Spotify’s New Ad Celebrates the Relatable Habit of Staying in the Car to Finish a Song
Brand leverages insight to promote discovery and new playlists
Most people know the feeling when listening to a good song or a show in the car: You may have reached your destination, but you’re not getting out until the last bar of that tune or the final word in a riveting podcast, even if that means being late or making people wait a little longer. It’s a behavior that has its roots in previous decades of over-the-air radio and extends today to streaming platforms—which is somewhat ironic, considering its on-demand nature.
That’s why, using the outstanding choice of Sia’s piano version of Elastic Heart as the backdrop, Spotify today launched a new ad that is incredibly relatable, leans into the timeless yet simple idea of sticking around in the car to finish a song and is the anchor creative for the brand’s newest marketing campaign: Spotify for the Ride.
A Michael Cera doppelganger parking lot valet, someone waiting for pizza delivery, soccer teammates and grandparents all are forced to wait a minute or two until the song is over.
“The creative started with a simple insight that we rarely discuss, but everyone can relate to,” said Spotify’s vp, global executive creative director, Alex Bodman. “Then, the team got to work on bringing the insight to life with a healthy dose of Spotify’s sense of humor. Hopefully, it makes people laugh while reminding them how much better driving is when you have the perfect soundtrack.”
“The experience of commuting and listening to music and news in your car is so universal to every driver’s daily routine,” added June Sauvaget, Spotify’s global head of consumer and product marketing.
The 80-second ad is another example of what’s becoming a signature of Spotify’s advertising: taking an insight or data and wrapping it into a clever package. In this case, it’s promoting new playlist offerings from the brand like “Your Daily Drive” (a combination of podcasts, news and music), “Disney Sing-Alongs” and “Songs to Sing in the Car.”
What’s telling is that Spotify—and, specifically, the brand’s in-house creative and marketing team—is building consistency with some adventure and boldness in its approach and work. For the past three years, Spotify, named Media Brand of the Year at Cannes Lions in 2018, has released a highly-anticipated annual campaign called “Wrapped” created from user data and habits. Moreover, campaigns like 2018’s New York subway station takeover tribute to David Bowie and 2017’s “I’m With the Banned” were recognized across the awards circuit, with the former project winning two Gold Lions at Cannes in 2018.
In addition to the film in Spotify’s latest, the campaign is supported with OOH.
CREDITS:
Spotify
VP, Global Executive Creative Director: Alex Bodman
Creative Director: Noel Yeo, Spencer Hansen
Global Head of Brand Design: Rasmus Wangelin
Senior Art Director: Martin Berggren
Art Director: Steven Conaway, Rainy Fu
VP, Global Brand: Alexandra Tanguay
Head of Global Brand Team: Lauren Solomon
Global Brand Lead: Payman Kassaie
Global Senior Brand Manager: Jonathan Chu
Director, Integrated Production: Belinda Lopez
Senior Integrated Producer: Zack Grant
Business Affairs Lead: Lauren King
Global Strategy Director: Zach Pentel
Creative Strategy Lead: Nathan Doiev
Global Head of Consumer Marketing: June Sauvaget
US Marketing Lead: Kaleb Ruel
US Associate Marketing Manager: Dayna Tran
Global Media Manager: Kathryn Griffin
Social Community Manager: Christopher Hill
Senior Legal Counsel: Sarah Henderson
Senior Paralegal: Claudia Stauss
Production
Production Company: Epoch Films
Director: Matthew Swanson
Director of Photography: Christian Sprenger
Executive Managing Producer: Melissa Culligan
Line Producer: Andrew Graham
Editorial: Mackcut
Editor: Ryan Steele
Assistant Editor: Devon Flint
Executive Producer: Gina Pagano
Post Production Finishing: Schmigital
VFX Lead: Jimmy Hayhow
VFX Artist: Kaitlyn Jackson
