Dive Brief:
- Disney has partnered with Spotify to let listeners create '70s-themed playlists tied to the upcoming film “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2” from its Marvel Studios arm, The Drum reported. Users across 16 countries can tap audio recognition technology to curate retro playlists to their liking and will be served ads on the free version of the platform, the publication said.
- In separate but related news, Sony Music's Legacy Recordings division teamed with digital campaign platform Wyng for a "30 Day Vinyl Giveaway" campaign which ran throughout April, according to a joint press release.
- The Sony effort used Wyng’s platform featuring consumer and data APIs for real-time campaign performance metrics. Twenty-eight days into the campaign, a microsite dedicated to the giveaway already had more than 23,700 entries.
Dive Insight:
Digital might be relatively "new" as a marketing channel, but the latest news signals that old pop cultural touchstones and formats are still as resonant as ever with audiences. Despite being focused on an analog product like vinyl records, Sony's campaign is driven by digital marketing elements like a dedicated microsite and leverages performance analytics in its promotions.
Vinyl has seen a surprising resurgence in recent years, with millennials — many of whom were presumably born after the format's heyday — driving interest, according to The Economist.
Disney, for its part, is continuing to capitalize on the surprise success of the first "Guardians of the Galaxy," whose soundtrack, brimming with songs from the 70s and 80s, became a runaway hit on its own. Partnering with Spotify was a natural fit, as Disney previously had a similar deal that saw success around the release of March's live-action "Beauty and the Beast," Marco Bertozzi, vice president of Europe, sales for Spotify, told The Drum.
Spotify isn't alone in jumping in on the hype around "Guardians" old-fashioned flavor, either. Doritos, with some help from The Marketing Arm, recently unveiled limited-edition packaging embedded with a cassette tape deck interface that actually plays the music from the film and can be recharged for repeat listenings.
