For consumer lifestyle brands, these platforms can be an especially effective tool for connecting with audiences on an emotional level by tapping into the social identities people create through musical preferences.

Before Spotify announced in May that brands can create sponsored playlists on its platform, companies like Jose Cuervo, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Coca-Cola, and even our very own client, Dunkin’ Donuts, have successfully capitalized on the appeal of music streaming services by creating playlists which reflected their brand personalities and/or target demographics they intended to reach.

Music streaming platforms also create a unique opportunity for brands to experiment with fluidity of voice and psychographic targeting.

For example, General Mills used a fresh approach to native placement in the music hosting space, when it dropped a surprisingly well-produced rap mixtape for Hamburger Helper on SoundCloud. Using laughable lyrics and club-worthy beats, the mixtape elevated Hamburger Helper’s product by showing that the brand was endearing, relevant and in-touch with its audience of internet-trolling Millennials and college-age males that often look to the product for an easy, budget-friendly meal. The project generated viral success and widespread praise from Twitter users and industry experts alike.

This tactic may present some dissonance with brands that lack a consumer-centric approach to marketing. As the General Mills example illustrates, outstanding results are achieved when brands put themselves in the psychology of their target consumer, and create resonant content in order to connect with a listener’s lifestyle choices.

For brands looking to break into this creative concept, it’s important to remember the emotional, entertaining and subjective role music plays as the soundtrack to people’s lives and lifestyles. The best content emerges when brands relinquish a firm grip on their guidebooks in order to break through to relevant audiences.

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