Creative Data > Creative Data
VML, Kansas City / PEPSICO / 2017
Overview
Credits
CampaignDescription
We created Gatorade Amplify, the first research-backed music experience on Spotify built to bring out an athlete’s best performance. Unlike other playlists, Amplify actually drives the workout, serving up the right song at the right moment. Scouring data from thousands of the top workout songs, we uncovered what within a song drives athletes to train. These attributes were then matched to correspond with the intensity needed for a particular exercise. So when an athlete inputs their workout, Amplify searches the elements of millions of songs in Spotify’s database and creates a scientific playlist that drives the workout. We also tapped into the athlete’s personal music preferences, using their Spotify listening history. Because each experience is personalized by music taste and workout preferences, no two experiences are the same — even for the same user. And with Spotify’s patented cross-fade technology, athletes are seamlessly propelled from one exercise to the next. Cross-fading allows for a smooth transition from one song to another, meaning the first song can fade out while the second fades in. The songs actually push the athlete and drive the workout, creating an entirely new way to fuel athletes through music.
MediaStrategy
Music and data have never been paired like they are in Gatorade Amplify. Yes, there are workout apps that use music, but none of them are designed for the competitive athlete and to bring out their best performance. By digging into the elements within a song, we could sync those patterns and pieces to the ebb and flow of the user’s workout. That way, the music actually drives the workout — rather than interfering with the user’s momentum or depending on their pace to alter song tempo.
The data journey for playlist generation begins with the mining of relevant workout playlists across Spotify to identify tracks that are uniquely trending within those categories. Then machine listening data is used to ensure that tracks recommended fit the category and provide a cohesive listening experience. Finally, the user’s top artists and tracks are utilized to personalize suggestions against their own taste profile. The athletes are even seamlessly transitioned from one exercise to the next with Spotify’s patented cross-fade technology — as one song fades out, the other fades in. The songs actually push the athlete and drive the workout, creating an entirely new way to fuel athletes through music.
Outcome
• In just three months, users spent 1.4 million minutes (equating to 2.5 years) listening, beating Spotify’s average time by 200 percent
• To date, 61,000 playlists have been generated
• Amplify Sponsored Sessions generated a 0.92 percent click-through rate, two times Spotify benchmark.
• There were more than 174,000 unique visitors to the Amplify destination, double the average visits based on return in media spend
• There were 2,088 social mentions of Gatorade Amplify within the social space
• 99 percent of sentiment was positive to neutral
• Compared to industry norms, creative saw in-market breakthrough
• Gatorade Amplify generated stronger relevance, brand impact and interest than other Spotify campaigns
• Overall, there was a lift in Gatorade “as an innovative brand” and “as a leader”
Relevancy
Customization and personalization are the next frontiers of sports nutrition. And at the heart of these is data. So as an innovation leader, Gatorade set out to find new ways to use technology to fuel performance. Partnering with Spotify, we conducted the largest data science study ever on listening behaviors and music preferences during workout occasions. Then using those findings, we developed the first science-backed music experience built to maximize an athlete’s workout.
Strategy
To figure out how music could help get the most out of an athlete’s performance, we needed to understand two things at a deep level:
1. The listener.
2. The content — the music itself.
We found that many competitive athletes ages 13-30 say they can’t workout without music.
They know music can motivate them, but, conversely, kill their momentum if the song isn’t right — especially if the song doesn’t mesh with their music preferences.
As for the music, we partnered with Spotify and Sync in a landmark data study that looked at what within a song drives an athlete to keep training. Using statistical and machine learning models, we mined the most popular workout songs and then later applied four sets of data queries to discover rhythm, loudness, acousticness, energy and tempo to be the key acoustic elements that push performance.
Then we aimed to replicate this experience automatically in a personalized experience on Spotify, an app our audience organically uses. The playlists are designed with songs that will play at the right moment of the workout by matching their unique acoustic elements and patterns to the specific moment of the workout, resulting in optimized performance.
Synopsis
Many athletes can’t workout without music. And while there are workout apps that use music, most just change the tempo and pace. They’re not designed to get the most out of an athlete. So Gatorade wondered if we could create the ultimate music experience for all kinds of workouts by digging deeper into the elements of music to amplify its effect on performance. We set out to uncover unique, actionable insights on different types of music for athletic performance through custom research. The goal was to create a first-of-its-kind music experience that turns music into fuel.
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