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    Spotify Wrapped: a Marketing Masterclass

    Even though this year’s iconic Spotify Wrapped had mixed reviews amongst its loyal listeners, like every other year it’s a huge marketing success.

    Let’s dive deeper into the success and marketing genius of Spotify Wrapped and more importantly, what we can learn from it for our next campaign.

    What is Spotify Wrapped?

    The concept is simple yet effective. Every December, Spotify offers fans a personalized recap of their year in listening. Presented in social media-style slides, the platform showcases your favorite genres, artists, and songs from the past year and invites you to share them on social media. Content creators on the platform also receive their own version of Spotify Wrapped, which details the annual streaming statistics for their content.

    Spotify Wrapped officially launched in 2016 and has been continued every year since.

    In 2021, Adweek published an article in which the social media directors of McDonald’s and PepsiCo, cited the Spotify Wrapped campaign as “best-in-class.” The director from McDonald’s even described the campaign as “a masterclass on fan advocacy.

    That same year, Spotify reported that 120 million users accessed their Wrapped feature, a significant increase from the 30 million users in 2017. Additionally, 60 million users shared their Wrapped graphics on social media that year.

    So…why is it as successful as it is?

    Why does it work?

    The campaign essentially leverages three powerful tactics.

    1. It’s personal
      Spotify knows its audience. Wrapped taps into our innate fascination with ourselves. Everyone is primarily focused on their own experiences, emotions, and dreams. In a crowd of a thousand at a festival, it’s our name being shouted that catches our ear. When someone makes us feel seen and valued, we naturally gravitate towards them. Spotify Wrapped plays into this by showing that Spotify “listens” and knows them musically, perhaps even better than they know themselves.  It reflects our musical tastes back to us, engaging our favorite topic: ourselves.

    2. It’s sharable
      Wrapped doesn’t just help us learn about ourselves; it facilitates connections by encouraging us to share and compare musical tastes with friends. “What was your most-listened-to song this year?” “I also discovered this artist this year!” “I never heard of that genre before.” This kind of sharing sparks music discoverability, positive conversations, insights about friends, and a sense of community among users. In today’s digital age, the power of shareable content can’t be overstated— Spotify gets this right, making it as easy as possible to share their annual campaign with your friends.

    3. It’s visually captivating and recognizable
      Lastly, the visual appeal of Spotify Wrapped cannot be ignored. Each year, Wrapped features unique, colorful designs that grab attention and make people pause their scrolling. In the fast-paced, competitive realm of social media, standing out is key, and Spotify’s vibrant Wrapped graphics do just that, ensuring they capture the viewer’s interest.

    But…we’re not Spotify – So what can we learn from this?

    You don’t need to be a multi-billion dollar streaming platform to adopt these effective tactics for your own business.

    Let’s consider a hypothetical scenario with a local bakery to see how these strategies might apply in a different context.

    Understand your audience and make them feel understood and valued:

    Imagine you run a bakery where people pop in from 12:00 to 13:00 during their work lunch break to grab freshly made sandwiches. These customers are likely looking to unwind and have a “moment” away from work, possibly enjoying their meal with others.

    You could enhance their experience by adding sticky notes with each order that pose an interesting open question to spark conversation among customers or offer a thoughtful prompt for solo diners to ponder instead of work. This small touch can transform a quick lunch into an engaging experience.

    Sharable & Visually Interesting:

    This simple tactic not only adds to the customer experience but also encourages sharing on social media.

    Imagine your customers posting a picture of their sandwich and your thought-provoking note, sparking online conversations. This approach mirrors strategies used by brands like Starbucks, which personalizes cups with customer names, and the surprise element of fortune cookies.

    Ensure whatever you add is visually appealing and intriguing enough that customers feel compelled to share it with friends. The uniqueness of your questions and the presentation can make a significant impact.

    Questions to Consider for Your Next Campaign:

    1. Relevance: Why and how do my customers consume my product or service? How can I make my communication relatable? How can I tap into these wants or needs?
    2. Engagement: How can I spark conversation? Whether it’s on social media, among friends, or at work, what can I do to get people talking?
    1. Distinctiveness: How can I make this visually stand out? What are others doing, and how can I differentiate myself?

    Whether you’re a local bakery or a multinational e-commerce brand, these questions can guide your next campaign to resonate more deeply with your audience.

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