Spotify monitored users’ brain activity to reveal some interesting findings

The audio streaming giant Spotify has revealed some interesting findings after spending some time conducting experiments on the brain activities of 600 participants who were made to listen to podcasts and different genres of music under monitored circumstances. The activity was carried out by Spotify in collaboration with the neuro analytics and neuromarketing company Neuro-Insight. which focuses on how the brain responds to certain communications. The ultimate aim of the above-mentioned experiments was to optimize digital audio ads so that specific ads can be shown to the predicted target audience.

“The goal of this study is to use signals like this to make sure we’re serving music and podcasts to the user that they want before they know they want it.” – John Gibs (Global Director – Spotify)

A few interesting observations were made after the study was completed through a technique called Steady State Topography (SST). It was revealed that out of all the digital advertising techniques, digital audio ads can invoke more mental engagement and emotional activation. Moreover, lighter entertainment podcasts and rap as a genre in particular trigger more engagement, whereas story-oriented podcasts and hard genres like rock focus more on active engagement and long-term detailed memory.

Image Credits – Toru Yamanaka, AFP via Getty Images