Here at ShareProgress, we believe that testing ideas are everywhere. Anything can be tested–and most things should be! After all, testing enables you to make data-driven decisions, which means that you’re making the decisions that work best for your audience. And happy, engaged supporters are critical for nonprofits and campaigns.

Which got to us to thinking: who else relies on happy, engaged supporters? Maybe a group of people who would call those supporters “fans”? Maybe… pop stars? What if pop songs weren’t just something fun to play at parties, but were instead a massive A/B test in which pop stars test two possible courses of action through their fans? Each fan group would engage in the possible courses of action suggested by the lyrics, and then pop star would then be able to optimize their own behavior for maximum social success. Make a lot of sense, really.

Sadly, it’s not yet the case that random selections of pop listeners are applying song lyrics in two different ways, and then reporting the results. But if it was, this is what we think the tests could look like.

4. Justin Bieber, “Love Yourself”

Lyric: “And I didn’t wanna write a song
‘Cause I didn’t want anyone thinking I still care. I don’t…”

Experiment design
Sample: A group of randomly selected young adults suffering from recent breakups.
Control: Group A is assigned to not write a song about it.
Treatment: Group B is assigned to write a song about it.
Measured outcome: Statistical increase in the degree to which anyone still thinks you care, as measured by inquiries from others.

3. DNCE, “Cake by the Ocean”

Lyric: “Let’s lose our minds and go fucking crazy
Ah ya ya ya ya I keep on hoping we’ll eat cake by the ocean”

Experiment design
Sample: A group of randomly selected young adults in an ocean environment.
Control: Remains sane.
Treatment: Loses their minds and goes fucking crazy.
Measured outcome: Degree to which sanity decreases your likelihood of eating cake by the ocean.

2. Rihanna, “Work”

Lyric: “If I get another chance to
I will never, no never neglect you
I mean who am I to hold your past against you?
I just hope that it gets to you”

Experiment design
Sample: A group of randomly selected young adults suffering from recent breakups.
Control: Neglects their ex, holds their past against them.
Treatment: Never neglects their ex, doesn’t hold their past against them.
Measured outcome: Increase in exes granting the sample population another chance.

1. Taylor Swift, “New Romantics”

Lyric: “We are too busy dancing
To get knocked off our feet”

Experiment design
Sample: A group of randomly selected young adults capable of staying upright.
Control: Doesn’t dance.
Treatment: Dances.
Measured outcome: Degree to which dancing will lead to avoiding getting knocked off your feet, as measured by sample group members who are knocked off their feet.

 
Do you have your own example of a pop music A/B test? Want to tell us about how it went when you danced to avoid getting knocked off your feet? Let us know in the comments.