Data sits at the very heart of Super Fan Collection – it’s an idea that couldn’t have happened without it. When music merch is sold to at fast-fashion chains, Spotify recognized the need to create merch that proves you're a fan. But how? Through data. We created the first data-driven merch collection, only available to people who are among the top 1% of an artist. It utilizes Spotify listening data to determine who’s a real fan - and who's not. In that way, each piece of merch became a symbol of true fandom – verified by data.

Every year since 2016, Spotify has released Wrapped – a summary of your year as a listener and a celebration of music fandom. But eight years after launch, Wrapped was old news. So how could Spotify Sweden engage music fans – in particular listeners between 18-30 years old – in the Wrapped experience and celebrate the artists that have made the biggest impact?

With a highly limited media budget, the clear aim was to drive engagement and earned media.

For the launch of Wrapped 2022, Spotify launched Super Fan Collection. It’s the first collection of music merch that actually proves you’re a fan – based on Spotify listening data. A collection that you can only get, if you’re among the top 1% of people who have listened the most to an artist.

The collection was created in collaboration with the biggest Swedish artists of the year, with a total of over 300 million streams. Each part of the collection was created based on the artist's look and attributes.

The only way to get the merch was to listen a lot to the artists. An those who listened the most got a item sent to them. In this way, we celebrated both existing fans, and inspired more to listen more to get into the top percent. Thanks to data, band merch became a statement of true fandom once again.

Spotify isn’t just a music streaming service. It’s a unique source of listener data – the ultimate resource to find out how the world listens. While data can be cold and statistical, this campaign transformed it into an emotional source of pride.

Super Fan collection turned a data point – into a wearable proof of fandom. By creating a data-led collection of merch. The first music merch that proves you’re actually a fan, proved by Spotify data.

By analyzing all the listener data associated with the standout Swedish artists in 2022, the campaign determined who were among the top 1% of listeners. Meaning, those who are truly their biggest fans. And these fans were the only ones to get access to this limited-edition collection.

In this way, data showing seconds, minutes, and hours listened, was reinterpreted as something more than statistics. It became something every fan was proud to wear.

Every single stage of this campaign was data-driven and informed by learnings from the Spotify platform.

To select the participating artists, Spotify didn’t just choose the most obvious mainstream talent. Instead, listener data across the country and different audiences was analyzed to determine who the truly impactful, breakthrough artists were in 2022. This resulted in a line-up of artists appealing to the target audience of 18–30-year-olds across key geographic areas.

We analyzed the complete set of listener data associated with each artist, to conclude who were among the top 1% of top listener. These were the only ones who would get access to Super Fan Collection and the highly limited-edition merch items.

Super Fan Collection was born from data, brought to life using data, and optimized with data. All to guarantee that real fans get the recognition they deserve.

- Engagement rate 89% above average

- The collection that sold out straight away

- The campaign generated over 13 million impressions (with a very limited media budget.)

And importantly, Super Fan Collection invented a new format. A new, data-led way for artists to celebrate and reward their most dedicated fans. This idea could be adapted by artists around the world – to once and for all prove who’s a real fan.