WPP Firms Get Access to Spotify Data

WPP has announced the formation of a global multi-year partnership between its Data Alliance organisation and music streaming service Spotify.

The Data Alliance was launched in 2010 and comprises experts from across WPP's divisions, who help clients to assess their available data and make the best use of it.

The Spotify deal covers collaboration in data, insights, creative, technology, innovation, programmatic solutions, and new growth markets, and gives WPP access to the unique listening preferences and behaviors of Spotify's 100 million users in 60 countries, whose music taste and behavior can be linked to moods and activities.

In general terms, the link will improve WPP's options for campaign planning and targeting: specifically, it is expected to give WPP agencies 'unrivalled insights for making impactful brand connections with hard-to-reach Millennial and Generation Z consumers'.

Research companies Lightspeed and Kantar will have prominent roles in the new arrangement: Spotify data including its internal audience segmentation study will be fed into the former's LIVE Panel; whie the latter will conduct media research in 12 markets to help measure the quantity and quality of the Spotify audience compared to radio listeners.

Data Alliance CEO Nick Nyhan (pictured) comments: 'WPP and Spotify are humanizing 'quant' data by harmonizing it with music preferences as a new window into the mood and emotion of global audiences during daily moments. It's not about 'just' having data anymore, it's about finding new ways to create connections through emotion'.

Alex Underwood, Spotify's VP Global Head of Agency and Partnerships, says the announcement 'lays the foundation for a long term strategic alliance between Spotify and WPP'.

Web sites: www.spotify.com and www.thedataalliance.com .