An effective OOH ad campaign must connect with and reach out to its target market in a meaningful way in an outdoor setting. We often see OOH ad campaigns, but do we really pay attention to them and feel like taking action? There are certain strategies in place for marketers and advertisers to use when mapping out an out-of-home experience and making it sharable among the world. Some of these strategies include: implementing digital billboards using location data, pop-up shop guerrilla marketing, and more. This year, Spotify created a global OOH ad campaign that came equipped with quips that their millennial target would fall in love with. Seeing how Spotify is leading the music streaming culture of enjoying music and podcasts, their latest out-of-home spoke to the enjoyment of memes and playlists. Spotify gave millennials a deeper sense of connection, and we’re going to examine how they did it.
The Everywhere Campaign Part 1
When creating this out-of-home campaign, Spotify saw it important to connect with a diversified audience in two parts. The first part of the “Spotify Everywhere” campaign aimed to relate to millennials in eight different markets- Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, the U.K. and the U.S. through the “Me, Also Me” meme design. This worked well because millennials are very much aware of this meme style and it doubly reflects how Spotify can provide “music for every mood”, which includes feeling hurt by a recent breakup or having to complete a household chore. In the picture above, a user is one part convincing themselves that the breakup was a mutual agreement but at the same time they are listening to the Sad Indie playlist on repeat. It’s a relatable stylistic choice that reflects the moods of many a millennial person.
Spotify tapped into the meme market and created out-of-home ads that spoke to an audience that understands the familiar internet meme. Paired with the out-of-home billboards, Spotify created 30-second film clips that show relatable moments with songs that go along with them. This part of their “Spotify Everywhere” campaign stretched across out-of-home, digital, TV, radio, and social markets, truly proving that this advertising execution can be everywhere at the same time.
The Everywhere Campaign Part 2
Spotify wanted to expand their diversified message even more, and they did so by tapping into younger markets in Brazil, Mexico, Columbia, Argentina, France, Italy, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, South Africa, and Spain. In these places, Spotify wanted to specifically focus on cultural music discovery and promote local artists that are featured on the streaming service. Using taglines like, “Vem de Spotify”, which means, “It Comes from Spotify”, in Brazil, the streaming service is showcasing their cultural tongue and resonating with audiences from all over. They’re suggesting that all it takes is a trip to the Spotify app to find your new favorite artist. Spotify is doing well at connecting with many demographics of people by placing themselves just about everywhere- this shows their dedication to worldly advertising.
These OOH advertisements feature popular local artists and are meant to globally connect their fanbase. Spotify’s global head of consumer and product marketing, June Sauvaget, said, “Spotify has transformed the way people find and enjoy music and podcasts, giving people around the world easy access to the content they can’t get enough of- as well as the ability to discover new favorites along the way — this multifaceted campaign sets the stage as we seek to deepen our connection with the people who already know and love Spotify and cultivate relationships and moments of discovery in areas of the world where we are looking to expand.” (Cirisano 2019). In saying this, Sauvaget is suggesting that Spotify is looking to strengthen their relationship with existing users by providing them with more tailored music in their cultural background and setting, while also maintaining music streaming dominance.
The Brilliance of Their In-House Team
“Spotify Everywhere” was a campaign completely fleshed out with an in-house team, with help from one other person who was responsible for directing the TV spots. Spotify knows Spotify best, and they had all the creative resources to execute a campaign that fully spoke to two main targets of people: existing millennial users and new cultural markets. Spotify aimed to target both mature and emerging markets, and they did so by creating this very effective OOH campaign. The ability to tap into familiarly funny meme culture and locally familiar artist’s profiles is what makes this OOH campaign the best, most expansive, ad campaign of 2019.
References:
Cirisano, Tatiana (1 May 2019). Spotify Launches New Meme-Inspired Global Ad Campaign. Billboard Digital. Retrieved from: https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/8509589/spotify-new-global-ad-campaign-inspired-by-memes
