Spotify is highlighting the emotional power of music in advertising through a campaign called #loveAds. Following a positive reception in Europe, Spotify has expanded #loveAds to the US—inviting brand marketers to share music they fell in love with after hearing it on a commercial.
“We devised #loveAds as a simple, internal message for our advertising team as a rally to take pride in their work,” Spotify explained in a blog post, adding that the slogan was launched in Europe last year. “#LoveAds has become a movement among our global Spotify ad sales team and is being used to highlight ideas, campaigns and achievements.”
UK brands and marketers were invited to create a playlist of their favorite songs associated with advertising. The playlist, called “Best Songs in UK Ads,” includes 38 tracks such as “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins, “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye and “The Joker” by Steve Miller Band.
When Spotify started using the #loveAds hashtag on social media, it gained momentum.
“We realized our internal movement could be something bigger and more interesting,” Spotify explained.
Some of the most impactful moments in pop culture have come from advertising. Introducing #loveAds, a platform to celebrate the soundtracks to your favorite ad campaigns. Join us: https://t.co/C75hr7Im5N pic.twitter.com/5j7csZZ2MJ
— Spotify Advertising (@SpotifyAds) March 14, 2019
The #loveAds program has now been expanded to brands and marketers in the US, who can add their favorites through a dedicated microsite. The site is labeled for the UK, but appears to be open to anyone. Songs can be added by entering the track and the campaign name or brand associated with it.
Spotify also points to the fact that ads allow 116 million fans around the world to listen for free. Ahead of its IPO filing in March of 2018, Spotify told potential investors that it would end the year with as many as 96 million paid subscribers, compared to 71 million in 2017.
Regardless of whether a person pays or not, the streaming music platform relies heavily on data to inform ad campaigns around that user’s behavior. A recent campaign by Snickers, for example, displayed a “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” ad when users deviated from their regular listening habits. In September, Spotify partnered with AncestryDNA to generate custom playlists based on a user’s heritage.
“Data storytelling is something we’re super passionate about,” Spotify’s global head of partner solutions Daniell Lee told AList in a 2018 interview. “It’s something we use to inform our own brand messages back to consumers and to advertisers. When we think about leveraging streaming intelligence in terms of forming the creativity, we bring that offering to our brand partners in really smart ways using our API tools and consulting on how they can create experiences that are additive.”