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 an easy one: What's on her Spotify Wrapped?
"I definitely channel my 12-year-old daughter right now," she told me. "So female power singers: Chappell Roan, Olivia Rodrigo… Beyoncé, obviously."
In the spirit of reflection, I give you "Marketing Wrapped": Kao's top marketing strategies of 2024, and what to bring into 2025.
Lesson One: Personalization creates connection.
If Kao had to choose a cornerstone of 2024's Marketing Wrapped, she'd choose "Connection."
Which is why Wrapped is such a strong marketing tactic. It's not about just personalization — it also fosters connection.
As Kao told me, "Spotify Wrapped does so well because it's personal, but it's also about community. All we want to do is share our Wrapped with others. I want to hear about your Wrapped because it's a connection we both share."
While I'll admit my own Wrapped is slightly embarrassing (I don't listen to anything post-2020, so my Wrapped is stuck in a time-loop of Taylor Swift's Folklore… As an aside, I'm bad with change), there's something deeply gratifying about seeing all my social media connections on the same page for once.
While discussing how personalization creates connection, another campaign sprung to Kao's mind: The recent Coke and Oreo "Bestie Mode" collab, in which users could receive curated Spotify playlists that combined their fav 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 gen opportunity.
Gen Zers don't just like listening to podcasts — they like buying from them, too.
According to one report released in October of this year, 82% of Gen Z listeners have taken action on a brand after hearing a podcast ad.
This doesn't surprise Kao. As she puts it, "Gen Z trusts podcasts more than they trust influencers on social media right now."
This makes sense to me. I recently purchased a Ninja blender because I heard a podcaster in the health space rave about it. (I'm also a notorious shopaholic, though, so take note: I require minimal convincing.)
Kao boils the reasoning down to authenticity: "I think it's because podcasts are unscripted in a certain sense. It's like listening to an organic conversation."
If you think this marketing lesson applies only to B2C, think again: Spotify's 2024 Culture Next 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 into podcasts as a lead gen opportunity, 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 dance at your wedding, your first kiss, your first job interview, or the first song you play in your new car," Kao quips.
"And that first experience is what drives brand loyalty."
She's not wrong. I'm still loyal to Lululemon years after Alo Yoga, Vuori, and Outdoor Voices hit the scene as alternative athletic apparel companies. For no reason other 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 can you be first, or at least part of a user's first experience?"
Whether you sell software, collaboration tools, or car tires, the point holds: You might not be top-of-mind during someone's first dance, but you can be the brand they found first, and the one they choose to stick with because of the small, measurable impact you've had on their first moments — be it a first marketing job, first team project, or first big marketing campaign.
And that's something to celebrate.
