Spotify Wrapped, user data, and FOMO

Summary

Marketplace Morning Report – Episode Summary

Episode: Spotify Wrapped, User Data, and FOMO
Date: December 5, 2025
Host: David Brancaccio

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Episode Overview

This episode explores the intersection of user data and marketing through the lens of Spotify Wrapped—Spotify’s annual personalized summary of listener habits. The show dives into how companies leverage personal data for marketing, the emotional responses these tactics provoke (like FOMO), and previews major business news impacting the economy. Additional discussion centers on changing dynamics at the Federal Reserve and an analysis of the U.S. manufacturing outlook.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Spotify Wrapped and Personal Data in Marketing

• Personalization as Marketing:
  Spotify Wrapped is highlighted as a popular feature where users receive a custom report of their year’s listening habits, which often gets shared widely on social media.
• Psychology and Virality:
  Companies are using similar tactics, employing AI and user data to create individualized experiences that turn users into brand advocates.
• Not Just Music:
  Other brands—like food delivery apps and social media platforms—deploy comparable personalized marketing through location-based coupons or face filters.

Notable Quotes:

• “Spotify has found a way to make marketing not feel like marketing.”
  — Kristen Schwab relaying Marcus Collins' view (02:00)
• “The best advertisers don't talk about the features and benefits. Instead, they find you inside the product.”
  — Marcus Collins, University of Michigan (02:00)
• “Some people hate it. Some people love it, but pretty much that is where everything is headed and it's effective.”
  — Shilpa V. Rao, Virginia Tech (02:31)
• On FOMO and marketing:
  “FOMO is a real marketing tactic, one that can coax people into paying for a subscription.”
  — Kristen Schwab (02:46)

Key Segment Timestamps:

• Spotify Wrapped & Marcus Collins's reaction: 01:32–02:07
• Custom marketing explained, Shilpa Rao's take: 02:07–02:44

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2. Business News Headlines

• Netflix Bids for Warner Brothers Discovery Studios and Streaming
  Netflix is reported to have won the bid, pending scrutiny from rivals (Comcast, Paramount) and federal antitrust regulators.
  (02:56–03:10)

• Federal Reserve Preview
  Anticipation of another interest rate cut by the Fed at their last 2025 meeting. The episode discusses impending leadership rotations and the potential for policy changes in 2026.

  • Incoming Fed members may be more attuned to employment issues, possibly signaling a shift towards favoring interest rate cuts.

Notable Quotes:

• “All four this year are the four most reluctant to cut interest rates… the group will be a little more open to the idea of interest rate cuts next year than this year.”
  — Christopher Lowe, FHN Financial (03:30–04:21)
• “Changes in the cost of borrowing affect arguably every woman, man, child and pet in America.”
  — David Brancaccio (04:21)

Key Segment Timestamps:

• Netflix/Warner Bros. update: 02:56–03:10
• Fed rotation and policy analysis with Christopher Lowe: 03:10–04:21

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3. Economic Pulse: Manufacturing Sector Insights

• Interview with Blake Morett, CEO of Rockwell Automation
  Discusses the current climate for manufacturing—challenges from tariffs and supply chain disruptions, adaptation strategies, and the state of U.S. factory activity.
  • Industry is seeing growth in upgrades ('brownfields') but new builds ('greenfields') are delayed except in resilient sectors like pharmaceuticals, automotive, and especially warehouse automation.
  • Rockwell is investing long-term, recently opening a major new manufacturing plant in Wisconsin.

Notable Quotes:

• “We're not looking to get rich off of tariffs, of course, but we also want to protect ourselves. And as our costs increase…”
  — Blake Morett (06:11)
• “The winning hand is going to be the combination of that engaged workforce with the technology to help make them as competitive as possible.”
  — Blake Morett (08:15)

Key Segment Timestamps:

• Tariffs and supply chain response: 06:11–06:54
• U.S. and global factory activity outlook: 07:10–07:49
• Rockwell’s new ‘greenfield’ factory in Wisconsin: 07:57–08:15

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Memorable Moments

• Marcus Collins joking about his “top 0.6% of global fandom for Boyz II Men”—a playful example of how Spotify Wrapped personalize experiences and encourages social sharing. (01:40)
• Kristen Schwab’s on-air acknowledgment of FOMO: “Rao didn't get a Spotify Wrapped. Her account is too new. She's kind of disappointed.” (02:32–02:44)

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Tone and Presentation

The episode maintains a conversational, insightful, and slightly playful tone. The hosts and guests combine accessible explanations with real-life examples, making business and economic trends relatable for a wide audience.

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• 01:02–02:56: Spotify Wrapped, user data, and FOMO (w/ Marcus Collins and Shilpa Rao)
• 02:56–03:30: Netflix/Warner Bros. bid and Fed preview
• 03:30–04:21: Federal Reserve rotation explained (w/ Christopher Lowe)
• 05:37–08:45: U.S. manufacturing outlook (w/ Blake Morett of Rockwell Automation)

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Transcript

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[David Brancaccio]

How wired into your brain are these tech companies? Spotify's little holiday gift to us offers a clue.

Call it a holiday card from the music streaming company Spotify or call it marketing. This time of year, Spotify compiles a personalized year in review of our listening habits for each user. It's called Spotify Wrapped like a wrapped present or Wrapping up the year. Throwing our personal data back at us is a marketing tactic that's becoming more common marketplaces. Kristen Schwab reports.

[Kristen Schwab]

Marcus Collins listened to a lot of Boyz II Men this year. Like a lot, a lot.

[AT&T Business Announcer]

I'm in the top 0.6% of global.

[David Brancaccio]

Fandom for boys to men.

[AT&T Business Announcer]

They are the goats.

[Kristen Schwab]

Collins, who's a marketing professor at the University of Michigan, got this stat from his Spotify Wrapped. Of course, he shared his results on social media. He says Spotify has found a way to make marketing not feel like marketing.

[AT&T Business Announcer]

The best advertisers don't talk about the features and benefits. Instead, they find you inside the product.

[Kristen Schwab]

More brands are leveraging user data, AI and social media to create customized marketing. Think a food delivery app giving you a coupon for a sandwich shop you just walked past? Or TikTok and Instagram filters that turn your face into a Lego figure. Shilpa V. Rao, a marketing professor at Virginia Tech, says these ads can border on feeling too personal.

[AT&T Business Announcer]

Some people hate it.

[Kristen Schwab]

Some people love it, but pretty much that is where everything is headed and it's effective. Rao didn't get a Spotify wrapped. Her account is too new. She's kind of disappointed.

[David Brancaccio]

It is some sort of a fear of missing out.

[Kristen Schwab]

FOMO is a real marketing tactic, one that can coax people into paying for a subscription. In New York, I'm Kristen Schwab for Marketplace.

[David Brancaccio]

There's news today. Netflix has the winning bid for the studios and streaming of Warner Brothers Discovery billion. Rival bidders Comcast and Paramount may try to challenge this, and federal antitrust regulators will have questions. The Marketplace morning podcast has more. Next week, we'll see the Federal Reserve lower interest rates again by a quarter of a percentage point. It's the last meeting of the year, and at the Fed in 2026, some of the cast members change. Economist Christopher Lowe is chief economist at FHN Financial. He tracks this carefully.

[Christopher Lowe]

Eleven of the 12 regional presidents rotate in four seats. So when we look at the four rotating seats, all four this year are the four most reluctant to cut interest rates. The four coming on next year are Beth Hammock, Cleveland Lori Logan, Dallas. They also happen to be very reluctant to cut rates, but they will be joined by Philly Fed President Anna Polse Wilson and Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari. And they are more focused on employment weakness than high inflation. So on balance, I think the group will be a little more open to the idea of interest rate cuts next year than this year.

[David Brancaccio]

We're talking about this because changes in the cost of borrowing affect arguably every woman, man, child and pet in America.

[AT&T Business Announcer]

And now, a next level moment from AT&T business. Say you've sent out a gigantic shipment of pillows and they need to be there in time for International Sleep day. You've got AT and T5G so you're fully confident, but the vendor isn't responding. And International Sleep Day is tomorrow. Luckily, AT&T5G lets you deal with any issues with ease, so the pillows will get delivered and everyone can sleep soundly, especially you. ATT 5G requires a compatible plan and device coverage not available everywhere. Learn [e-mail] 5G Network.

[Venmo Stash Advertiser]

With Venmostash. A taco on one hand and ordering a ride in the other means you're stacking cash back with Venmostache. Get up to 5% cash back when you pick a bundle of your favorite brands. Earn more cash when you do more with Stash. Venmo Stash terms and exclusions apply. Match $100 cash back per month See terms of Venmo meshterms.

[David Brancaccio]

Let's take the marketplace economic pulse views on the economy from a range of perspectives. Here today, a CEO in manufacturing. Following recent data showing factory activity slowing again in November. It's been a string of months like that. Blake Morett is CEO of Rockwell Automation. Good to reconnect.

[Blake Morett]

Great to be here, David.

[David Brancaccio]

Now, I've been in factories and I've seen the Rockwell brand. Sometimes it is really hardware. Did the increase in tariffs and the shifts in tariffs force your company to have to adapt in real time in.

[Blake Morett]

Kind of an unforeseen way? Some of the things that we did during the supply chain crisis a few years ago as we were building additional capacity around the world to get caught up when the semiconductor chips finally came in and we had large backlogs that we needed to relieve. And as a starting point, that's helped us balance where things are made to help with tariffs. In the end, what we're looking to do is to try to make the effect of tariffs neutral to our profitability. We're not looking to get rich off of tariffs, of course, but we also want to protect ourselves. And as our costs increase.

[David Brancaccio]

Now they do this formal scientific survey of people who do the ordering at factories. It's the Purchasing managers Manufacturing index. But I have you on the line. How are you seeing factory activity December of 2025 in the US and to.

[Blake Morett]

Some extent around the world, we're seeing pretty good activity in what we would call brownfields, greenfield activity. A number of the decisions to move forward with new construction that is still being delayed in certain industries because of some of the uncertainty. But in the pharmaceutical industry, there have been some very high profile announcements of new construction. Especially in the US you're seeing some activity in automotive. And then the single strongest vertical industry for us is what we call E Commerce and warehouse automation.

[David Brancaccio]

Brownfields is an existing facility. Greenfields is the big decision about whether or not to open something new.

[Blake Morett]

That's correct. And in fact, Rockwell just announced a new greenfield, the first major new plant in the US in many years. In Wisconsin.

[David Brancaccio]

Yes, southeast Wisconsin. A million square feet. I mean, with all this uncertainty in the world, you were undaunted, weren't you?

[Blake Morett]

Well, we certainly pay attention to what's going on, but we're placing a long term bet, and that is that manufacturing is important today in America and it's going to be important in the future. And in a country with relatively high labor cost, the winning hand is going to be the combination of that engaged workforce with the technology to help make them as competitive as possible.

[David Brancaccio]

Blake Morett is CEO of Rockwell Automation. Always good to catch up.

[Blake Morett]

Great to talk with you, David.

[David Brancaccio]

In Los Angeles, I'm David Brancaccio. It's the Marketplace Morning Report from APM American Public Media. A moment now to say thank you Marketplace listeners. Your giving Tuesday support made a real impact in a moment when public media funding has been cut nationwide. Your support keeps Marketplace's independent reporting on the economy accessible for everyone. And and if you didn't get a chance to donate, it's always a great time to become a Marketplace investor. Give [e-mail] or click the link in the show notes.