By mid-December, my Instagram feed is overflowing with my friends’ Spotify Wrapped playlists.
So I started my festive, timely conversation with Spotify’s Head of Global Business Marketing, Grace Kao, with one simple question: What’s on her Spotify Wrapped?
“I’m directing my 12-year-old daughter right now,” she told me. “So powerhouse singers: Chappell Roan, Olivia Rodrigo… Beyoncé, obviously.”
In that spirit, 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 choose the cornerstone of Marketing Wrapped 2024, she would choose “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 Wrapped because it’s a bond we both share.”
Although I admit my own 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 satisfying about seeing all my social media connections on the same page for once.
As we discussed how personalization creates a connection, another campaign came to Kao’s mind: the recent Coca-Cola and Oreo “Bestie Fashion” collaboration, where users could receive curated Spotify playlists that combined their favorite hits with their best friends’ best songs.
“In 2024, we saw people wanting more music and more connectivity, 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.
Generation Z doesn’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 action with a brand after hearing a podcast ad.
This does not surprise Kao. As she says, “Generation 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 health podcaster rave about it. (However, I’m also a notorious shopaholic, so keep in mind: I need minimal convincing.)
Kao puts the reasoning down to authenticity: “I think it’s because podcasts are in a sense unscripted. 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 lean on podcasts as a lead generation opportunity, especially if your target audience includes Gen Z.
Third lesson: Be the first.
“Spotify is a daily companion throughout your life. We’re there for your first dance at your wedding, your first kiss, your first job interview or the first song you play in your new car,” jokes Kao.
“And that first experience is what drives brand loyalty.”
She is not wrong. I’m still loyal to Lululemon years after Alo Yoga, Vuori, and Outdoor Voices came on the scene as alternative athletic apparel companies. For no other reason than the simplest one: I shopped there first.
“A lot of 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 point stands: You might not be front and center at someone’s first dance, but it can be the brand they first find and the one they stick with because of the small, measurable impact you had on their first moments — be it the first marketing job, the first team project or the first big marketing campaign.
And that is something to celebrate.
