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An inside look into Wrapped history
December is known for the holidays, sure, but arguably it is the most exciting time of the year because Spotify’s annual Wrapped campaign rolls out. On social media it's like the ultimate domino effect; you see one person post their Wrapped to IG Stories, and then it’s two people, and then three, and then it’s everyone you follow.
Now that everybody has taken down their trees and tinsel and replaced them with hearts and cupids (at least we hope so), Spotify has already begun to collect the data that will inform your 2022 recap. That song you had on repeat last week could be your most played song of this year – only time will tell.
We caught up with Dan Brill who is the Global Creative Director at Spotify for all things Wrapped to learn about the history of this campaign in all its fame and glory.
Let’s get into the history of Spotify and Wrapped. So Spotify launched in 2011. And since Wrapped is purely a data-driven campaign, how did the whole thing start in the first place?
As I understand it, the genesis for Wrapped started in a pretty simple fashion in 2013, with a group of curious people trying things out. The music we stream can tell us so much about ourselves and the different experiences and passions we shared over the course of a year, and we’ve learned that this is something special. Not only do people want to see their listening trends on Spotify, but also they want to share them. Hundreds of employees have contributed ideas and creative concepts that have made the Wrapped experience what it is today. Since joining the team in 2016, I’ve been fortunate to join this incredible project early in its inception and ask one of the most exciting questions a creative can ask: we’ve got something we know people like; now, how big can we go?
"One of the most exciting questions a creative can ask: we’ve got something we know people like; now, how big can we go?"
As the Global Creative Director for all things Wrapped, how many Spotify Wrapped campaigns have you worked on? How has it grown and changed over the years?
2021 marked my sixth year working on Wrapped, but it’s an entirely new experience every year. Wrapped is driven by two key elements—audio and culture—and those things never stay the same. So while we are constantly innovating the user and creator experiences, as well as challenging ourselves to reach new creative highs with the campaign, we’re also starting each year with a brand new batch of amazing new music, new podcasts, and new cultural stories to celebrate and explore.
"Wrapped is driven by two key elements—audio and culture—and those things never stay the same."
So much goes into this campaign. First off, and most importantly the data. Then all the creative elements. The music. What else goes into one individual Spotify Wrapped?
Since Wrapped is an extension of the personalized experience listeners have on Spotify, it reflects and celebrates the unique ways each user listened throughout the year. Every story we tell—whether it’s in the Wrapped experience itself, a billboard, a TVC, or even a food truck (yes, we really opened a food truck last year)—is rooted in how people consumed audio on Spotify. The challenge each year is helping coax new, fascinating, and emotional insights out of that data. Every trend tells a bigger story and helping people discover and share those stories is one of the great pleasures of Wrapped.
Let's talk more about this food truck...
We had so much fun with this idea– it was part of our brand campaign. Last year, a top meme was Adam Driver saying "good soup," and 2,000+ “Good Soup” playlists were made on Spotify. So in celebration of 2021 Spotify Wrapped, we popped up a "good soup" truck the day we launched the campaign in NYC. We gave fans a hot cup of delicious Brodo broth to go with their Wrapped.
You guys did Decade Wrapped in 2019. And every year is slightly different. Is there pressure to make the best Wrapped ever every year?
Of course, there’s pressure to make the “best Wrapped ever” every year, but that purely comes from our own motivations to always be ambitious and to never rest on our laurels. And I would add nuance to the word “best”—what we’re really looking for is a way to make Wrapped more “meaningful” every year. More meaningful to fans. More meaningful to creators. More meaningful to the connections between them. And in recent years, it’s been meaningful to help add a bit of playfulness and fun during some pretty tough times around the world.
"And I would add nuance to the word “best”—what we’re really looking for is a way to make Wrapped more “meaningful” every year. More meaningful to fans. More meaningful to creators. More meaningful to the connections between them."
I noticed the new Spotify Blend playlists. Super fun! How did that idea come about? Your Artists Revealed– how did this one start? And the little video clips from artists in Your Top Songs 2021 playlist– how did this one unfold?
All of those innovations you’ve mentioned came from us pushing ourselves to help Wrapped forge more meaningful moments and connections between fans and creators every year. We launched Spotify Blend in mid-2021 as a new way for users to share their musical tastes into one curated playlist made just for them. At the same time, we know that Spotify fans love to share and compare their Wrapped so creating a special Wrapped: Blend in 2021 was a new way to bring both of these worlds together. Wrapped: Blend, in particular, had extra meaning after a year where we spent so much time apart.
Spotify users look forward to listening to their individual Wrapped every year. Delia Cai tweeted, “spotify the only tech company to figure out how to successfully rebrand “we've been tracking you” to “isn't this FUN”” Any comment on this statement?
We’re truly fortunate to have created something that people look forward to every single year, and it’s a special feeling to work on something that you’re not just making for others, but you’re also making it for yourself! Getting a “sneak peek” at your own Wrapped during the process is a fun perk.
How many people have a say in what goes into Wrapped? What’s the timeline for creating this annual campaign?
Wrapped is truly a global campaign, we released it in a record number of countries in 2021. This means over the years, hundreds of people including teams across Spotify and around the globe have worked on Wrapped, each country telling their own unique stories. Timing-wise, working on Wrapped is truly a year-round project. When we’re not actively creating the campaign, we’re listening to the year’s new music, diving into the year’s new podcasts, and exploring our human curiosities about what’s going on in the world and in culture. All of that becomes part of the Wrapped story.
How do you come up with a unique storyline for Wrapped every year?
Everyone’s Wrapped is different because everyone listens in their own unique way, and Wrapped is truly a celebration of that, but the “stories” each person receives are primarily the same - as long as you stream a certain amount of music and/or podcasts throughout the year. Each year, our challenge is to find new and exciting ways to tell those stories.
This year’s new highlights were “Your 2021: The Movie” and “Your Audio Aura” to name a couple. In the past, we’ve shown things like, how many different countries your music has come from, how your listening changed with the seasons, and we’ve even given out “Influencer” and “Tastemaker” badges if you created playlists that lots of people followed or if you listened to a hit song way before anyone else.
Spotify Wrapped is definitely a cultural phenomenon. In what ways has this campaign unfolded into more than you originally thought possible?
Working on Wrapped has been a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience. It’s impossible to predict being part of anything that tens of millions of people would interact with, let alone share. I love seeing artists reacting to their Artist Wrapped and seeing how listeners react to having an entire year of listening unveiled before their eyes and the meaning it brings to them. Creating something successful is great, but creating something meaningful is what really keeps me going.
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