By mid-December, my Instagram feed is overflowing with my buddies’ Spotify Wrapped playlists.
So I began my festive, well timed dialog with Spotify’s Head of International Enterprise Advertising, Grace Kao, with a simple one: What’s on her Spotify Wrapped?
“I positively channel my 12-year-old daughter proper now,” she informed me. “So feminine energy singers: Chappell Roan, Olivia Rodrigo… Beyoncé, clearly.”
Within the spirit of reflection, I offer you “Advertising Wrapped”: Kao’s prime advertising methods of 2024, and what to deliver into 2025.
Lesson One: Personalization creates connection.
If Kao had to decide on a cornerstone of 2024’s Advertising Wrapped, she’d select “Connection.”
Which is why Wrapped is such a powerful advertising tactic. It isn’t about simply personalization — it additionally fosters connection.
As Kao informed me, “Spotify Wrapped does so nicely as a result of it is private, however it’s additionally about group. All we need to do is share our Wrapped with others. I need to hear about your Wrapped as a result of it is a connection we each share.”
Whereas I will admit my very own Wrapped is barely embarrassing (I do not take heed to something post-2020, so my Wrapped is caught in a time-loop of Taylor Swift’s Folklore… As an apart, I am unhealthy with change), there’s one thing deeply gratifying about seeing all my social media connections on the identical web page for as soon as.
Whereas discussing how personalization creates connection, one other marketing campaign sprung to Kao’s thoughts: The latest Coke and Oreo “Bestie Mode” collab, by which customers might obtain curated Spotify playlists that mixed their fav hits with their greatest buddies’ prime songs.
“In 2024, we noticed individuals wanting extra music and extra connection, so this was an amazing alternative to deliver two iconic manufacturers collectively and do one thing enjoyable that introduced worth to our prospects.”
Lesson Two: Do not sleep on podcasts as a lead gen alternative.
Gen Zers do not similar to listening to podcasts — they like shopping for from them, too.
Based on one report launched in October of this 12 months, 82% of Gen Z listeners have taken motion on a model after listening to a podcast advert.
This does not shock Kao. As she places it, “Gen Z trusts podcasts greater than they belief influencers on social media proper now.”
This is sensible to me. I just lately bought a Ninja blender as a result of I heard a podcaster within the well being house rave about it. (I am additionally a infamous shopaholic, although, so take word: I require minimal convincing.)
Kao boils the reasoning all the way down to authenticity: “I believe it is as a result of podcasts are unscripted in a sure sense. It is like listening to an natural dialog.”
For those who assume this advertising lesson applies solely to B2C, assume once more: Spotify’s 2024 Tradition Subsequent report discovered that one of many prime podcast genres for Gen Z is enterprise and know-how.
So in 2025, Kao’s suggestion is to lean into podcasts as a lead gen alternative, particularly in case your target market contains Gen Z.
Lesson Three: Be the primary.
“Spotify is a each day companion all through your life. We’re there to your first dance at your wedding ceremony, your first kiss, your first job interview, or the primary tune you play in your new automotive,” Kao quips.
“And that first expertise is what drives model loyalty.”
She’s not incorrect. I am nonetheless loyal to Lululemon years after Alo Yoga, Vuori, and Outside Voices hit the scene as different athletic attire corporations. For no motive apart from the best one: I shopped there first.
“Lots of model loyalty comes from being first to market. And so when manufacturers take into consideration 2025, it is vital to contemplate: How will you be first, or no less than a part of a consumer’s first expertise?”
Whether or not you promote software program, collaboration instruments, or automotive tires, the purpose holds: You may not be top-of-mind throughout somebody’s first dance, however you can be the model they discovered first, and the one they select to stay with due to the small, measurable impression you’ve got had on their first moments — be it a primary advertising job, first workforce mission, or first massive advertising marketing campaign.
And that is one thing to rejoice.
