Ad Testing: Spotify's 2024 Brand Film 'The Boss'

In this article, we analyzed a recent Spotify brand film, titled "The Boss", which was part of its 'Above-The-Line' (ATL) campaign and took a lighthearted approach to an everyday scenario – a young man faking a sick day only to have a surprising encounter with his boss. The ad cleverly plays on the concept of "getting caught" and humorously ties in with Spotify’s messaging around community, discovery, and self-expression. In addition, Spotify has also partnered with T-pop sensations MILLI and Jeff Satur to further spotlight their music as a soundtrack to many listeners' daily lives.

In Thailand, Spotify has become more than just a music streaming platform; it’s a reflection of Thai Gen Z’s vibrant and expressive culture. As Jan-Paul Jeffrey, Head of Marketing Asia at Spotify, notes, "With Spotify’s community-driven approach combined with data-driven personalization, it allows users to create and share their own playlists, fostering a vibrant and engaged community where users can connect, discover, and share their unique musical tastes with others."

Launched in September 2024, this campaign aired across multiple platforms, including TV, social media, and online streaming. It targets the younger demographic. Through deeptrue’s Advertising Test, we gathered feedback from 120 respondents in Thailand, aged 18 to 34, to gauge how well the ad resonated with its intended audience.

This article delves into the detailed results of our ad testing, highlighting key metrics such as emotional response, uniqueness, relevance, and brand impact, and explores what these insights mean for your future ad campaigns.

The ad: Spotify’s 'Billions of playlists that understand you'

In the film, a young man is seen texting his boss a picture of his leg in a cast while walking towards his train at the station. He asks for a sick day, which his boss approves. As the young man steps into the train, he looks up and, to his horror, sees his boss standing right there. In a panic, he quickly whips out his phone, opens the Spotify app, and plays a MILLI song from a playlist titled "Can't just take sick leave, got to resign."

To add to the humor of the situation, the artist MILLI herself makes an awkward cameo, entering the train with a box full of office items, including a keyboard and a head scratcher – symbolizing the reality of potentially being caught and the absurdity of the situation.

Research Methodology

We begin our analysis by outlining the methodology, which involved deeptrue's Advertising Test. The test was conducted through an online survey of 120 men and women aged 18 to 34 living in Thailand, where Spotify has a strong connection with younger generations. Respondents watched the ad and provided feedback on various key elements, allowing us to gain valuable insights into how effectively the ad resonated with this demographic and how well it communicated the brand's message.

Ad Testing Results from Survey

Likability

The overall likability of Spotify's brand film is impressively high, with 91% of respondents expressing positive feedback. This indicates that the ad resonated strongly with the target audience in Thailand. Only 8% of respondents were unsure or did not know, while a very small percentage (1%) expressed dislike, showing the ad's general effectiveness in engaging viewers.

Males and females both rated the ad highly, with likability scores of 92% and 90%, respectively. The minor difference in scores between the two groups is not significant, emphasizing that both genders responded very positively to the ad. Respondents aged 18-25 reported a likability score of 90%, while 26-34 year-olds gave the ad a slightly higher score of 92%. The younger group (18-25) showed slightly more uncertainty or dislike, but the overall trend remains that both age groups enjoyed the ad, with particularly strong engagement from the older segment.

The overwhelmingly positive reception, with 91% of respondents liking the ad, indicates that Spotify successfully struck a chord with their younger audience in Thailand. The humorous scenario, relatable storyline, and the inclusion of popular Thai artist MILLI contributed to the ad's appeal. The scenario of faking a sick day and the humorous twist of meeting one’s boss resonated broadly across both gender and age groups.

This strong likability suggests that Spotify’s approach, blending humor with cultural relevance, was effective in this market.

Here’s what people say they liked:

• "Entertaining and confident"
• "Every scene was fun."
• "Good communication"
• "Interesting presentation"
• "The music-related content was funny."
• "The communication was pleasant to listen to."
• "The video tells a great story."
• "A clever take on humor in the workplace."
• "Calling in sick but then having to resign."
• "The ad was short, concise, and easy to understand, focusing on the key message"

Emotional Response

The emotional responses to Spotify's brand film reveal that the ad successfully elicited a range of positive emotions from viewers, with the most frequent being laughter (46%) and excitement (46%). This suggests that the ad’s humorous and unexpected storyline, combined with its playful use of music, resonated strongly with the audience and created a memorable, feel-good experience.

Other dominant emotions include: Happiness (43%), showing that viewers connected with the lighthearted and upbeat tone of the ad. Cute (33%) and Love (27%), which further highlight the ad’s appeal, as viewers found it endearing and enjoyable.

Uniqueness

The survey results reveal that Spotify's brand film was perceived as highly unique by a vast majority of the respondents. Overall, 89% of respondents rated the ad as "unique and different" from other ads they’ve seen. Only 10% were unsure (DK), and a minuscule 1% found the ad "common and usual."

Males rated the ad’s uniqueness higher, with 92% stating that the ad was unique, while females were also highly positive, with 87% rating the ad as unique. A small percentage (2%) found it common, though this is not a significant finding.

Relevance

The ad’s relevance to viewers was rated highly, with 90% of respondents finding Spotify’s brand film to be relevant to them. Only 8% of respondents were unsure, and just 3% found the ad irrelevant.

Both males and females rated the ad as 90% relevant. The slight differences between genders in terms of uncertainty or irrelevance are not significant enough to warrant further analysis, showing that the ad's relevance was consistent across both groups.

The high relevance score across the board shows that Spotify’s ad resonates strongly with its target demographic in Thailand. The relatable situation of faking a sick day and unexpectedly encountering a boss, combined with the integration of popular music, speaks to the lifestyle and experiences of young adults in the region. This everyday, humorous scenario likely struck a chord with viewers, making the ad feel authentic and closely tied to their own lives.

The small percentage of respondents who found the ad irrelevant may reflect a portion of the audience that either did not connect with the specific humor of the ad or did not find the situation personally relatable. However, this group is a minority, and the overall response suggests that the ad was successful in engaging most of its intended audience.

Purchase Intention

The results show that Spotify’s brand film had a strong positive influence on respondents’ intention to use the app, with 88% of the total respondents indicating they would likely use the app. Only 8% were unsure, and 5% indicated they would not use it.

The 18-25 group demonstrated the highest intent, with 90% indicating they would use the app, the 26-34 group showed a slightly lower intent, with 86% indicating they would use the app.

The high percentage of respondents who expressed an intention to use Spotify suggests that the ad not only resonated with viewers emotionally but also effectively communicated the benefits of the app. The humorous and relatable scenario, combined with the appearance of MILLI and the use of a playlist, likely reinforced Spotify’s value proposition of music discovery and personalization, making the app more appealing to the audience.

The slight variation between the age groups suggests that younger respondents (18-25) found the ad even more engaging and relevant, possibly due to their higher affinity for streaming apps and their connection to the featured artist. This demographic is likely already familiar with Spotify, and the ad reinforced their intention to continue or increase their usage.

Overall, the ad succeeded in motivating a strong intention to use Spotify, with minimal rejection across both genders and age groups.

Clarity and Message Transfer

The results show that Spotify’s brand film clearly communicated its core message, "Spotify: Billions of playlists that understand you," with 95% of respondents finding the message clear. Only 4% were unsure, and a minimal 1% found the message unclear.

The overwhelmingly positive response to the clarity of the message suggests that Spotify effectively communicated its core value proposition through this ad. The combination of humor, relatable scenarios, and the clever use of music as a narrative device ensured that viewers easily grasped the intended message about Spotify’s vast library of playlists tailored to individual moods and moments.

This high level of clarity is essential in making sure that audiences not only enjoy the ad but also understand how Spotify fits into their lives, offering personalized content that enhances everyday experiences. The ad’s ability to seamlessly communicate this message contributes to the strong brand recall and potential for app usage as shown in previous sections.

Brand Fit

The results show that a significant majority of respondents found Spotify’s brand film to be well-suited to their impressions of the brand, with 93% of the total respondents rating the ad as suitable. Only 5% were unsure, and a minimal 3% found the ad unsuitable.

The overwhelmingly positive response to brand fit suggests that "The Boss" successfully aligned with the audience's perception of Spotify. The ad’s focus on music personalization and the inclusion of a relatable, humorous scenario reinforces Spotify’s position as a brand that understands the cultural and lifestyle nuances of its audience. The integration of MILLI and the portrayal of a common, lighthearted situation made the ad feel authentic to the brand's youthful and vibrant image.

The strong alignment between the ad and Spotify’s brand identity is crucial for maintaining brand consistency and further solidifying Spotify’s place in the minds of young consumers as the go-to platform for music discovery and personalization.

Brand Impact

The results indicate that Spotify’s brand film had a highly positive impact on respondents’ perception of the brand, with 93% of respondents reporting a more positive feeling towards Spotify after watching the ad. Only 5% were unsure, and a mere 2% felt negatively about the brand as a result of the ad.

Males showed a slightly stronger positive impact from the Spotify ad, with 95% reporting an improved brand perception, 3% unsure, and 2% having a negative view. Females followed closely, with 92% feeling more positive, 7% unsure, and 2% reporting a negative perception. By age, the 18-25 group had the highest positive response, with 95% feeling more favorable toward Spotify, 5% unsure, and no negative responses. The 26-34 group also showed strong results, with 92% reporting a positive shift, 5% unsure, and 3% indicating a negative change in brand perception.

The overwhelming positive brand impact indicates that Spotify’s ad not only resonated with viewers but also strengthened their connection to the brand. The lighthearted and humorous nature of the ad, combined with its relatable scenario and the integration of MILLI, contributed to creating a positive emotional response, which in turn enhanced brand perception.

The high scores across both genders and age groups suggest that Spotify successfully communicated its core message and reinforced its positioning as a fun, youthful, and culturally relevant brand. This is particularly important for fostering loyalty among younger users who are a key demographic for Spotify.

The slight variation between age groups, with younger respondents (18-25) reporting a higher positive shift, may indicate that the ad resonated particularly well with the younger audience, who are more closely aligned with the cultural references and lifestyle portrayed in the ad.

Conclusion

Spotify’s brand film "The Boss" has proven to be a highly effective advertisement, resonating strongly with its target audience in Thailand. Across key metrics—likability, emotional response, uniqueness, relevance, and brand impact—the ad garnered overwhelmingly positive feedback from both men and women, as well as across age groups.

The ad’s humorous and relatable storyline, featuring a young man faking a sick day only to encounter his boss, combined with the integration of the popular Thai artist MILLI, created a memorable and culturally relevant experience for viewers. This helped position Spotify not just as a music streaming service, but as a brand deeply connected to the daily lives and expressive culture of Gen Z and millennial users in Thailand.

The findings demonstrate that Spotify’s strategic use of humor, local talent, and relatable scenarios has successfully reinforced its brand identity while driving user engagement. The ad’s ability to communicate its message clearly and foster a positive emotional connection with the audience ensures that it not only entertains but also strengthens Spotify’s position in a competitive market.

For future ad campaigns, continuing to tap into culturally relevant themes and combining humor with emotional resonance will be key in maintaining strong brand engagement and driving growth within this demographic.

What did you think? Let us know by interacting with our coverage of the ad on LinkedIn.