Welcome back to yet another meander through the dry desert that is B2B creativity. Each month I’ve been taking a look at those rarest of gems — the campaigns that prove B2B marketing doesn’t have to be boring.

This week, we’ll be taking a deep dive into a campaign I liked…then hated…then grew to love. Spotify Spreadbeats. Having watched as LinkedIn blew up with praise for this campaign, I must admit I was initially sceptical. So today I’m going to be asking, is it really worthy of the hype? 

Spreadbeats — Your ads work harder on Spotify

For those who haven’t seen the video at the heart of this campaign, Spotify used some seriously impressive stop motion techniques to transform an advertiser’s media buying spreadsheet into a fully animated, four-minute music video. By manipulating the cells, changing colours, and altering text, the spreadsheet comes alive with retro-inspired, 8-bit graphics that evolve and dance along to the beat.

Following a win at Cannes Lions, I found my LinkedIn feed inundated with marketers singing the praises of this quirky animation. Endless posts informed me that it was “beautiful”, “genius”, a “masterclass in creativity”.

But what I didn’t see were people asking the most important question of all: Does it actually work? Does a painstakingly animated spreadsheet make me want to buy ad space with Spotify?

Style over substance

For me, Spotify’s campaign risked falling into what I call the ‘Hipgnosis’ trap. In the 1970s, British graphic design duo Hipgnosis created some of the greatest album covers of all time, from Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, to Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy. But despite all their incredible creative output, the duo was known for starting with an idea they personally liked and working backwards from there. Often, they’d come up with a concept for an artwork or a photoshoot they thought would be fun to do, and then tried to retrofit it into the briefs they received from bands — regardless of what that brief asked for.

For me, Spotify’s Spreadbeats felt a little like this. I can imagine someone in a brainstorm who has long been toying with how to animate inside Microsoft Excel saying “What about that spreadsheet idea I had? Can we make that work for Spotify?”. As harsh as that sounds, it was my initial (admittedly cynical) reaction to the campaign. Now, however, as the dust of the LinkedIn hyperbole settles, I am very happy to admit that I was

wrong.

Right message, right creative

Spotify hasn’t just chosen Microsoft Excel on a whim. It’s done so because that is the go-to platform that its target audience uses day-in and day-out when planning new ad campaigns. It’s a format they immediately recognise and associate with media buying — the very thing that Spotify wants to be known for.

Through the animation of this mundane tool, Spreadbeats reminds advertisers of the power and importance of their decision making. It reminds them that what they put in their media buying spreadsheet today will completely change the nature and impact of their creative campaigns tomorrow.

By drawing them into this incredible animated music video, it reminds advertisers of the power of music, and how effective it can be for building emotional connections. For Spotify’s target audience — those looking to drive engagement through advertising — that is hugely powerful.

Lessons for B2B marketers

For me, the real lesson to take away from this campaign is the essential need for creative activations to reinforce key messages. The job of B2B creativity is not only to be memorable — it’s to amplify a concept or evoke a particular feeling that you want to associate with your brand. Through Spreadbeats, Spotify does exactly that.

It’s also a reminder for marketers to stay playful when selecting formats and channels for B2B campaigns, even those right under your nose. Innovation doesn’t always require new technologies. Often, it’s just about reimagining what’s already at your disposal. For me, the hype was worth it. This isn’t just creativity for creativity’s sake. Behind the flashy animations there is something far bigger and better at play. 

All credit to Spotify. My cynical reaction was wrong.