You organise a party, then spend the evening worrying about the food, your outfit and the music instead of enjoying time with your guests. In late 2016, Sonos and Spotify presented a different idea with Playlist Potluck: let everyone contribute to the evening’s soundtrack.
The concept drew on a traditional potluck dinner, where guests bring a dish or help prepare the meal. Everyone adds something, and the host gets to discover other people’s favourite flavours. Sonos applied that spirit to music.
Progress Communications handled the PR around the idea. For me, it became one of the highlights of the year.
From sharing food to sharing a playlist
Playlist Potluck invited a dinner or party host to create a Spotify playlist in advance and ask guests to add their favourite music. Instead of one person choosing every track, the evening’s playlist reflected everyone attending.
The idea was simple: good food, good company and music people wanted to share. It gave guests another way to contribute and provided an easy starting point for conversation.
When we met with Sonos to discuss the launch, we wanted the PR activity to reflect that experience. The brand’s research at the time had highlighted music’s role at dinner parties, whether as a conversation topic, a theme or an icebreaker. That gave us a story we could bring to life rather than simply describe.
A home-like setting in the heart of Brussels
We hired a welcoming Airbnb property in central Brussels and invited journalists to enjoy an evening of food, conversation and music. The domestic setting made the idea tangible: this felt more like joining someone for dinner than attending a conventional product presentation.
Progress organised the event in detail, from the story and media invitations to the styling of the location. Chef Yannick Van Aeken of Humphrey, previously at Noma, joined us to create the meal.
A selected group of lifestyle journalists and influencers gathered around the table in an intimate atmosphere. Guests could enjoy one another’s music while experiencing the concept for themselves. The combination of food, setting and shared participation made the evening distinctive.
Turning the experience into a media story
The campaign attracted coverage across a broad range of lifestyle media in the Benelux. Outlets named in the original case included Marie Claire, Flair, 3FM, De Morgen, Actief Wonen, AD, Radio 538, Gaël, Talkies Magazine, JAN, Cosmogirl, Want.nl, Dutch Cowboys, Le Vif Focus, Glamour, Het Laatste Nieuws, Le Soir and Radio Contact.
Sonos gave us room to use our media relationships and develop stories suited to those audiences. The result combined a consumer technology product with a familiar lifestyle occasion.
For our consumer electronics work, it was a good example of making a technology story accessible through an experience people recognised. The product had a clear place in the evening without needing to dominate every conversation.
Make participation part of the idea
Looking back at this 2016 campaign, the strength of Playlist Potluck was the invitation to contribute. Guests were not only watching a demonstration; they helped shape what happened.
The same principle can be useful in PR events more broadly. Start with the story, consider the audience and create an experience that lets people understand the idea for themselves.
Curious about an event for your own brand? Contact our team in Amsterdam or Antwerp to discuss the possibilities.
Aurélie
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