I have recently been seeing a lot of Spotify ads in subway cars here in NYC. The ads are pretty basic, with one simple color and one simple user testimonials. Interestingly, each quote is about Spotify’s ‘Discover Weekly’ playlist. This is a prime example of clean, simple advertising that leverages your greatest assets. I have yet to speak to another music aficionado like myself who hasn’t instantly fallen in love with Discover Weekly. Spotify was already great before but this feature is really something special.
For all the non-Spotify users, or if you just have yet to happen across this gem, it is a weekly playlist that automatically appears in your account and refreshes each week. All 30 songs are algorithmic recommendations based on your listening history and songs you have in your current playlists. The algorithm will then pluck songs from other users’ playlists, when those playlists have one or more of your own songs in them (assuming you haven’t heard them yet). This is a pretty ingenious way to find songs you are likely to enjoy and it works pretty damn well.
From my experience, the songs in Discover Weekly fall in the standard bell curve. At the bottom end are the few songs I dislike and skip rather quickly. Fine, it’s bound to happen. Spotify will learn what I don’t like based on my quick-skips. The middle of the curve holds a plethora of songs that I really solid, songs I can definitely jam out to. Each week, at the top of the curve are a few big winners, instant favorites that can even sometimes launch a newfound love with an older artist. Elephant gym especially comes to mind. They are a three-piece South Korean math rock outfit, that without Discover Weekly, there is no way I would have ever heard of. The feeling of coming across an Elephant Gym is what makes this feature so special. Every Monday morning I am excited to get into my Spotify, just to see what I will “discover” this week.
Years ago, it took months of friendly prying to even get me onto Spotify. I was quickly turned into a fanboy. Seeing them continue to evolve and launch products that bring joy back to music technology has been fun to watch. iTunes turned digital music into a commodity. Spotify is making it an experience again. It is great to see them recognize and leverage their greatest assets, something any great brand advertiser should do.
Aryeh Carni
ARYEH CARNI 