Every year, Cannes Lions hosts the Young Lions competition, exclusively catering to up-and-comers in the advertising industry under the age of 30. The 2023 brief partnered with the non-profit organization, Creative Ladder, and participating teams were given ten days to create a compelling campaign and pitch deck.
Creative Ladder challenged us to tackle the "awareness gap" in the creative marketing and advertising industry. In response, we devised a campaign strategically harnessing Spotify's platform to get Gen Z’s attention.
Campaign Summary
Did you know 75% of creative professionals (and 78% of BIPOC creatives) didn't know their current career path even existed when they graduated high school? It’s an unfortunate truth, but we’re here to help fill this awareness gap and promote inclusivity in the creative industry. Creative Ladder will partner with Spotify to inspire Gen Z listeners to explore creative careers that align with their passions and interests. While Zs are leaning into music artists, podcasts, and playlists to shape the stories they tell about themselves, we’ll weave a Creative Ladder campaign into their listening experience to help them to explore their budding creative identities.
Creative Insight
Music and podcasts help Gen Zs explore the most niche sides of themselves and discover interests they never knew they had. Take it from the 75% of American Gen Zs that said they use audio to understand themselves better, or the 55% that have sought out bonus content to learn more about their favorite creator’s process. From curating a one-of-a-kind playlist to jamming out to “Sounds of The Renaissance” while writing LOTR fanfiction, Spotify offers a safe space for Zs to celebrate their creative identities. By integrating a Creative Ladder campaign focused on self discovery and the spectrum of creative career possibilities, we’ll resonate with listeners seeking to explore these different sides of themselves.
Solution
By introducing Creative Ladder into the mix of tailor-made Spotify offerings that users are already familiar with, we can generate quiz participation amongst the next gen in a fresh and unexpected way. With personalized insights optimized for social media sharing, users will not only be inspired to explore a fitting career path in the creative industry, but will also have the opportunity to share their unique role matches with their peers.
How it Works
A prompt within the Spotify app will invite Gen Z listeners to click through a brief curation of creative roles based on their listening habits and niche interests. Delivered in an easily shareable format, the click-through will promote self reflection as it highlights the vast possibilities of the creativity industry. So we’ve got Gen Z’s attention. We’ll then conclude the click-through with a clear call-to-action inviting them to take the Career Finder quiz.
Creative Ladder’s Spotify presence will gain attention as listeners’ quiz results invite them to explore relevant podcasts and playlists to help guide and inspire their creative pursuits.