How Spotify used its ‘3 Billion Playlists’ to stand out in the clutter: Case Study

• In order to stand out in the clutter as it entered the Indian market, Spotify launched its marketing campaign called ‘There’s a Playlist for That’ and later, ‘Sunte Ja.’
• The campaigns highlighted India’s daily social fabric, where people use music as a strong medium of emotional connect to navigate through their life.
• Neha Ahuja, Marketing Head, India, Spotify told us how the campaign was shaped and helped the brand reach its objectives.
• Going forward, says Ahuja, the brand aims to increase its focus on accessibility, introduce new features, and get new partners for the same.

After Swedish music application Spotify launched into the Indian market, it faced a threat of getting lost in the clutter. A month into the launch and Spotify released a massive marketing campaign called ‘There’s a Playlist for That.’ The brand decided to pay all its attention on the 3 billion playlists available on its platform and reach out to millennials by crafting personalised messages.

In an association with Leo Burnett, a hyper-local OHH plus digital campaign was thus launched to have a deeply localised and personalised user engagement with millennials. The campaign was geo-targeted on the basis of cities, neighbourhoods, and important traffic intersections, with one liners that depict relatable life situations and hyper-local cultural nuances.

The core insight behind 'There's A Playlist For That' stems from Spotify’s understanding of how users wish to connect with music as a powerful form of emotional expression through playlists, no matter how life changes tracks. The idea was later extended to a campaign starring Anil Kapoor and Ishaan Khattar called ‘Sunte Ja’.

According to IANS, Spotify India’s Monthly Active Users have grown to 2 million plus, while globally, Spotify has 248 MAUs. The music streaming platform outperformed its goals by 30% in Q3 of 2019. Spotify credits this growth to its strong marketing game and especially its second campaign - Sunte Ja.

Neha Ahuja, Marketing Head, India, Spotify told Advertising and Media Insider what made its marketing strategy successful, how they overcame the threats of competition through marketing campaigns, and their plan ahead.

Watch the case study to know more: