What is culture, really? Sure, there’s a universal definition we can all agree on—but in reality, culture is constantly growing, morphing, and being redefined. It’s different for everyone, and Gen Z—the driving influence behind cultural trends on Spotify—agrees.

Spotify creates a deeply personal space for fans to listen, watch, learn, and connect with culture on their own terms. This helps them shape their identities and communities—and project them onto the world.

For brands who want to stay culturally relevant, it’s important to create audio or video ads that reflect your commitment to your audience—and the culture they’re part of or tuning into.

No matter the moment, we have creative principles you can use in all of your messaging on Spotify to help ensure your advertising strategy is creative, inclusive, and culturally relevant.

1. Listen to learn

You can’t act on the concerns of your audience if you don’t hear them. So gather information thoughtfully and intentionally.

Listen to consumers, creators, and thought leaders. Analyze brand sentiment and existing campaigns, and keep a close eye on the cultural narrative. What moments can you plan for? How can you be agile to show up in unexpected viral moments? How do those moments typically play out on Spotify?

Our 2023 Podcast Trends Report highlights streaming insights around major cultural moments on the world stage—and the different ways that brands use them to benefit their marketing efforts.

2. Be inclusive

Creative work is inclusive when it represents the breadth of experience, and authentic when it reflects the nuance. Pay attention to regional diversity (e.g. accents, dialect, activity norms) and cultural cues (e.g. popular food and music, everyday city sounds, typical greetings) that can quickly engage your audience.

In general, it's important to ensure that diversity is reflected in any creative assets used for your campaign, so that your entire audience feels represented.

3. Going global? Think local

Comscore reports that Spotify has the most diverse audience of any streaming platform.³ To give that some perspective, Spotify is available in 74 different languages across 184 global markets⁴—helping more than 626 million people connect with creators in their local tongue or even a non-native language if they want.

If your brand has a global or multi-national audience, it's essential that your campaign creative feels familiar to everyone—meaning localization is key. Consider the cultural nuances of each market your campaign will reach: How does your product or service fit into the wider context? How should your messaging develop to reflect this?

4. Lead with a story.

When used effectively, storytelling is a powerful marketing tactic that can spark a connection and send listeners on a journey. The key to getting it right is finding a familiar narrative; one that strikes a chord with your audience and transports them from their own realities to an imagined, first-person scenario.

It’s also important to be conscientious. Consider using a narrative that’s relevant and conscious of current social climates.