Campaign Middle East spoke to Akshat Harbola – Spotify’s Managing Director for the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia, as part of our Know Your Platforms series.
Know Your Platforms is a guide for marketers when it comes to social media, music streaming and gaming platforms.
What’s the one thing you wish more marketers knew about your platform?
Over 80 per cent of Spotify users say that the core reason they return to Spotify is personalisation and the strength of its recommendations. We provide a positive and personalised experience for 602 million fans globally with innovative and interactive experiences like Discover Weekly, Blend, and daylist. It’s part of our DNA to stay innovative – we use this superpower to create impactful connections between artists, listeners, and brands.
How has the platform’s user demographics shifted over time?
We are witnessing growth across all age groups, with Gen Alpha experiencing significant increases, while Gen Z remains the fastest-growing age group. Additionally, the consumption of local music has steadily increased over the past five years.
What are some recent features or updates that users can check out?
Ramadan Destination: We have returned with a new and improved Ramadan destination that will serve as your audio companion throughout the Holy Month. Personalisation is at the forefront, where you can find a combination of music and podcasts intended to promote self-reflection, wellness, and entertainment. Users can also explore personalised music on the ‘Your Ramadan 2024’ playlist and discover the music that resonated with them the most during the month.
Song Psychic Experience: This is a new mystical experience in which you can choose from a selection of pre-populated questions, and Spotify’s Song Psychic will select the perfect song to answer your question.
Jam: Jam is a personalised, real-time listening session for any group to tune in together. With Jam, your entire group can participate in the fun by having shared queue control, personalized recommendations, and the ability to see who added which track.
Blend: A shared playlist that combines Spotify’s best personalization capabilities and collaborative playlist functionality into a single shared playlist, making it easy for users to create a listening session that is tailored to their liking. You can blend with up to 10 people in a group Fans have already created over 45 million Blends.
Daylist: A groundbreaking playlist that adapts to your daily rhythm, offering niche music and microgenres tailored to specific moments. Updated frequently with new tracks and mood-setting titles, it reflects your unique audio identity and enhances your listening experience. It’s a hyper-personalised journey through music designed to resonate with every version of you throughout the day.
What makes a successful brand campaign?
Having a relevant consumer and cultural insight that resonates with your audience and is relatable to them is essential. Understanding your audience – their habits, sense of humor, music preferences, favorite artists, and the cultural moments that matter to them – is key to ensuring that your campaign is not only successful but also authentic. It should avoid being gimmicky and demonstrate that your brand plays a genuine role in your audience’s daily lives.
How does the platform stay relatable?
It is important to truly understand our users and adapt as the world changes. At Spotify, we’re all about innovation – it’s in our DNA, so we listen closely to our creators and listeners and constantly refine our innovations and features to fit their needs and make their experience even greater. Take our social features like Blend and Jam, for instance – they’re all about bringing people together in today’s world where connection is key. Staying relatable is all about being quick to change, staying creative, and sticking to what matters most to the values of your business.
