I’m Lovin’ Barilla’s Playlist Timer Brand Activation On Spotify

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Jan 27

Written By Bastien Frediani

Barilla creates Spotify playlists timed perfectly to help you cook pasta al dente.

I’m half French, half Italian.

And when it comes to pasta, I’m serious about it.

To get the perfect al dente pasta, you need to pay close attention to the cooking timing that differs from pasta to pasta.

So to help people get their pasta perfectly cooked and put an end to overcooked or inedible pasta, Barilla teamed up with Spotify to create a series of playlists whose durations correspond to the exact cooking time of its most popular pasta.

The brand activation named “Playlist Timer” was imagined by Publicis Italy.

Barilla has curated a series of songs in eight Spotify playlists, ranging from 9 to 11 minutes, each perfectly timed for its various types of pasta to be cooked al dente by the end of the track.

From the names of the playlists to the illustrations of the original covers created by internationally renowned Italian artists to the songs selection, nothing is left to chance. And everything remains on brand.

Disruption is about showing up where you are the least expected while still making sense of your appearance by solving a problem or responding to a need in the most creative way possible.

This is what Barilla just did with this solution that combines cuisine and utility with art, music, and entertainment.

I believe this unconventional brand activation can offer a significant competitive edge for Barilla. I'd like to see Barilla update the campaign based on what's trending on Spotify in Italy.

It is a classic old brand pushing out to modern areas with purpose and creativity. Not just for the sake of doing a cool collaboration with Spotify.

Ready to cook and eat some pasta? The eight Barilla Spotify playlists are here:

Mixtape Spaghetti