Spotify Wrapped 2024's lean on AI, leaves consumers underwhelmed

Audio streaming and media service provider Spotify has been slammed by consumers after the release of the company's highly-anticipated annual campaign, Wrapped. Unlike the previous years, this year Spotify aimed to take the Wrapped experience to "the next level" by enhancing two popular AI features, AI DJ and AI Playlist, and adding a new one: Your Spotify Wrapped AI podcast.

"Through the combination of Spotify’s powerful personalisation technology and generative AI, we’ve created hyper-personalised Wrapped experiences that connect millions of listeners worldwide with the music and audio they love," Spotify said. 

However, according to media intelligence firm CARMA, the brand's sentiments currently stand at 41.5% positive and 13.6% negative after the campaign's release. It was previously 50.5% positive and 8.3% negative. Spotify users expressed their displeasure with the campaign's heavy reliance on AI, with many calling the platform "lazy" with the "underwhelming" Wrapped.

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Analysis also revealed that Spotify's net mentions peaked on 4 December at 2.9 million, with users around the world sharing their unique Wrapped list. However, the numbers plummeted after four days, with net mentions diving below the 580K mark. 

Prior to the release of Wrapped 2024, Spotify's work cloud included words such as "love", "happy", and positive emojis to indicate approval of the platform, according to CARMA. 

However, after Wrapped 2024, Spotify's word cloud included a few negative terms such as "toxic" and the crying emoji, with some even comparing the brand to excrement, according to CARMA. 

According to Truescope, it is also worthy to note that majority of the sentiments were neutral. Some of the mixed sentiment included feedback that the Wrapped didn’t fully align with users’ listening habits, while some felt it wasn’t particularly significant. A few users recommended alternative platforms for tracking music metrics.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Spotify for more information.

Spotify isn't the only company to receive backlash for the use of AI. In November this year, Coca-Cola released an AI-generated reboot of its classic ad, “Holidays Are Coming”, which caused quite a stir.

The ad starts out with panoramic shots of nature before panning to the iconic shot of Coca-Cola trucks making their way through the snow into neighborhoods. As the trucks move slowly, viewers see animals popping out of trees, homes lighting up for the festivities and more. 

However, the AI-generated ad saw largely negative comments with many saying they found it "distasteful", "scary", "soul-less" and "uninspiring". Some even said it looked "cheap" and that it did not bring forth the feelings that holiday ads should. 

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