Coca-Cola and Spotify: Music and Memories

New year, new me. How many times have we heard that before? We typically start off the year with motivation and purpose, then create objectives, and achieve those results; and this happens with people and with businesses. Without a clear goal in any industry, it will be complex to make decisions that better fit the company, ensure a measurement of growth, and achieve success.

From Goals to Strategy

A step further into creating a proper objective is the method on how to get there, the strategy. There are a couple of ways the strategy can develop; you can either look at the big picture objectives or choose a directed approach, achieving smaller scale objectives. For a Brand Collaborations Manager, strategic goals are the foundation for creating impactful partnerships so that both brands effectively contribute to the objective they seek. Hierarchical goals typically have the high-level goals as a priority and the lower-level goals at the bottom. For example, let us look into Coca-Cola and Spotify.

Music is universal, the aliens are probably dancing to Sabrina Carpenter in this moment. When listening to music, it often evokes sentiment; and as many of you know, Coca-Cola is a brand that connects people through experiences and emotions. Coca-Cola and Spotify collaborate to strengthen their global recognition, bring people together, and amplify the message of happiness and unity. This is the high-level picture that guide their partnership.

At the mid-level, both brands have a variety of different objectives.  Coca Cola and Spotify agree that their priorities at this level are to stay relevant, increase engagement/connections, and expand market reach, especially among younger audiences. The way they collaborate is by Coca-Cola interacting with the users and having Spotify use its music streaming platform. For example, Coca-Cola playlists, interactive music competitions, and exclusive events like Coca-Cola Music, which encourages digital engagement. Additionally, they conduct market research to tailor its campaigns to specific regions, ensuring a global yet localized approach to engagement. These initiatives motivate consumers to comment on campaigns, participate in their giveaways, and share content, which generates emotional connection with the brands.

The tactical goals, such as driving sales, to leveraging data, downloading of Spotify & Coca Cola apps, live events, etc. Coca Cola and Spotify use analytics to tailor campaigns, encourage app downloads, promote live events, etc. Coca-Cola needs to stay relevant – and what better way to do that than engaging with a younger audience (Gen Z and millennials) who are tech-savvy and value music. For example, Coca-Cola’s QR code campaigns allow customers to access exclusive playlists or join contests, generating feedback between brands and consumers. This data not only informs campaign effectiveness but also helps refine strategies for future initiatives.

Organizational Structure

According to the hierarchy by Kotler and Keller, the triangle display shows a very generic and traditional organization chart; however, the one on the right is a more modern approach, this is the one we will be focusing on having placed the customers at the top.

With the modern customer-oriented organization chart, we see that the customers are what drive the actions and strategies for the business. The front-line employees/people respond directly to what the customers want; this also includes figuring out their pain points to deliver a product or service based on the needs of the customer feedback. Through these interactions, front-line employees/people provide valuable insights to middle and top management, ensuring the campaign remains relevant and effective for the target audience. In return, middle management and top management provide their support to the front-line employees.

For example, of when customers scan QR codes, navigate Spotify playlists, join Coca-Cola, contests, etc., it reinforces to the frontline employees/people that the customers are feeling heard, valued and connected to both brands. Middle managers oversee that the resources for both brands fit, and/or tailor, to regional and demographic needs based on the feedback and information that the frontline employees/people give. To further explain, an artist in France may not be the same as an artist in Mexico. So, they customize their campaign by finding local artists of that region to increase more engagement in their specific markets. Finally, the top management make sure that the organization has the tools and the resources to achieve them; they provide they also enhance global brand visibility and execute campaigns effectively.

All this ties together with the strategic goals that were mentioned earlier because the roles of frontline employees/people, middle managers, and top management work together to achieve both Coca-Cola and Spotify collaboration objectives. Let us review again and we will separate the topics for a more clearer understanding:

·      By collecting and analyzing data (whether it be from scanning QR codes, implementing contests, creating a playlist, etc.) it shows what customers find engaging, what they value, and where the campaign can improve. It ties to the goals of collecting and retaining customer feedback to ensure that the campaign evolves and stays relevant.

·      For the middle management, the feedback provided from the frontline employees/people can adapt the campaign to fit specific tour regions or demographics. This customization ensures that Coca-Cola and Spotify remain culturally and demographically relevant in various markets

·      Top management provides the vision, tools, and resources necessary to execute the collaboration efficiently. This includes aligning Coca-Cola and Spotify’s shared goal of connecting people through music with the operational strategies. By focusing on resource allocation, such as budget, partnerships, and technology, top management ensures the collaboration is well-supported and consistent.

These roles tie directly to the original strategic goals by ensuring the campaign delivers on its objectives: driving more engagement, creating emotional bonds with customers, and ultimately increasing sales and brand visibility for both Coca-Cola and Spotify.

The Power of Storytelling

To effectively set storytelling as a marketing goal, it must be tied to measurable outcomes and aligned with monetary objectives. This requires establishing key performance indicators (KPIs) that link the emotional impact of storytelling to business results; in other words storytelling can be evaluated using engagement metrics that reflect how well the story resonated with the audience, such as likes, shares, comments, saves, time spent on a webpage, or click-through rates, and more; in addition emotional resonance (sentiment analysis or customer surveys to understand how the story influences brand perception), plays a role in these analysis of the information.

There are other metrics that we can measure such as signing up for a newsletter, a contest, or participating in the campaign; we measure this through call to actions or user generated submissions, such as sign ups or adding products to a cart. These can be valuable insights that prove how well the story motivated action.

The reason why money is tied to storytelling is because marketers can establish pathways to create revenue based on a story and how it can be told. Storytelling connects people by building, trusting, and inspiring an emotional connection, which often lead to a purchase. They stay connected by repeating this purchase. We can see the comparison of sales before and after the storytelling campaign. It is also an effective way to make demographics feel seen and valued by customizing campaigns to align with their specific region. Lastly, it is important to recognize that a good story makes the brand extremely memorable. Many can measure this based on how many times the brand has been searched on the web, mentions in social media, for public relations coverage, or even just social media growth, such as new followers.

As many know Coca-Cola is a master of storytelling throughout their different campaigns, and so is Spotify. When combined these stories center around a theme of bonding, music, shared experiences, happiness, etc. The narrative of a Coca-Cola and Spotify is to tell a story of unity and connection.

For this particular example, we can measure the outcome of storytelling by increased Coca-Cola sales, increased Spotify subscriptions, expanding the market share for both brands, enhancing brand loyalty, and strengthening digital engagements. Many consumers may purchase Coca-Cola because they associate it with emotionally impactful, music-filled moments, while Spotify benefits from increased app downloads and Premium subscriptions driven by QR codes on Coca-Cola products.

As mentioned, we attract younger audiences and include different demographics. We also use the storytelling from Coca-Cola to create bonds that lead to repeat purchases for Coca-Cola and long-term subscriptions for Spotify; lastly, the collaboration boosts both brands’ relevance through increased interactions on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok (welcome back, TikTok!).

Building Loyalty

Loyalty goes beyond customers purchasing the same products repeatedly. True loyalty means that customers trust the brand, feel emotionally connected to it, and consistently choose it over competitors. Loyal customers often act as brand advocates, promoting it within their own networks. Marketers can foster this loyalty by building strong connections and offering personalized, engaging experiences.

Take the Spotify and Coca-Cola collaboration, Spotify achieves loyalty through personalized music recommendations tailored to users' preferences and demographics, creating an emotional connection tied to specific moments—whether it's a party, road trip, or relaxing at home. Coca-Cola, promotes happiness and nostalgia in its marketing, creating emotional bonds through consistent branding and community-focused campaigns. So why not collaborate? These efforts build a sense of shared connection and ensure that audiences retain positive feelings, leading them to repeatedly choose these brands in their day-to-day lives.

In my experience working in retail, I applied similar principles to create emotional connections with customers. For instance, every interaction began with a warm greeting, such as, “Hi, welcome in! Let me know if you need anything.” This hospitality extended throughout their shopping experience, from offering assistance in the fitting room to going the extra mile by checking inventory for specific sizes, colors, or styles. At the end of their visit, I would thank them and wish them a great day, leaving them with a sense of personalized care.

This retail store is not a super high-end brand like Gucci or Prada, but it was still recognized as a luxury brand. To maintain this image, the focus was on creating a luxurious atmosphere through exceptional customer service. Many customers returned, seeking out associates who had provided them with a memorable shopping experience. It was not just the clothes they were coming back for—it was the feeling of being valued and cared for.

However, failing to deliver this level of service could lead to dissatisfaction. If customers did not feel that sense of luxury or personal attention, they often chose not to return. This highlights the importance of consistency in creating emotional connections, as these experiences directly influence loyalty and retention.

Brand Community

Branding is crucial to marketers today because it is a sense of identity that they convey and project throughout multiple channels.

Before Coca-Cola entered the partnership with Spotify, we saw how Coca-Cola has branding. We noticed it with the Share-a-Coke campaign that many still remember to this day. As for Spotify, their ads have produced individuality and connecting people with music. They joined forces for mutual benefits.

A successful collaboration on both ends means complementing each other’s identities. In a brand collaboration manager role, one must ensure that the partnership emphasizes on the strengths of both brands while avoiding a mismatch that could potentially damage their individual reputation.

In my experience at a technology consulting company, we partnered with brands to create joint solutions. For instance, we collaborated with a tax compliance company to integrate their services with QuickBooks and related software. My role involved promoting this partnership by launching email campaigns, co-hosting webinars, and sharing updates on social media. These efforts demonstrated how both brands could solve customer pain points more effectively together than separately.

This collaboration built a brand community by aligning complementary services and creating joint campaigns. Customers who used one brand were naturally drawn to the other, increasing visibility for both partners and expanding their customer bases. By combining resources, we improved customer satisfaction, identified pain points, and developed bundled solutions that strengthened the partnership.

Brand Purpose

As mentioned, Coca-Cola and Spotify are very aware of their branding and very aware of how they are perceived. They can defy their objectives, missions, values, etc., and give that information to us, their consumers or audience. I believe brand purpose is essential these days because the reason a company exists, especially smaller companies, people rely on their objectives and their missions. Convenience is a huge quality; if not the most important, then one of the top three qualities, that people look for in a company. It is our job as marketers to identify how it can be convenient for our consumers, how we can market the product and/or service for our consumers.

A previous company that I have worked for is a roofing consulting company. While we did not perform the physical roofing work ourselves, we coordinated the process, ensuring compliance with legal standards and quality expectations. The purpose of our company was to guarantee that customers received value for their investment.

In the roofing industry, it is unfortunately common for some businesses to cut corners or intentionally leave problems unresolved, forcing customers to return for expensive repairs. This creates a cycle of dissatisfaction and wasted resources. Our brand purpose was to break that cycle by delivering honest, high-quality consulting services. We wanted customers to feel confident they were paying for a lasting solution rather than recurring issues.

This approach not only aligned with our mission but also delivered convenience to our customers. They did not have to micromanage the project or worry about unexpected expenses—we handled everything. By addressing this pain point, we established trust and loyalty, reinforcing our brand's purpose: to provide a reliable, one-time solution for their roofing needs.