Spotify Is Taking A Page Out Of Netflix's Book
Spotify is a digital music service that provides access to millions of songs, and took the world by storm when it became the world's most popular streaming service. Spotify monetized their company the way Pandora did, offering free service with commercials and a Premium option which includes unlimited listening and no commercials - as well as mobile listening ability.
Spotify keeps revolutionizing, and with the introduction of new original content comes the possibility for brand partnerships. In this blog, Hollywood Branded takes a look at new and upcoming original content from Spotify and brand partnership opportunities.
What Will Spotify's Original Content Be?
Last May, Spotify launched Spotify Video, releasing a few short video clips within the app from other content creators, like Jimmy Fallon.
Originally, the plan for Spotify Video was to stream clips from content creators like MTV and Comedy Central, the way Snapchat does. However, they have since begun instead focusing on original content centered around what they do best: music.
Spotify announced recently that they will be releasing 12 new shows, each of which to last about 15 minutes. These shows will be about music and how it interacts with pop culture, including contributions from the likes of hip-hop legend Russell Simmons and Grammy winner T Bone Burnett.
For example, a new original content video release was a part of Spotify's new Landmarks series which explores and explains important moments in music history. A recent installment looked at Nirvana's In Utero.
This is just the beginning of their original content, however, as the company looks to continue to expand and monetize, which will no doubt include brand partnerships along the way.
Spotify Isn't New To Entertainment Marketing
Spotify has certainly dabbled in the realm of entertainment marketing and brand partnerships before. For example, in the weeks leading up to the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, users could go online and see which character they were most like based on their Spotify listening habits.
Celebrity playlists are also a big deal on Spotify, as users are intrigued to know what music their favorite musicians listen to, not just create. They also created original content from this in their segment Trading Playlists where celebrities learn more about each other via Spotify playlists.
Perhaps Spotify's most famous and hands-on marketing presence has been as the host of the Spotify House at South By South West. Their parties included tons of celebrity appearances and headliner performances as well as Snapchat filters and social media presence. Check out more in our Top Brand Activations At SXSW blog here.
Possibilities For Brand Partnerships And Product Placement
Like any piece of original content, brand sponsorship of said content is a great way to get your brand name out there - and to an audience of millennials that highly respects original content and those who make it happen.
And of course with original content that lives on its own platform comes the opportunity for product placement. Like Hulu, Amazon and Netflix, Spotify does not have the same product placement restrictions that network television has - and you can use this to your advantage.
How To Get Your Brand Involved
Are you interested in integrating your brand's product within content but simply don’t know where to start? Watch this video to learn more about how this marketing practice works, what brand categories it works for, and the results brand marketers see!
