Spotify's Spot 'The Boss' – Ad Testing Insights

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In Thailand, Spotify recently launched "The Boss" as part of its 'Above-The-Line' (ATL) campaign. The humorous ad features a young man faking a sick day, only to run into his boss, cleverly tying into Spotify’s message of community and self-expression. To connect with Thai audiences, the ad includes music from T-pop stars MILLI and Jeff Satur.

In Thailand, Spotify is seen as a cultural hub for Gen Z, and as Jan-Paul Jeffrey, Head of Marketing Asia, explains, its community-driven, personalized approach fosters connection. Using deeptrue’s Advertising Test, we tested the ad’s effectiveness, and here’s what we found.

The ad: Spotify's brand film 'The Boss'

In the film, a young man is seen texting his boss a picture of his leg in a cast while walking towards his train at the station. He asks for a sick day, which his boss approves. As the young man steps into the train, he looks up and, to his horror, sees his boss standing right there. In a panic, he quickly whips out his phone, opens the Spotify app, and plays a MILLI song from a playlist titled "Can't just take sick leave, got to resign."

To add to the humor of the situation, the artist MILLI herself makes an awkward cameo, entering the train with a box full of office items, including a keyboard and a head scratcher – symbolizing the reality of potentially being caught and the absurdity of the situation.

3 Juicy Nuggets from Our Survey

Likability

The overall likability of Spotify's brand film is impressively high, with 91% of respondents expressing positive feedback. This indicates that the ad resonated strongly with the target audience in Thailand. Only 8% of respondents were unsure or did not know, while a very small percentage (1%) expressed dislike, showing the ad's general effectiveness in engaging viewers.

Emotional Reaction

The emotional responses to Spotify's brand film reveal that the ad successfully elicited a range of positive emotions from viewers, with the most frequent being laughter (46%) and excitement (46%). This suggests that the ad’s humorous and unexpected storyline, combined with its playful use of music, resonated strongly with the audience and created a memorable, feel-good experience.

Purchase Intention

The results show that Spotify’s brand film had a strong positive influence on respondents’ intention to use the app, with 88% of the total respondents indicating they would likely use the app. Only 8% were unsure, and 5% indicated they would not use it.

2 Key Takeaways

1. Leverage Relatable, Everyday Situations

Ads that tap into common, relatable experiences, like workplace humor, can resonate strongly with viewers and make the brand feel more approachable and relevant.

2. Keep the Message Simple and Entertaining

Combining humor with a clear, concise message helps maintain audience attention while ensuring the key brand message is easily understood, leading to a more positive brand perception.

Conclusion

The ad’s humorous and relatable storyline, featuring a young man faking a sick day only to encounter his boss, combined with the integration of the popular Thai artist MILLI, created a memorable and culturally relevant experience for viewers. This helped position Spotify not just as a music streaming service, but as a brand deeply connected to the daily lives and expressive culture of Gen Z and millennial users in Thailand.

Uncover the Full Analysis

Head over to the deeptrue articles for a more detailed examination of this ad’s performance, including insights on Brand Impact, Demographic Differences, and much more.

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