Chapter 3: Culture Amplified
Culture booms on Spotify.
Spotify creates a space for people to listen, learn, and connect. The music and conversations people have access to on our platform help shape listeners’ identities, cultures, and communities.
Because the listening experience is intimate and personal, it’s important to create audio that reflects your brand’s commitment to your audience—and the culture they’re part of or tuning into.
Gen Zs discover and connect to culture through streaming
Don’t risk being misheard.
The intimate and personal nature of audio creates a relationship between the speaker and listener. Don’t blow it by making audio that doesn’t reflect your brand’s commitment to your audience.
Help listeners turn up, not tune out.
No matter the year, no matter the season, we have creative principles you can use in all of your messaging on Spotify to ensure your audio strategy is creative and inclusive.
1. Listen to learn.
Gather information thoughtfully and intentionally.
You can’t uncover the concerns of your customers and clients if you don’t hear them. And if you can’t get to the heart of those issues, you’re going to have a hard time designing the right solution or effectively engaging with your community.
Take it all in. Listen to consumers, creators, thought leaders, streaming insights, brand sentiment, existing campaigns, and music and podcasts on Spotify.
Be inclusive. Creative is inclusive when it represents the breadth of experience and authentic when it reflects the nuance.
Take note. Pay attention to regional diversity (e.g., accents, terms, activity norms, city sounds) and cultural cues (e.g., what foods to eat, how to greet others) that can be received sonically.
Ask questions. Respectfully ask questions to deepen understanding and clarify meaning. For example, “What do you mean when you say X?” or “Tell me more about Y. Why is Y important in this situation?”
2. Lead with a story.
You spark a connection and send listeners on a journey when you tell a story.
Utilize narrative that helps us understand others' perspectives: When you listen to a story of someone else’s life, it’s as if you’re living their story for those brief moments. That experience allows you to learn from other people’s experiences.
Transport listeners from their own realities to the worlds we imagine.
Spark a connection. Craft a story that’s going to resonate and relate.
Be conscientious. Consider using narratives that are relevant and conscious of current social climates.
Hear how Allbirds did it.
00:00 / 00:00
3. Check the vibe.
They’ll never forget how you made them feel.
Music and sound are vibrations, and the goal is to leave people feeling something. What did you leave listeners with? How did you leave them feeling? Lean into emotion. Good content leads to a more meaningful experience and a higher possibility for brand connection.
Source: 1 Spotify Culture Next survey, January 2020