Play to the senses: How Spotify can be a great branding tool

I love Spotify. Who doesn’t these days? The free music library allows users to listen to songs online for free (and legally!).

The service allows you to stream music from albums, share songs and playlists with friends and your list of played songs can show up on your Facebook stream. It is a brilliant concept, really.

I stumbled upon (not through the actual service StumbleUpon but I digress) a thought-provoking article about how brands are starting to use Spotify to show off the personalities of those that work within the framework of that business.

The biggest brand using Spotify right now? How about the CEO of the country – President Barack Obama?

Yep, it is true. Obama has a public playlist. On the playlist page, it reads: “The official 2012 playlist features picks by the campaign staff – including a few of President Obama’s favorites.” On the list, you can find Raphael Saadiq, Bruce Springsteen, Zac Brown Band, U2, James Taylor, No Doubt, Arcade Fire and Chicago-favorite Wilco.

So what does all of this mean? How about a great – and unique – way of connecting with your customers? From PR Daily:

As the Obama campaign demonstrated, PR professionals and marketers can roll them into social media and marketing plans, providing another tool to build their brands and foster internal collaboration.

Starbucks has long used music to connect with customers. The Seattle-based coffee king partnered with iTunes for years with exclusive playlists. The company still maintains a stronghold in music content on its website. The tunes are just as important to customers as the brewed beans.

The playlist concept plays into the sensory selling points that have a tried and true history of success.

From PR Daily, again:

Think of it this way: A customer drops in and hears the music playing in your shop or restaurant. Before the customer leaves, you share a link—on a business card or receipt, for example—where they can listen to a playlist featuring the music they just heard.

What was once nothing more than background music is now a brand-building tool. The music reminds customers of a delicious meal, an invigorating workout, or the sassy outfit they bought in your store. If you can harness the power of music so customers think of you every time they hear a particular song or artist, they’re going to be much more inclined to stop by again.

Now imagine the cross-promotion between social platforms. What if Obama’s campaign pulled in the playlist to a Pinterest board? The booming social site allows for YouTube videos to be posted. Take those same songs, this time in YouTube form, and create your playlist there. The sharing possibilities are much more improved on Pinterest.

For example, here is my personal “Push Play” board on Pinterest that highlights the music we play at Position Logistics. Here is our playlist on Spotify.

Jam with us.

The story opens up a great set of questions:

• Would it work for your business?
• Does your business have a built-in music platform?
• Do your customers connect with the music that is played at your business?
• Are you a music venue and can you promote your upcoming acts via Spotify?
• Can you incorporate this into your content calendar?

Justin Young (50 Posts)

Justin Young is the Vice President of Position Logistics. He works closely with sports teams, leagues and media companies with their digital presence. He has written for Yahoo! Sports, Rivals.com, USA Today, ESPN.com, Fox Sports, Sports Illustrated, Lindy's and other sports publications.