Launched as a year‑end recap and rebranded in 2016, Spotify Wrapped delivers personalised summaries of users’ listening habits and has grown into a viral cultural moment widely shared on social media each December
Origins and format
Spotify first experimented with year‑in‑review features before rebranding the campaign as Wrapped in 2016. Each year Wrapped compiles personalised data — top songs, top artists, favourite genres, total minutes listened and occasionally quirky insights — and presents them as colourful, shareable cards and playlists designed for social media.
User experience and discovery
Beyond bragging rights, Wrapped helps users rediscover forgotten favourites and highlights listening patterns that inspire new exploration. Curated Wrapped playlists let listeners immediately revisit their top tracks, while the aggregated platform statistics showcase trends and emerging artists to a broad audience.
Marketing impact and business value
Wrapped functions as a powerful earned‑media engine that increases engagement, fuels subscription conversations and provides artists with visibility. The annual campaign also supplies Spotify with behavioural insights that inform product development, promotional strategies and partnerships.
Takeaway
Spotify Wrapped transformed a product feature into a cultural ritual: a personalised, data‑driven story that users eagerly share, discuss and revisit, reinforcing Spotify’s role in music discovery and digital identity around listening habits.