By mid-December my Instagram feed is crowded with my friends Spotify Wrapped playlists.
So I started my festive, timely conversation with Spotify’s Head of Global Business Marketing, Grace Kao, with a simple: What’s on her Spotify Wrapped?
“I’m definitely channeling my 12-year-old daughter now,” she told me. “So powerhouse singers: Chappell Roan, Olivia Rodrigo… Beyoncé, obviously.”
In the spirit of reflection, I give you “Marketing Wrapped”: Kao’s top marketing strategies for 2024 and what to bring in 2025.
Lesson One: Personalization creates a connection.
If Kao had to pick a 2024 Marketing Wrapped cornerstone, she’d pick “Connection.”
This is why Wrapped is such a strong marketing tactic. It’s not just about personalization – it also fosters connection.
As Kao told me,Spotify Wrapped is so good because it’s personal, but it’s also about community. All we want is to share our Wrapped with others. I want to hear about your Wraped because it’s a bond we both share.”
Although I admit my Wrapped is a bit annoying (I don’t listen to anything after 2020, so my Wrapped is stuck in a Taylor Swift time loop Folklore… As an aside, I’m bad with changes), there’s something deeply rewarding about seeing all of my SOCIAL MEDIA connections on the same page for once.
While discussing how personalization creates a connection, another campaign came to Kao’s mind: the recent Coca-Cola and Oreo “Fashion Beast” collab, where users could get curated Spotify playlists that combined their favorite hits with their best friends’ top songs.
“In 2024, we saw people wanting more music and more connection, so this was a great opportunity to bring two iconic brands together and do something fun that brought value to our customers.”
Lesson Two: Don’t sleep on podcasts as a lead generation opportunity.
Gen Zers don’t just like to listen to podcasts – they also like to buy from them.
According to one report published in October of this year, 82% of Gen Z listeners took brand action after hearing a podcast ad.
This does not surprise Kao. You don’t even say that”Gen Z trusts podcasts more than they trust SOCIAL MEDIA influencers right now.”
This makes sense to me. I recently bought a Ninja blender because I heard a podcaster in the health space rave about it. (I’m also a notorious shopaholic, though, so keep in mind: I need minimal convincing.)
As reasoning, he boils down to authenticity: “I think it’s because podcasts aren’t written in a certain sense. It’s like listening to an organic conversation.”
If you think this marketing lesson only applies to B2C, think again: Spotify’s Culture Next 2024 report found that one of the top podcast genres for Gen Z is business and technology.
So in 2025, Kao’s suggestion is to rely on podcasts as an opportunity for leadership, especially if your target audience includes Gen Z.
Lesson Three: Be the first.
“Spotify is a daily companion throughout your life. We’re there for your first wedding dance, your first kiss, your first job interview or the first song you play in your new car,” says Kao.
“And that first experience is what drives brand loyalty.”
She is wrong. I’m still loyal to Lululemon years after Alo Yoga, Vuori, and Outdoor Voices burst onto the scene as alternative athletic apparel companies. For no reason other than the simplest: I shopped there first.
“Great brand loyalty comes from being first to market. And so, when brands think about 2025, it’s important to consider: How you can be firstor at least part of the first user experience?”
Whether you’re selling software, collaboration tools, or car tires, the bottom line is: you might not be top notch at someone’s first dance, but you plough be the brand they first find and the one they choose to stick with because of the small, measurable impact you had on theirs first moments — whether it’s your first marketing job, your first team project, or your first big marketing campaign.
And that is something to celebrate.
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/marketing-wrapped-spotify-tips
