A tale of two strategies⚔

It’s that time of year again.

Or more accurately, it was that time of year.

Black Friday has come and gone. Spotify Wrapped, same.

By now, most of us have debated our music choices, shared our top artists, and either bragged about our impeccable taste or quietly cringed at how many hours we spent listening to that one embarrassing song.

When you look at these two events—one a global shopping tradition, the other a personal reflection—they might seem worlds apart. But at their core, they both thrive on the same thing: hype.

However, while Black Friday comes and goes with little emotional impact, Spotify Wrapped leaves a lasting impression.

Why is that?

It’s because it creates hype by inviting you to reflect. It doesn’t tell you what you need; it shows you what you loved. And that difference, small as it seems, is the reason one experience fades while the other lingers.

It all comes down to how they engage us—and what they make us feel.

Black Friday: The Hype That Burns Out Quickly

Black Friday thrives on urgency.

It’s all about now.

Flash sales. Countdown clocks. Fear of missing out.

It’s designed to trigger instant action and make you feel like if you don’t grab this deal right this second, you’ve lost.

I’ve never bought anything on Black Friday, but every year, I think about it. The idea of snagging a great deal sounds exciting. The truth, though? It feels chaotic. The rush to add items to your cart before they sell out. The endless emails shouting “Biggest Sale Ever!” The realization that most of the “slashed” prices are just smoke and mirrors.

Black Friday creates urgency—buy now or miss out forever!—but it also creates stress. It’s a classic example of designing for short-term engagement.

In UX terms, Black Friday is a pattern we call “scarcity urgency.” When used sparingly, urgency can work wonders and drive action. But too much urgency can make the experience feel rushed, transactional, and ultimately forgettable. And that’s the downside. Once the timer stops and the sale ends, what’s left? You may have bought something, sure, but do you remember where or why? The experience doesn’t stick. It’s transactional, not meaningful.

The design pattern here, urgency-driven experiences, can work in short bursts, but it’s not built for connection. It’s a sprint, not a marathon. For UX writers, product teams, and marketers, the lesson here is clear: urgency has its place, but it needs to be paired with something deeper if you want to build a lasting relationship.

Spotify Wrapped: Nostalgia Done Right

Spotify Wrapped couldn’t feel more different.

Instead of creating urgency, it invites you to pause.

It slows down, takes a step back, and makes you reflect. It isn’t trying to sell you something (at least not directly). Instead, it’s showing you something uniquely yours: your year in music.

Wrapped feels personal because it’s built around you.

Your habits, your tastes, your quirks.

It takes something as ordinary as listening to music and turns it into a story. And it’s a story you want to share because it makes you feel seen, whether you’re proud of your top artist or laughing at how much you overplayed that one weird song.

Last year, Wrapped made me a Spotify fan. I wasn’t even a heavy user, but seeing my listening data all wrapped up in a colorful, shareable story? It hooked me. It made Spotify feel personal, like it wasn’t just a music app, but my music app. This year, I even upgraded to a paid plan.

From a UX perspective, Wrapped is genius. It taps into the principle of personalization at scale. Instead of bombarding users with ads or offers, it focuses on making them feel seen. Even the imperfections—like the one song you barely remember playing—feel human. And because Wrapped gives you something to share, it turns listeners into advocates.

The UX Lessons: A Tale of Two Strategies

So, what can product teams learn from these two campaigns? Here are three takeaways:

1. Urgency gets attention, but personalization builds loyalty.

Black Friday’s approach works in the short term. It grabs attention and drives sales. But Spotify Wrapped builds something deeper—it turns data into stories, creating an emotional connection that keeps users coming back.

→ Ask yourself: are you designing experiences that rush users into action, or ones that make them pause and reflect?

2. Reflection makes experiences memorable.

Spotify Wrapped works because it’s not just about the music; it’s about the listener. It’s a moment of reflection. What have you been listening to, and what does that say about you? Products that give users a chance to reflect often leave a stronger impression.

→ How can your product help users reflect on what they’ve done, achieved, or experienced?

3. Sharing is your most powerful growth tool.

Wrapped isn’t just a data summary. It’s designed to be shared. The bright colors, playful copy, and easy share buttons make it irresistible. Each share brings Spotify more visibility, more conversations, and more users. This is why other streaming platforms, like Apple Music and YouTube Music, have joined the Wrapped bandwagon (Spotify still owns the trend though).

→ Is your product giving users something worth sharing?

What This Means for Us UXers

As UX writers, designers, and product teams, it’s worth considering whether you’re building the next Black Friday or the next Spotify Wrapped.

• If your product relies on urgency, think about where it’s leading users. Are you creating something they’ll remember—or something they’ll forget as soon as the clock runs out?

• If you want to build loyalty, look for ways to add reflection, personalization, and shareability into the experience. Design moments that feel thoughtful, human, and worth coming back to.

Because at the end of the day, hype fades but connection sticks.

The Content & Context Wrapped

Speaking of Wrapped, C&C couldn’t miss out on jumping on the trend and doing a #Wrapped. Like Spotify, we wanted to give our UX Writing audience a funny little reflection on the year. Check out our post and see how we wrapped up the year in UX writing👇

Until the next issue,

VII from C&C