We ran a campaign to spread awareness among Japanese users about the freedom to create playlists on Spotify. From the thousands of user-created playlists, we discovered interesting titles and left witty comments in response. The challenge was to incorporate a sense of Japanese sentiment into a campaign that had been successful in the US.
One of my favorite playlist titles was "Quiet Focus Like a Forest." The content of the playlist included many tracks by Enya and other ambient pieces, making the title seemingly appropriate. But think about it for a moment. Forests are home to many wild animals, flies and mosquitoes are buzzing around, and if the weather turns bad, the ground becomes waterlogged.
After a lengthy discussion about what situation demands the most focus, we unanimously agreed that it’s when you're applying a screen protector to your smartphone. If the position is even slightly off or bubbles form under the screen, it’s an irreversible disaster. So, we replied the creator of the playlist, "Can you really focus in a forest?"
We discovered multiple intriguing playlists and responded with witty comments, rolling out a large-scale campaign that went beyond film ads to include massive OOH displays and full station takeovers.
Spotify stage
At the time, during Japan's largest music festival, "Countdown Japan," we set up a 'Spotify Stage' to provide people with a unique selfie experience that could only be had at this festival.
This stage wasn’t for musicians but for the general audience. They could wear their favorite instruments or props and make a "BIG ENTRANCE" like a superstar, receiving applause from the crowd.
The scene was captured by three cameras, and by the time they left the booth, the edited video was sent to them, allowing them to upload it to their preferred social media. I experienced this myself, and I must say, it was quite an enjoyable experience.