) who first fueled their love for K-Pop. For Spotify, the campaign not just a nod to every fan’s journey into the genre, which began with that first K-Pop artist who made their heart flutter with their artistry and flair, but also a call to K-Pop fans around the world to join in the celebration of a shared passion for the genre, and the artists who started it all. 

With every single launch, listeners can also look forward to a series of exclusive bonus content on Spotify’s K-Pop ON! (온) Video Podcast and YouTube channels. From performance videos to behind-the-scenes content and more, Spotify will be letting fans in as we unpack the stories of the performing artists’ ‘First K-Pop Crushes,’ the significance behind their song selection, and how the original artists inspired their journey in K-Pop.

Jungjoo Park, head of music for Korea at Spotify, said, “Beyond the celebration of our commitment to helping K-Pop travel the globe and connecting Korean artists with fans and new audiences, Spotify’s K-Pop ON! (온) First Crush campaign is also a powerful expression of how K-Pop touches lives, spreads positivity, and unites listeners regardless of where they are from or the language they speak.”

She added, “We couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with ENHYPEN, SHOWNU X HYUNGWON, and STAYC to bring the first-ever Spotify K-Pop ON! (온) Singles to the world, and kickstart the movement in celebrating the shared love for the genre.”

Manila, Philippines – Spotify has launched a new music initiative titled ‘Kalye X’ dedicated to continuously promoting the Pinoy hip-hop in their platform, as well as dedicated to collaborations between artists, fans, and the community.

As part of this new initiative, Spotify worked with emerging and established Pinoy hip-hop artists to release a series of Spotify Singles. A first-of-its-kind in the Philippines, these original tracks bring together local artists to showcase the depth and diversity of Pinoy hip-hop.

The new initiative was marked with a launch party held in Brooklyn Warehouse in Manila, where Kossy Ng, head of music for Spotify Asia was joined by hip-hop artists Al James and Cookie$ to share more insights on the vibrancy of the Pinoy hip-hop scene.

“As a way to bring Spotify’s Kalye Hip-Hop playlist to life, Kalye X aims to amplify the everyday stories and experiences, told by passionate artists and communities. With the growth of Pinoy hip-hop listenership doubling in the past year, it’s important that we empower our artists to share their craft with fans in a deeper way, as well as push the boundaries of Pinoy hip-hop music culture,” Ng said.

As part of this initiative, three Spotify Singles will be released from August to October this year featuring artists from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. 

Kicking it off is the pairing of Midnasty and Cookie$, presenting their track as an ode to the vibrant Visayan scene. Hailing from Zamboanga, the inventive collective Morobeats led by DJ Medmessiah, reimagines the sound of Mindanao hip-hop with their unique track. Lastly, representing the streets of Manila, Gloc 9, Hero, and Ramdiss will pull off a three-way collaboration.

MARKETECH APAC also caught up with Spotify’s Kossy Ng to learn more about Spotify’s marketing direction and insights on this latest initiative.

When asked how ‘Kalye X’ was formed, Ng said it was born out of the genre’s rising listening traction not just in the Philippines but also globally.

“Music is core to Filipino culture. Combined with easy access to streaming devices and an appetite for the local music scene, Spotify provides a platform to uplift artists and reflect the depth and diversity of the genre. Taking on its own unique Filipino identity, Pinoy hip-hop has been gaining incredible traction. In the past five years, there has been an unprecedented growth of 700% in local streams of Filipino hip-hop songs. Spotify’s Kalye hip-hop playlist has also seen five times growth in streams, reinforcing the central role audio plays in hip-hop culture,” she explained.

Provided data from Spotify notes that listenership of Pinoy hip-hop also grew globally at 600% strong with top markets including the United States, Canada, and Australia, amongst others.

It is also worth noting that Spotify had a previous hip-hop-related campaign initiative titled ‘Kalye Hip-Hop’ conceptualised alongside local creative agency TBWA\SMP. For ‘Kalye X’, Ng said that they worked with new partners to promote this new initiative, including with local audio marketing agency HOMONYM.

“We collaborated with our local partner, Homonym. As part of the process, Homonym collated insights from fans, labels, and industry insiders to better understand and support the Pinoy Hip-Hop scene,” she said.

She also added, “We also want to be mission-driven when it comes to unlocking the potential of human creativity and engaging the wider hip-hop community. We worked with streetwear brand HGHMNDS, who designed and produced Spotify’s exclusive KALYE X merch, gave the stage to AllStars and Rekta Sa Kalye, dance and rap battle collectives, and also commissioned a graffiti mural with Honeycomb Arts’ Kayo Cosio and Trip63. And we are just getting started.”

Singapore – After being labelled as Spotify’s Equal Ambassador, rising K-pop group NewJeans released their sophomore EP, ‘Get Up’ in July 21, which has currently garnered more than 211 million streams in Spotify.In celebrating this highly anticipated release, Spotify has teamed up with NewJeans to bring their fans larger-than-life pop-ups, exclusive bonus content, and interactive playlists.

Spotify has dubbed this celebratory campaign as ‘Bunnyland’, offering NewJeans fans the opportunity to interact with the group and the concept surrounding them physically or digitally. 

The collaboration starts with the Bunnyland website, an immersive experience that lets fans around the world find out which NewJeans member is their biggest hero based on their music tastes. After being matched with one of NewJeans’s stars,users can listen to a special playlist curated by the members and share their results on social media.

Physically, Spotify has opened the doors to a pair of Bunnyland pop-ups in Seoul and Jakarta. Running through August 6, this experience was created to immerse fans in NewJeans’ world. Featuring retro themed arcade games, playlist stations, and plenty of photo opportunities, Bunnyland offers fans a NewJeans themed experience the chance to get their hands on a range of special gifts from Spotify and NewJeans.

Elsewhere, Spotify and NewJeans have also placed giant ‘Spotibuninis’ in major cities across Asia, with appearances in Tokyo’s Shibuya, malls in Jakarta and Manila, and Seoul’s Olympic Park. These installations feature NewJeans’ bunny character decked out in special Spotify headphones. 

Speaking on the collaboration, Spotify said in a press statement, “We’ve been supporting NewJeans’ meteoric rise through playlists like K-Pop ON! and programs like EQUAL, and we continue to be committed to spotlighting emerging talent and giving them opportunities to build deep connections with a global audience.”

Singapore – Global advertising company WPP has announced a global partnership with audio streaming services company Spotify, allowing WPP’s clients to have access to Spotify’s ad products, first-party intelligence and creative ways to reach engaged audiences at scale.

The partnership will have WPP looking to use Spotify to develop integrations that provide Spotify’s first-party occasions insights to help clients understand aggregated listening patterns in order to inform more creative and effective digital audio advertising strategies.

Moreover, WPP will work with Spotify to deliver market-leading thought leadership and scaled training programmes for its employees and clients that focus on digital audio creativity and Spotify’s innovative ad products. WPP’s teams and clients will also benefit from early access to Spotify’s neuro-insights research focused on audience trends and insights.  

Stephan Pretorius, chief technology officer of WPP, said, “In the fast-evolving media and entertainment landscape, audio streaming has become an integral part of everyday life. At WPP, we recognise the power of audio as a critical component of marketing. The intent of this first-of-its-kind partnership is to integrate Spotify’s insights with the Choreograph platform to create more innovative and relevant ways to connect our clients with their customers.”  

Meanwhile, Brian Berner, global head of advertising sales at Spotify, commented, “We’ve long partnered with WPP to enable agency planners and buyers to make more informed decisions when planning for digital audio. With our new global partnership, we’re helping WPP clients modernise their strategy and planning.”

He added, “More than 550 million people across 184 markets come to Spotify every month to be entertained, to learn and to discover for nearly 2.5 hours each day. As we continue to drive innovation in audio and the advertising industry at large, partners like WPP are critical to delivering for advertisers, creators and audiences wherever they are.”  

India – Popular audio streaming platform Spotify has appointed Supari Studios as its content marketing agency in India. Spotify India collaborates with Supari Studios to create engaging, culture-driven content that connects with diverse audiences all over the country.

Through the mandate, Supari Studios will be responsible for developing and executing compelling digital content marketing campaigns for Spotify India’s web and social platforms, in addition to other marketing initiatives. Since May 2021, Supari Studios and Spotify India’s marketing team have collaborated closely on the production of over 35 assets for important podcast, music, and brand projects.

Speaking on the appointment, Manoti Jain, chief operating officer at Supari Studios, said, “Kulfi Collective proudly unites with Spotify, a visionary brand reshaping the very fabric of music and culture. As masters of immersive storytelling, we’re excited to catapult Spotify’s brand presence to extraordinary heights, forging deep connections with its vibrant user base and offering unforgettable new brand experiences.” 

Meanwhile, Shirley D’Costa, chief business officer at Kulfi Collective, expressed, “We are thrilled to partner with Spotify to amplify its brand presence and engage with its ever-

growing user base. At Kulfi, we’re committed to providing clutter-breaking, culture-shaping brand solutions to our partners. Spotify operates at the intersection of music and culture, making it an incredibly influential brand, especially among Gen Z and millennial audiences.” 

She added,  “We’re very excited to deliver brand solutions driving engagement through content and social for Spotify.” 

Singapore – Global audio streaming services platform Spotify has announced new personalised and curated experiences to observe the holy month of Ramadan. They include Ramadan-centric music, podcasts, and talk content dedicated to families and communities celebrating the holy season.

Listeners can also find personalised content on the “Your Ramadan 2023” playlist and see the music and talk content that is trending in their respective countries, and podcasters are constantly developing and publishing new Ramadan-related episodes.

Previously, Spotify’s editorial teams had curated playlists, podcasts, and talk content for their users during Ramadan. Through this new announcement, Spotify aims to spotlight content that changes each day, creating personalised playlists with songs picked just for listeners, and highlighting trending content that people are listening to in their region.

Moreover, the platform is aiming at making readings from the Quran easily accessible, and listeners can also find exclusive clips and greetings from their favourite artists and celebrities wishing them a blessed Ramadan.

For Gautam Talwar, managing director for Spotify Asia-Pacific, they are proud of delivering this new Ramaden-centric experience to their listeners during this holy month of observance.

“We’re designing an experience on the platform that allows our listeners to take a more active role in discoverability as well as to foster more meaningful connections with artists and podcasters they love on Spotify,” Talwar said.

Meanwhile, Rhea Chedid, senior podcast manager at Spotify, commented that they are now seeing more and more podcasters release series that are the ultimate companions to everyone observing Ramadan.

“Everything from shows about cooking and the history of Ramadan traditions and Islam, to audio scripted series that entertain and podcasts that review your favourite Ramadan television series, we are really witnessing creators think deeply about how they can better the lives of listeners through audio during this time,” Chedid said.

Jakarta, Indonesia – VICE Media Group has announced its first content partnership with Spotify for the Southeast Asia market. It begins with Indonesia through the release of five original local video podcast series which aim to reflect Indonesia’s vibrant and diverse music, youth and cultural scenes. 

This series of five Spotify Original Video podcasts, created and produced locally by VICE Media’s team in Jakarta, will include three daily and two weekly video podcasts. 

Hosted by some of the best in the industry, these video podcasts will cover a myriad of today’s hottest topics, such as current and emerging Indonesian musicians, artists and movie stars; the latest music news and trends and a look at what young Indonesians think of their country today and their place in society. 

The VICE Spotify Original Video podcast series will be amplified across VICE’s extensive social and editorial network, which has 10 million monthly unique users in Indonesia and 3.3 million combined followers. 

It is expected that more than 86% of the listeners are aged between 16 and 34, with 63% living in urban areas with top cities including Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung, Makassar and Depok. 

Nilesh Zaveri, managing director at VICE Media Group APAC, said, “VICE is trusted by young audiences to cut through the noise to deliver a distinct perspective on today’s music and culture as well as what’s coming next. This exclusive partnership with Spotify represents a significant opportunity to create distinctive video podcast content for Indonesia’s youth, and we look forward to exploring additional opportunities to bring the VICE brand to more audiences, across media platforms, throughout Asia Pacific.” 

Meanwhile, Carl Zuzarte, head of studios for Southeast Asia at Spotify, commented, “2022 has been an amazing year of growth for us in Indonesia. We introduced new format innovations such as video podcasts, amongst others to further build upon the podcast ecosystem in Indonesia, whilst also expanding on the podcast experience on Spotify for our creators and users to enjoy.”

He added, “Also, we’re always on the lookout for top content creators to work with to deliver best-in-class content for our users to enjoy. That is why we’re excited to partner with VICE Media Group to present this stellar slate of five Video podcasts featuring collaborations with Indonesia’s most current and popular cultural creators, artists and musicians.”