Spotify recently launched a new feature called Your Time Capsule. What is it? A personalized playlist of thirty throwback jams. With an unrivaled algorithm, the music-streaming service pinpoints your favorite musical period and delivers curated picks evoking a nostalgic yearning for yesteryear. The accuracy is uncanny. Jimmy Eat World, Foo Fighters, The White Stripes, and No Doubt. Yup. That sums up my ‘90s awkward angst in a nutshell.
Aside from a fun trip down memory lane, there’s also a hidden marketing lesson.
While there’s obviously a fine line between invasive annoyance and useful engagement, we can’t underestimate the power of detailed personalization. Done correctly, it can be an added value that sparks a special affinity. The proof is in the numbers. Bombarding people with useless messages leads to consumer fatigue. In fact, according to a recent study conducted by Fox School of Business, social media advertising can boost short-term purchase by roughly 5%, but it also increases the likelihood that people will unfollow the company by 300% in the long term. Touché.
Don’t be that brand. Be the brand that does something useful. Be the brand that tunes in and makes people’s lives unexpectedly better.
Image Source: Spotify
