Spotify leans into Gen Z’s sadness with ‘Bummer Summer’ campaign

“When you’re young, you get sad,” as the old song goes. For Gen Z, this is particularly true in the summer, according to Spotify, which is launching a campaign all about the generation’s more sorrowful side.

So much of Spotify’s advertising is rooted in data, and this is no different. The streaming platform discovered the No. 1 search term globally for its listeners 18-24 is the word “sad.” Those same listeners stream “sad” playlists in summer more than any other generation, including “Sad Bops,” “sad hour” and “sad girl starter pack.”

Highlighting sadness is rare in advertising, but Donna Lamar, executive creative director at Spotify, told Ad Age that in this case it’s relatable and true—and that listening to sad music can have a cathartic effect on people that’s often positive.

“We’re always seeking to understand our listeners, realizing their tastes and relationship to music may differ by generation,” Lamar said. “We discovered that by listening to sad music—tracks that evoke feelings of nostalgia, wistfulness and wanting—[Gen Z listeners are] better able to express themselves, connect with others and make sense of their feelings. When people get in their feelings, they often listen to music. And sometimes the right song can make sad feel good.”

The billboards will be up through the rest of August at Penn Plaza and Times Square in New York and in Miami.

Recent news: Gen Z tells marketers what they’re looking for

Visually, the ads are meant to “capture the messiness of an intense sweaty summer or just shedding tears,” Lamar said. “We ultimately landed on a scrapbook-looking approach that puts a ‘sad’ twist on iconic summer visuals—think tears filling the kiddie pool or a scoop falling off your ice cream cone and onto the pavement.”

Along with the billboards, Spotify also crafted a sculpture—a fountain of tears shaped like the 18-year-old artist d4vd, a master of the sad-song format—that will appear beginning today in Houston’s Buffalo Bayou Park.

The 8-foot-tall fountain, fabricated in unaged bronze with help from experiential agency Invisible North, will include a plaque linking to the “Bummer Summer” playlist. The agency captured a 3D rendering of d4vd in-person, then refined the details like his hands, shoes and clothing.

“d4vd came to mind as a beloved Gen Z voice behind some of our favorite angsty anthems,” said Lamar. “Tears will stream from d4vd’s eyes and also flow from the base of the fountain. We’re really excited as this is a unique piece of art, made specifically for fans and to celebrate a Bummer Summer.”

Lamar said Spotify will monitor likes and listens, and conduct longer-term surveys, to gauge how listeners are responding to the campaign. She added that “Bummer Summer” in general reflects Spotify’s mission to meet listeners where they are in culture.