When people think about Spotify advertising, chances are their minds go straight to audio ads — the kind that pop up between songs or podcasts. But what if that assumption is limiting how media planners perceive the platform? What if Spotify’s potential as a multi-format ad powerhouse is being overlooked… simply because no one thought to look inside a spreadsheet?

That’s exactly the insight Spotify ran with in its wildly creative and unorthodox B2B campaign: Spreadbeats — a groundbreaking idea that turned Excel spreadsheets into fully functioning music videos, proving once and for all that Spotify is anything but audio-only.

Rethinking the Media Plan: The Birth of “Spreadbeats”

In the world of media planning, spreadsheets are sacred. They’re where million-dollar ad decisions are made. Spotify recognized this and saw an opportunity not just to insert itself into that conversation — but to completely reinvent it.

To show media buyers that Spotify’s video ad offerings were not only legitimate but more engaging than many of the usual suspects (think Google, Meta, YouTube, TikTok), the platform created something audacious. It didn’t just tell planners about its capabilities — it showed them, in the very format they live and breathe: Excel.

Turning Data into Art: A Music Video Inside a Spreadsheet

Partnering with Coachella headliner John Summit, Spotify transformed millions of data points into a stunning, four-minute Excel-based music video. The tab looked like an ordinary media plan at first glance. But once opened, the rows and columns came alive with vibrant visuals and immersive sound — an experience that was equal parts data and delight.

This wasn’t just a clever file embed or a flashy gimmick. The music video was entirely built from scratch using nothing but native Excel functions — think ASCII characters, Unicode, graphs, conditional formatting, and a whole lot of human creativity. No AI. No shortcuts. Just old-school digital wizardry reimagined for a new purpose.

Meet E7: A Story Told in Cells

At the heart of the video was a story — one that added emotional resonance to the technical brilliance. The narrative followed E7, a character born into a logical world of numbers and data. As she questions her place, she embarks on a visual journey of self-discovery, growing and evolving through increasingly complex, beautiful forms. The metaphor? Just like E7, Spotify Advertising is so much more than it first appears.

Personalized, Scalable, and Seamless for Sales Teams

To bring this idea into everyday sales conversations, Spotify equipped its team with a Spreadbeats Generator. This internal tool allowed sales reps to input personalized details — such as the client’s name, brand, and RFP specs — and generate a fully customized Excel file that included the media plan and the music video.

It was a seamless blend of functionality and storytelling — one that delivered a message right where planners were most receptive.

Campaign Objectives

The Spreadbeats campaign had clear goals:

• Increase awareness of Spotify’s multi-format ad solutions
• Drive consideration, brand relevance, and love among media planners
• Challenge the perception of Spotify as just a digital audio platform

And in every category, it delivered.

The Results? Off the Charts.

By hacking the very platform media planners use daily, Spotify didn’t just make a statement — it sparked a movement. The numbers speak for themselves:

• 17:1 return on investment
• +5,650% more email forwards than the B2B industry average
• +870% ad engagement compared to previous paid campaigns

More importantly, it reshaped how advertisers perceive Spotify, positioning it as a creative, innovative, and highly effective channel for video as well as audio.

Why This Campaign Matters

The brilliance of Spreadbeats lies not just in the execution, but in the insight. Spotify identified a blind spot in its own brand perception and tackled it head-on — not with a conventional media buy or flashy keynote, but by meeting media planners exactly where they are and delivering an experience they couldn’t ignore.

It’s a bold reminder that the medium can be the message — and that sometimes, the most innovative ads don’t live in billboards, banners, or even video pre-rolls… they live in spreadsheets.

Final Takeaway

Spotify’s Spreadbeats campaign is a masterclass in creative B2B advertising. It combines deep audience insight, technical ingenuity, emotional storytelling, and flawless execution to break down misconceptions and open up new conversations.

For anyone in marketing, it’s a powerful case study on how to turn perceived weaknesses into creative gold — and how thinking inside the (spreadsheet) box can sometimes be the most radical move of all.

Credits
Brand: Spotify
Creative Agency: FCB, New York
Production Company: Uncharted Limbo Collective, London
Post Production Company: Colossal, Curitiba
Other: Bogota Curitiba ; DaHouse Audio Los Angeles ; Spotify New York

This campaign is about:
Spotify Advertising, Creative B2B Campaign, Spotify, Excel, Advertising Campaign, multi-format ad solutions, Spreadbeats, Innovative Marketing, Advertising Case Study, Digital Campaigns

The new campaign, which launches Unibet Online Sportsbook in the United States, reflects the universal truth that when you have money on the line, the experience is intensified to a rather absurd degree.

“We’re winking at bettors, acknowledging that when you have skin in the game, you may be reacting in ways that are perceived as odd by less-invested fans,” said Gary Resch, FCB New York EVP, Executive Creative Director. “For instance, why are you on the edge of your seat when it’s 49-3 while everyone else is filling out? Well, you took the over at 52, so the result is still in the balance.”

In Europe, Unibet has earned the trust of serious bettors, demonstrating for over 20 years an understanding of what players need in order to make informed bets and amplify their sports-watching experience. They seek to begin earning that trust in the U.S. by celebrating their kindred spirit with these bettors.

“We wanted the campaign to be an inside joke between Unibet and the savvy sports bettor. Not everyone will understand the dynamic portrayed in the ads, but the ones who do will know in an instant that we’re the brand that gets them,” said Arnas Janickas, Head of U.S. Marketing at Unibet. “They have a lot of choices out there, so we want to prove that Unibet is the one they want to be watching the games at the pub with.”

In this vein, the new campaign focuses on the raw emotion underlying sports betting moments. With different vignettes for different sports, the campaign will be relevant in every season.

For instance, two hockey fanatics have oddly been converted to tennis fanatics because of a simple bet. Two other bettors make a scene just seconds into a basketball game because they had money on who wins the tip-off. A gentleman pulls his own hammy celebrating a winning bet of a stolen base. While onlookers may think it pretty strange, FCB and Unibet understand that having a bet on a game amplifies the experience to the extent that exhibiting odd behaviour is absolutely normal. Thus, the campaign rallying cries, “It’s not odd, it’s the odds.”

View this post on Instagram

At Unibet, we treat every game like it’s the championship round. Remember, there is never a meaningless moment when you have money on the line. ????

A post shared by Unibet Sportsbook (@unibetus) on Sep 11, 2019 at 7:36am PDT

Unibet, which offers online sports betting, casino games, poker and bingo in 20 different languages for over 25 million customers throughout the UK, Europe and Australia, announced that it would expand into the U.S. in 2019, and tapped FCB as its key launch partner for the Unibet brand. Unibet is live in New Jersey and looking to roll out in Pennsylvania later this year.

As legislation enabling online sports betting expands into states across the U.S., Unibet aims to deepen its authentic connection with its target audience while broadening the appeal to more casual sports fans who want some more “hell-yeah” moments.

Crazy About the Odds consists of online videos, digital radio spots, geotargeted paid social assets, as well as out-of-home and OTT video ads.

Unibet joins FCB New York’s impressive roster of iconic brands, which includes FDA, LG Electronics, Burger King and Lincoln Financial Group. This campaign launch is the first from FCB New York since its momentous showing at Cannes Lions, as the agency took home an unprecedented three Grand Prix, including the coveted Titanium honor.

About Kindred
Kindred Group is one of the world’s leading online gambling operators with business across Europe Australia, and the United States offering over 25 million customers across 11 brands a great form of entertainment in a safe, fair and sustainable environment. The company, which employs about 1,500 people, is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm Large Cap and is a founding member of the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) and founding member of ESSA (sports betting integrity). Kindred Group is audited and certified by eCOGRA for compliance, with the 2014 EU Recommendation on Consumer Protection and Responsible Gambling (2014/478/EU).

Credits:
FCB New York:
Ari Halper – Chief Creative Officer
Gary Resch – Executive Creative Director
Hernan Ibanez – Associate Creative Director
Justin Batten – Art Director
Nick Romano – Copywriter
Jon Gruber – Copywriter
Todd Sussman – Chief Strategy Officer
Adam Isidore – Director of Integrated Production
Henna Kathiya – Senior Integrated Producer
Jesse Morris – Project Manager
Janice Katz – Business Affairs Manager
Jared Shell – Account Director
Miles Brickley – Account Executive

Unibet US:
Arnas Janickas – Head of Marketing, US
Manuel Stan – SVP Kindred, US
Mateusz Samolyk – Brand Manager, Global

Director:
Adam Goldstein

Circle:
Chris Bowles – Executive Producer
Chuck Ryant – Executive Producer
Steve Schofield – Executive Producer
Kevin Johnston – Executive Producer
Vanessa Lenarduzzi – Producer
Production Manager – Chelsea Ruckle

Lost Planet:
Krystn Wagenberg – Executive Producer
Casey Cayko – Senior Producer
Charlie Johnston – Editor
Rachel Butler & Kenji Yamauchi – Assistant Editors

Black Hole – Finishing/GFX:
Felix Cabrera – Finishing Producer
Reginald Butler & Andre Sam – Animators
Tim Farrell – Flame Artist
Isabel Gomez – Flame Assistant

Honey Mix:
Mary Tomasiewicz – Owner/Executive Producer
Eric Thompson – Sound Mixer

Photography:
John Keatley – Photographer
Sean Frith – Producer

The Mill:
Fergus McCall – Colorist
Rochelle Brown – Producer

Burger King literally made potential customers (basically McDonald’s patrons) to download its app or use it if they were one of the millions who already had it on their phones through an irresistible offer of a one-cent Whopper. The twist? People had to order from the app when inside or close to McDonald’s outlet (within the range of 600 feet of any McDonald’s outlet). The app then directed folks to the nearest BK outlet where they can do and have their one-cent Whopper.

Well, we think it was pretty clever and bold considering these facts about McDonald’s presence in the USA – Close to 75% population resides within three-four miles of a McDonald’s outlet. Also, U.S. had 14,000+ McDonald’s outlets and around 7,200 Burger King outlets in 2017. So, to divert the attention of a large part of a population that loves burgers from MacDonald’s to Burger King is a job well done. Burger King is truly the king of guerrilla marketing stunts!

Burger King Whopper Detour (#WhopperDetour)

Credits
Client – Burger King
Agency – FCB NEW YORK
Fred Levron – Worldwide Creative Partner
Ari Halper – Chief Creative Officer
Gabriel Schmitt – Group Creative Director
Laszlo Szloboda – Associate Creative Director, Copy
Alex Sprouse – Associate Creative Director, Art
Akos Papp- Associate Creative Director, Art
Adam Isidore – Director of Integrated Production
Henna Kathiya – Producer
Sarah Tarner – Account Supervisor
Jesse Morris – Project Manager
Janice Katz – Business Affairs Lead

PRODUCTION
FILM
O Positive
Jonathan Klein – Director
Htat Lin Htut – Director of Photography
Ralph Laucella – Executive Producer
Jason Reda – Producer

EDIT
MackCut
Gina Pagano – Executive Producer
Margarita Mutuc – Producer
Nick Divers – Editor
Kenneth Muñoz – Assistant Editor

SOUND MIXING
Honeymix
Mary Tomasiewicz – Owner/ Executive Producer
Conrad Sanguineti – Sound Engineer

MUSIC
Human
James Wells – Executive Producer
Joshua Green – Producer

OOH
Chem Creative
Frank Moran – Executive Producer
Pete Sax – Executive Producer

ANIMATION & PRINT
Zombie
Fabricio Takahashi – Director of Operations
Daniel Franco – Creative Director
Stefanie Dias – Producer

Tags:
FCB New York, McDonald’s, Burger King, Whopper Detour, O Positive, Animation, Guerrilla Marketing, Digital, Technology, Geotargeting, Whopper, McDonald’s drive-thru, Burger King Whopper Detour, Fast Food

The LG “B&Binge” contest taps into a whole new breed of TV watcher born in the streaming era – the “Serious Watcher,” and builds on the success of last year’s inaugural Serious Watchers campaign where LG gave fans an experience of a lifetime through surprise deliveries of LG OLED TVs by beloved Netflix original series characters.
#LGBinge #Netflix

Credits:
Client (LG Electronics):
David VanderWaal – Senior Vice President, Marketing, LGE-US
Michelle Fernandez – Head of HE Consumer Marketing
Matt Durgin – Director Smart TV Content Partnerships
Julio Salazar – Director HE Channel Marketing
Chris De Maria – Head of HE Public Relations
Alfred Lee – Senior Digital Manager
Ellice Yi – Brand Manager

Agency (FCB New York):
Ari Halper – Chief Creative Officer, NY
Fred Levron – Worldwide Creative Partner
Stu Mair – Executive Creative Director
Laszlo Szlodoba – Associate Creative Director (Copy)
Alex Sprouse – Associate Creative Director (Art)
Akos Papp, Associate Creative Director (Art)
Alan Vladusic – Designer
Nichelle Sanders – SVP, Group Account Director
Enrique Espinetti – Account Supervisor
Miles Brickley – Account Executive
Todd Sussman – SVP, Group Director of Strategic Planning
Benjamin Michaels – Senior Strategist
Sally Bowler – Strategist
Adam Isidore – Director of Integrated Production
Lauren Tuttman – Senior Producer
Margot Meyerhoff – Senior Digital Producer
Gillian Burkley – Senior Broadcast Producer
Sydney Richardson – Associate Producer
Jesse Morris – Project Manager

Production:
Production Company: Greenpoint Pictures
Directors: The Hudson Dusters
Owner/Director: Michael Kuhn
Director: Niles Roth
Executive Producer: Tatiana Rudzinski
Executive Producer: Jordana Freydberg
Line Producer: Luke Stevens
Post Producer: Tori Vallas
Editor: Joe Walker
Color: The Mill
Colorist: Josh Bohoskey
Senior Producer: Rochelle Brown
Audio House: One Thousand Birds
Engineer: Calvin Pia
FX: Ingenuity Studios
Music Track: Epic Music/ Stock track
Composer: Gavin Luke
Creative Licensing Manager: Kathryn Matt

Digital Promotions & Experiential: RealTime Media, Inc.