Spotify's creative awards held for the first time in Japan. Japan KFC wins Grand Prix.

Spotify, the world's largest music streaming service, held its creative award "Spotify Hits" for the first time in Japan. The announcement of the winning entries and the award ceremony took place on Tuesday, October 15.

Spotify Hits is an award recognizing campaigns by companies and brands that moved people's hearts and contributed to business growth through creative approaches leveraging the unique characteristics of Spotify advertising. In addition to the Grand Prix (Spotify Mic Drop), two category awards were presented: Best Audio Campaign (Future Sounds) and Best Multi-Format Campaign (Sound & Story). The ceremony was attended by jury members Koichiro Shima, Executive Officer at Hakuhodo, and Hisashi Tanaka, Creative Director at Dentsu Inc. CX Creative Center.

【Winning Works and Evaluation Points】
● Grand Prix (Spotify Mic Drop)　
KFC Japan / Relunch Campaign for the Little-Known Classic "Wakatsu Burger" "Yes! Let's Go Eat Wakatsu"
(Planning & Production) Hakuhodo, Hakuhodo Products, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, L Management, Muse, Melody Punch
Mayu Harada from Hakuhodo Kansai Branch's Integrated Planning Bureau took the stage. "This campaign aimed to raise product awareness using the new nickname 'Wakatsu'. We created an original parody song based on Takasu Clinic's CM tune, with lyrics like 'Takasu... Wagatsu' and 'Clinic... Let's go eat'. By creating subtle, not-too-explicit 'punchlines', we spread it across media like SNS. This was made possible thanks to the cooperation of everyone involved, including Director Takasu and SOFFet, who arranged the music specially for this."

Key evaluation points included: "While respecting the original song, they meticulously refined every detail to create a completely different world. We also commend its widespread dissemination, particularly on Spotify (Mr. Shima)." "An approach that resonates with the right brain, impossible to shake once heard. The meticulously crafted song fits perfectly with Spotify's emphasis on music. The teamwork that made this happen was also outstanding (Mr. Tanaka)."

●Best Audio Campaign (Future Sounds)
Earth Seiyaku / Earth No-Mat: Kojima Yoshio Voice Ad
(Planning & Production) CHOCOLATE Inc.    
Yumi Koizumi from Earth Pharmaceutical's Communication Design Department took the stage. "We implemented this campaign expecting that busy people could listen while multitasking, that audio ads are memorable, and that we could leverage Spotify's unique spatial audio effects. As a result, the favorability rating among those exposed to the ad significantly increased, and awareness, interest, and the targeted image all improved," she stated. Haruka Ichikawa of CHOCOLATE Inc., who oversaw production, shared behind-the-scenes details: "Since many Spotify users listen with headphones, we designed the ad specifically for that environment. We were extremely particular about the mosquito's wing sound, actually collecting mosquitoes to record their flight noise."

Key evaluation points included: "When heard through headphones, it creates a powerful impact, like a mosquito flying from right to left. The balance between music, dialogue, and wing sounds is incredible. I think they've achieved something very difficult (Mr. Shima)." "While Spotify often features audio-based ads, this isn't an ad—it's music. The 'Continue on the web' approach, completely avoiding any advertising explanation, is also effective (Mr. Tanaka)."

●Best Multi-Format Campaign (Sound & Story)
SS Pharmaceutical / "Driell 20th Anniversary: Lullabies of the World Campaign"
(Planning & Production) Dentsu Inc., Dentsu Digital Inc., Samwans Garden, MIT Gathering, Velvet Office

Takuma Kawada from Dentsu Inc. CX Creative Center took the stage. "Lullabies exist worldwide, and their common thread is the message 'May you sleep well.' We thought 'Driell supports lullabies around the world' best expressed the sentiment of Driell, a sleep-improvement medication. We achieved a multi-dimensional campaign, including a special site on Spotify and the ability to actually listen to lullabies from around the world. Because the lullabies aligned perfectly with the brand's philosophy, we could maintain a unified worldview even across diverse campaign elements."

Key evaluation points included: "The experience design—considering how and in what situations it will be listened to—is exceptionally well thought out. Everything is unified in a gentle tone and manner, elevating it beyond a mere brand advertisement (Mr. Shima)." "An incredibly gentle advertisement that makes you feel like you might drift off to sleep. It lets you experience the company's mission through music. We also appreciate how it fully leverages Spotify's platform capabilities (Mr. Tanaka)."

[Judges' Talk Session]
In the subsequent talk session with Mr. Shima and Mr. Tanaka, they discussed Spotify's value from a marketing perspective, touching on three key features: "Fandom," "Rhythm," and "Personalization."

"The 'Fandom' element is significant. While audio ads are often consumed 'while doing something else,' Spotify users are actively listening to music they enjoy. When we create ads with respect for the musicians and their music, borrowing their worldview and approaching it with a sense of being a guest, we can place ads in a space with higher anticipation than other audio ads (Mr. Shima)." "I believe the strength of audio ads lies in the 'white space'. For example, if someone says 'Think of your first love', each person can conjure their own image in their mind. This is the ultimate 'Personalization' (Mr. Tanaka)."

Finally, Joe Tateishi, Senior Executive Officer at Spotify Japan, took the stage. He reflected on the awards ceremony and the winning works, concluding with enthusiasm: "Spotify is currently in the midst of evolution. I hope we can work together to advance initiatives that unleash creativity and build positive environments with our audience."

Spotify Hits, details of the winning works can be found here.