Spotify's Listening Personalities and Why Brands Should Start Thinking About Gamification Again

Are you a music “replayer” or a “fanclubber”? Those are just two of 16 entertaining personality types that you could earn from Spotify based on your listening habits over the past year. These so-called “Listening Personality” profiles are one of many such examples we will likely see as we near the end of the year and the platforms that you have willingly given access to your data try to visualize it back to you in fun and gamified ways.

Several years ago this type of gamification was a common thing. It was a key reason everyone loved Foursquare ... for a while. We could earn badges and see our personalities reflected through the interface of tech we used. It seems like the time may be ripe to bring some of that back, particularly in the entertainment and travel sectors.

Where are the visualized checkmarks every time I watch an episode of a Netflix show? Or the badges I could get every time I stay at a Marriott location in a different state or country? Forgetting about the upside of gamification seems like a missed opportunity for a lot of people.