#SpotifyWrapped: Decoding the Hidden Motivations Behind Recap Campaigns

How brands tap into our hidden motivations, and why we kinda love it.

We all love a good recap.

Looking back at the photos from our trip to New Zealand...

Receiving a review of our performance at work…

And most recently, scrolling through a summary of our in-app activity.

Think "Spotify Wrapped". 

Now, here is a confession:

I don’t go crazy over #SpotifyWrapped 🙊

(and I will explain why later).

Yet, I still scroll through it passively every year when it pops up on my welcome screen. Which makes me wonder…

• do we all love recap campaigns?

• why do we love engaging with them?

• how does AI-powered data personalization influence recap campaigns?

The origin of recap campaigns: Which “Friends” Character Are You?

Do you remember why you signed up for Facebook?

I still do. I received an email from a friend urging me to find out which “Friends” character I was.

I created my Facebook account, filled out a quiz, and that's it. Facebook had my data, and I had my answer.

Today, 15 years later, Facebook still categorises my profile as Phoebe, although I always thought I was Monica.

Quizzes are, in fact, the "most engaging type of content on Facebook." and recap campaigns are the continuation of that trend.

There's something addictive about discovering more about who you are. We’re drawn to quizzes, future-telling, and recap campaigns because of an insatiable need to get a deeper understanding of who we are. 

Companies like BuzzFeed based their entire growth strategy around users who are happily giving up their personal data just to find out if Hogwarts Sorting Hat would put them into Gryffindor or Slytherin.

Like the Oracle from The Matrix, companies become data-powered future-tellers. Based on the way we use their products, they are able to tell us who we are and who we might become.

But how do they make us listen?

Finding the path to a full emotional connection.

According to the authors of “The New Science of Customer Emotions“, by applying big data analytics to detailed customer sets, companies can identify the emotional motivations that drive usage for their most valuable customers.

Using that information to build marketing campaigns, brands tap into the emotional motivation that drives engagement. In the instance of recap campaigns, it’s our never-ending search for identity.

Each brand has its unique audience segment of emotional motivators who fuel their CLV (customer lifetime value). Discovering emotions connected with the brand’s most active users is a path to a full emotional connection¹.

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How the recap campaigns lean into emotional motivators:

Spotify Wrapped = Nostalgia and Personal Identity

Grammarly Writing Update = A sense of improvement and achievement

Fitbit = Enjoying the sense of well-being

All Trails Recap = Adventure and Connection with Nature

Strava's #YearInSport = Aspiration and Personal Growth

Facebook Year in Review = Nostalgia and Connection

Goodreads Year in Books = Intellectual Satisfaction and Accomplishment

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Why I don’t care for Spotify Wrapped…

I’m quite indifferent to my Spotify Wrapped. I listen to the same songs on repeat, including Abba and 90s pop, or I put on Mozart or Vivaldi to focus. My listening selection is dull. Nothing to write home about or rather share on Instagram.

Spotify Wrapped

But one of my friends - Mark - raves about his Spotify Wrapped every year. He genuinely enjoys discovering new music flavours and meticulously curating his playlists.

Using data, Spotify confirms that his taste is unique. He is in the top % of listeners for a specific genre, and that gives him a sense of being seen as special and belonging.

According to Spotify’s new Listening Personality categories, Mark is “The Adventurer”!

I guess that makes me “The Replayer”. And you?

Spotify Wrapped now offers a deep dive into your Listening Personality.

Strava’s Year in Sport

I love looking back at my Strava stats. It gives me a sense of progression and belonging. Unlike Facebook or Instagram, Strava is where I seek connection with a handful of people who are also into tracking their progress in sports.

My #YearinSport led me to hire a running coach because I started to observe stagnation in my progress.

Strava could tap into training plans or online sports coaching services to increase its revenue potential as part of its Premium Feature.

The use of AI in Recap Campaigns

With 2023 becoming a year of AI, we are about to experience the most exciting recap campaigns yet this fall.

According to David Edelman and Mark Abraham, the authors of “Customer Experience in the Age of AI”:

“We are now at the point where competitive advantage will derive from the ability to capture, analyze, and utilize personalized customer data at scale and from the use of AI to understand, shape, customize, and optimize the customer journey.”

The personalisation that AI data analysis allows for will make the recap campaigns even more powerful. Way beyond Target’s famous instance of being able to predict if you're pregnant or not.

Soon the music we listen to and the activities we log in will give us (and the companies) an in-depth view into not only our personalities but also a glimpse into our future.

So, should we brace ourselves for a more in-depth psychological analysis than ever before or opt out? What do you think - let me know below 👇

1. “Emotional connection doesn’t need to rely on a series of well-executed interactions. It taps into the same neural networks as the relationships we have with other humans. This creates a longer-lasting, more resilient relationship that allows for the occasional mistake and can evolve over time”