Barilla’s Pasta Playlists

Kitchen timers never sounded so good.

Pasta maker Barilla created Spotify playlists that last as long as it takes to cook several of their pasta varieties.

With playlists like “Boom Bap Fusilli” (11 minutes, 5 seconds) and “Moody Day Linguini” (10 minutes, 8 seconds), the playlists attempt to match the cooking mood with the length of time needed to cook the pasta to perfection.

The Playlist Timer campaign is described as “a homage from Barilla to those who see cooking as a form of art and entertainment and who can thus take advantage of the cooking minutes to listen to good music, entertain themselves and stop worrying about cooking time: when the music stops, the cooking is complete and perfectly al dente.”

The Playlist Timer campaign is a creative way to showcase a little bit of Barilla’s brand personality. And with many kitchens boasting a smart home device (or at least a smart phone nearby), it’s a surprisingly practical cooking tool.

Perfectly Timed Promotions

The playlists launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, when lots of brands were trying out creative at-home marketing tactics. Today, they’re still going strong. “Mixtape Spaghetti” – the most popular playlist – has more than 24,000 followers.

Barilla isn’t the only brand to connect with audiences on Spotify. KFC created a playlist that includes songs that reference its chicken. Casper has a playlist to sleep to.

There are plenty of unconventional channels where brands can surprise and delight potential customers. The Spotify play is particularly clever on a few fronts. For starters, it costs very little to create. Barilla did hire Italian artists to create the cover art for the playlists.

Plus, it integrates into a platform that already has millions of devoted users. To listen to the playlists, current Spotify users didn’t have to register or download anything new. They just had to open their Spotify app. It’s also a great way to harness popular music without worrying about royalties or licensing.