2019: It’s a Wrap!
Year-end campaigns became an increasingly important tool to engage customers in 2019. The holidays are a special time when reflection, hope, and free time all intersect. That combination creates the right moment for companies to reflect on the past year’s relationships with their customers.
Apple and Spotify year-end campaigns
Spotify and Apple aimed to boost customers’ appreciation by taking a look at the year that was. Apple followed in the footsteps of Spotify, which has run its well-loved ‘Wrapped’ campaign since 2016.
2019 cemented Spotify Wrapped as a cultural moment, generating nearly 6M mentions across Twitter and Instagram, a 447% YoY increase.
While nostalgia sells, it’s Spotify’s social execution that makes its year-end recap best in class.
Instagram further propelled Wrapped’s momentum.
Spotify formatted each moment of users’ Wrapped recaps in its mobile app like an Instagram Story; in fact,users could tap to share their recaps directly to their Instagram Stories. Popular Instagram meme accounts also put their own twist on Wrapped charts. Imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery.
Other companies rich in consumer data are taking a similarly personalized approach to Spotify and Apple Music, showing that they’re using data not just for their own good but also to illuminate insights for and about consumers themselves.
What we think:
Companies have troves of their customers’ data and, until recently, were reluctant to share it with them. Most used the data to help maintain and deepen the relationship through engagement and cross-sell opportunities. In the case of streaming services, listening/watching habits are fed into algorithms that curate recommendations for additional content consumption. Spotify’s Wrapped campaign, for instance, was an engaging and entertaining experience that was highly personalized—all packaged in a ready-to-share format.
Not all companies will be able to provide such an experience, but that shouldn’t stop them from reflecting on the past year. Financial Services Institutions, for example, will likely need to skip the shareable content but can still put the customer at the center of the relationship. By highlighting the benefits earned (and used) throughout the year, companies can still give customers an engaging look back while expressing their appreciation.
