For Spotify, one of their biggest goals is to forge closer ties with Gen Z, a generation that has significantly gained ground in the digital world. Although this generation of digital natives is known for their openness of mind and their courage for speaking up, gaining their trust is particularly hard for brands. In order to do so, we knew we had to tap into the causes they hold dear, and provide something that could resonate with them.

Gen Z is unique, and so are Spotify’s playlists. Tailored according to the interests and taste of their owners, each playlist is a new channel for people to express themselves and connect with others. And what better place to get your message across than on a platform where people are actively listening?

With “Do you speak playlist?” we partnered with influencers, artists and activist, and asked them to create a playlist with the songs that better represent them and what they stand for. Then, they shared it on TikTok and Instagram, where they invited people to do the same. This way, we used music (and the brand) as an ally for various influencers to connect with their audiences—not only through their love for music, but also through the causes they hold dear.

To connect with an audience like Gen Z, it’s imperative to meet them where they are. That’s why through social listening, we identified the creators on TikTok who had a large following and a loyal community within the platform. The success was shaped by forming a natural alliance with a diverse cast of influencers whose values already resonated with their audience. After identifying those who better aligned with our goals, they were tasked with delivering our message in a way that felt authentic to them.

Once we’d identified the content creators that could better amplify our message across the targeted group, we asked them to create one playlist with songs that they like, but also represent the causes they fight for. Each song in that playlist had to encapsulate or speak to the subjects they are passionate about—whether feminism, racial equity, anti-bullying or other topics. Then, each collaborator shared the new playlists with their followers using TikTok’s green screen tool, a trend for the Gen Z community to jump on.

In just one week, the hashtag #DoYouSpeakPlaylist got more than 7.2M views. In the same period, the content shared by our collaborators reached 420,000 likes, and more than 5,000 people started following their playlists.