BMW and Spotify relaunch The Drop with Norwegian DJ Matoma

When BMW set out to launch their new model, the X2, they knew they wanted to work with a partner that aligned with their audience. The first-ever X2, which combines athletic aesthetics and dominating performance, speaks to those who enjoy seeking out the new and living life a little more on the edge.

Enter Spotify and The Drop. The Drop is one of our longest-standing, brand-powered programs. By championing an artist's new music release on Spotify, The Drop lets fans explore the stories behind their favorite artists' songs, albums, and next great work. This Spotify-exclusive program has helped emerging and established artists alike launch new music including Fall Out Boy, Josh Groban, Jason Derulo, Miranda Lambert, blink-182, and G-Eazy.

BMW + The Drop
BMW signed on as the first-to-market partner to relaunch this iconic program to coincide with the release of the X2. They were looking for an edgy artist with a fresh sound.

Norwegian DJ Matoma was the perfect fit to kick off the series. Matoma’s hip-hop-inspired pop/EDM music had already landed him as one of the top 250 global artists on Spotify. Matoma’s next album, “One in a MIllion” was set to debut later this Spring and his single “Lonely” was a perfect fit for the campaign (take a listen here).

Spotify was able to establish that Matoma’s core audience aligned with BMW’s target audience, through streaming intelligence (Spotify’s first-party and contextual listening data).

That fanbase, along with the alignment of Matoma’s musical message to BMW’s core ideology, were key inspirations for the campaign’s creative.

It was important for BMW to connect with an artist like Matoma because they believe rebellious and inspiring artists lead by example and can coax the rebellious tendencies out of everyone.

The Launch
To celebrate the partnership, Spotify threw its first-ever branded Fans First event with BMW and Matoma in Chicago; a key market for BMW, and one of Matoma’s top US listening cities. Along with the event, BMW X2 launched a 360 branded campaign on Spotify with custom longform videos interviews, audio, display and social.

As a first for The Drop and for a branded campaign, custom video interviews with Matoma will appear on Spotify’s Confidence Boost Playlist alongside his newest single. BMWs branding will surround this custom content. This key editorial and advertising alignment is a credit to the authenticity of The Drop material. By providing fans with more content from their favorite artists, BMW will be able to get in front of the right audience with a message that’s relevant and welcome.

The full campaign runs through May and will include Chromeo and Sigrid. Explore Matoma’s new single and videos on Spotify here.