Brands Are The DJs Behind Spotify’s Targeted Playlists

It used to be enough to win over the hearts and minds of consumers to guarantee sales. Now, though, Spotify is telling brands that they better worry about soothing their customers’ ears with dulcet tones as well.

Forbes is reporting on Spotify’s one-year anniversary of its Discover Weekly playlist, the customized set of tracks each Spotify listener receives once per week as a means of learning new names in the music world of their choice. In 12 months, Spotify’s Discover Weekly playlist racked up 5 billion individual listens from 40 million users — facts that Spotify wants brands to know worked very well for the playlist’s inaugural sponsor, Kia.

A Kia spokesperson told Forbes that clickthrough rates achieved twice the usual penetration with Spotify’s personalized playlists, and a blog post from Spotify’s Brands Team elucidated how different playlist contexts – i.e. working out, partying with friends – apart from the Discover Weekly tracks could be used to even further hone in on a desired demographic.

“With Sponsored Playlist, it’s all about matching the playlist to your marketing goals,” Spotify’s statement read. “Think content plus context; the right message in the right moment. Cardio or Power Workout are perfect for a footwear brand expanding from lifestyle shoes to workout sneakers. A QSR adding breakfast to the menu? How about Morning Commute? An entertainment company with a summer blockbuster teeny-bopper flick? Teen Party, of course. You get the idea.”

Spotify already seems to have digestible chunks of consumers already lined up behind various playlists, like the 8 million who follow its Today’s Top Hits tracker, and the 2.4 million who subscribe to Hot Country, AdWeek explained. If the music service can keep these lists populated with enough fresh music to keep listeners returning regularly, then it’s just a sweeter honeypot for brands with money to spend.