ABOUT THE WORK
Spotify’s free tier attracts millions to its extensive music catalogue, but as engagement deepens, listeners seek a more immersive experience. Ad breaks interrupt the emotional flow of music, positioning Spotify Premium as the natural next step for uninterrupted listening.
To attract listeners to its Premium streaming service, Spotify needed to highlight its core advantage: all the emotion of great music without the interruption of an ad break. The agency set out to bring these emotions to the surface and make them visually apparent in a busy commuter thoroughfare. The subtle physical changes the human body undergoes when experiencing powerful music are difficult to capture, but a specialist team was assembled to do so, including an experimental photography studio and artful retouchers who could create an “interruption” within goosebumps, raised hairs and teardrops.
Each execution portrayed a single human body moving between two states: fully immersed and abruptly interrupted. These moments were combined within one image, forming a visual timeline where emotional intensity is broken and then resumes. The contrast between heightened sensation and flat neutrality made the invisible impact of an ad break immediately recognisable. Multiple photographic plates were captured and carefully retouched to ensure each interruption felt natural and believable, maintaining subtlety while delivering impact at scale.
The idea’s effectiveness was immediate. Displayed in high-traffic public spaces, the campaign drew attention and sparked conversation among passers-by and industry audiences alike. Many responses praised how clearly the work captured both the emotional power of music and the jarring nature of interruption. By making an intangible experience visible, the campaign reinforced Spotify Premium as essential for listeners who want to stay fully immersed in the music.
CREDITS
Client/Brand: Spotify Premium
Agency: Machine_SA
Account Management: Sindy Makibuko
Agency Art Director: Sohyeon Bang
Agency Producer: Nicky Furno
Art Director/Stylist: Sohyeon Bang
Brand Representative (Client): Sithabile (Star) Kachisa Spotify Head of Marketing
Chief Creative Officer: Pete Little
Executive Creative Director: Dylan Davies, Jabulani Sigege
Media Agency/ Manager: Adele Bekker
Photographer: David Prior
Retoucher: Garreth Skibbe
Regional Agency Group: Publicis Groupe Africa
Strategist: Tafadzwa Muzuwa
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