Super Fan Collection used Spotify’s listener data to target, engage, and most importantly celebrate the most dedicated fans.

Today, generic merch is sold at fast-fashion chains. Spotify recognized the need to create meaningful merch. But how? With the most targeted collection of merch, exclusively available to top listeners. Super Fan Collection is the first data-driven merch collection, with exclusive items only available to people who are among the top 1% of listeners. It utilizes Spotify data to determine who’s a real fan – and who’s not.

The idea engaged fans and drove traffic directly to the Spotify platform.

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.

Music merch has become fast fashion, sold cheaply at the world’s biggest retailers. The result? That any poser can get a cool band tee, without having even listened to a single song.

But there is still one way to prove if you’re a fan or not. With Spotify’s listening data. Using this data, you can determine exactly how much a user has listened to a particular artist.

For the launch of Wrapped 2022, Spotify launched Super Fan Collection - the first collection of music merch that actually proves you’re a fan – based on Spotify listening data. It was created for the hottest artists in Sweden right now, with over 600 million streams collectively. The collection celebrated existing listeners and inspired more people to listen in order to become a 1% top fan.

Thanks to data, band merch can be 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 and resulted in a direct incentive to listen to more music on our platform.

The main target group was the Super Fans. The ones with the most streams for our participating artists, which we communicated with through the artists' social media platforms. This indirectly targeted the "almost-super-fans", which got a good reason to hit replay on their favorite artists' songs - driving traffic straight to our app.

All you had to do was to listen to the music.

This data-led merch collection was launched through both the artists' and Spotify's social platforms (including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.) and in a physical pop-up shop in central Stockholm. The most dedicated listeners got a notification saying they were among the top 1%. This gave them access to the limited-edition collection and their selected item was delivered to their door.

Super Fan Collection was released in December 2022. Created for the hottest artists in Sweden right now, with over 600 million streams collectively: BELL, LOAM, Miss Li, and Hooja. Each item in the collection was designed based on the artist’s look. It consisted of everything from faux fur hats to hoodies and balaclavas. A unique numbered tag on each item proved it was part of a highly limited collection, for the most dedicated fans. The collection was shot by a renowned fashion photographer who usually works with the likes of Vogue.

- Engagement rate 89% above average

- The collection sold out straight away

- The campaign generated over 13 million impressions in a land of 10 million people (with a very limited media budget.)

- Spotify loved the idea so much, talks about making it on a global scale is happening.

- One item resold second hand for roughly $3000

And most 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.

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

To select participating artists, Spotify didn’t just choose the most obvious mainstream talent. Instead, listener data across the country were analyzed to determine who the truly impactful artists were in 2022. This resulted in a line-up of artists appealing to the target audience.

This set of artists was key in the launch, utilizing their channels in an authentic way that resonated with their fanbase. The launch content was also amplified through Spotify’s channels, targeting a wider audience. This way, the campaign reached both the super fans and the larger audience.

Then we analyzed the complete set of listener data associated with each artist, to conclude who was among the top 1% of top listeners. Those were the ones who got access.

Super Fan Collection was born from data, brought to life using data, and optimized with data.