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Let’s talk about Spotify Wrapped – a marketing phenomenon that’s been making waves since 2016. If you’re not familiar with Wrapped, it’s an end-of-year summary of a user’s Spotify activity, presented in eye-catching, highly shareable visuals. The campaign’s purpose is to drive awareness for the streaming platform, boosting subscribers and active users into the new year.
Those of us in the marketing industry should see moments like Wrapped as an opportunity. Why? Because it’s trend-worthy content. And one we all know is coming each year. So, the brands who want to get ahead, need to plan for 2023’s Wrapped sooner rather than later.
Want some inspiration? Guinness did a simple rework of 2022’s Spotify Wrapped, creating something that was on-brand and engaging for its audience.
It’s these kinds of hooks and trends that marketers need to not only be aware of but plan for. Let’s be clear, I’m not saying to invent your own Wrapped… Instead, you can see these moments as hooks to engage your audience in a meaningful way. When trends are gaining traction, the brands that use them to create relevant, authentic and engaging content will boost interactions, increase brand awareness and generate positive brand sentiment. This is why ‘being on the pulse’ of relevant trends could make all the difference to whether a customer wants to buy from you or not.
One piece of advice from me, don’t just have these ‘big’ Spotify Wrapped-style moments on your radar. Think about the year-round awareness days your brand can tap into or the TikTok trends that come and go. These will not only help you hone your skills in reacting to trends, but they will also help you understand what works and doesn’t work with content that hasn’t been planned for weeks or months.
Do you want to start being more reactive? Here are some of the key factors for marketers to consider when engaging with more hooks and trends:
Stay on brand – Make sure the moments you get involved with are aligned with your brand’s identity and values. If it looks and feels like something your brand would do, it will sit better with your audience.
Don’t force it – Sometimes FOMO is ok. So, avoid the moments that don’t align with your comms strategy. Instead, focus on finding the right opportunities, and ensure you’ve got the right resources in place to create something that’s engaging for your audiences.
Remember the need for speed – Moments and trends come and go, quickly. So have a process in place that allows you to work at speed. It’s important to keep an open mind and stay agile to ensure you don’t miss the boat.
Marketers need to be ready and able to respond to the right moment or trend at the right time – they can really boost a brand. But more important is keeping their brand’s goals, values and strategy front of mind so activations are meaningful and not just there for the sake of it.
Here at Brands2Life, we’re always keeping an eye on trends and moments that might spark the right opportunities for our clients to react and engage. The key lies in the strategy and execution, this is what makes the difference between the content being a flop and becoming a valuable opportunity for brand engagement and growth.
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