The Siren Strategy

Every December, Spotify not only releases a feature, but a cultural moment. Back in 2015, Spotify introduced the concept, "Your Year in Music", showcasing the top songs, artists and minutes streamed throughout the year. It soon became a topic of interest among users, and this soon became a yearly ritual. Later, in 2019, a Spotify intern, Jewel Ham, proposed the idea of a graphic story format to share across social media and increase its appeal among the Gen Z audience. In 2020, it was rebranded as "Spotify Wrapped", incorporating Ham's design and consequently became a resounding success. The campaign grew in popularity each year and later on became a global marketing phenomenon and a viral marketing tactic used by brands such as Duolingo. “We started to realize that this was an incredible way to get our passionate users to shout from the rooftops around the brand,” Alex Bodman, Spotify’s vice president and global executive creative director, told Variety. What d...

The worlds of fashion and pop culture meet again, stitched together with nostalgia and finished with a denim jacket. GAP has unveiled its 2025 fall campaign, 'Better in Denim', featuring the global girl group KATSEYE. The dynamic campaign delivered a story that was not all denim, but a carefully orchestrated marketing play that is a fusion of nostalgia, global fandom and a timeless touch. KATSEYE featuring Megan, Manon, Sophia, Yoochae, Lara Raj and Daniela In recent times, when jeans ads were dubiously executed with a questionable message (yes, I am implying the American Eagle x Sydney Sweeney stunt), GAP brought a fresh outlook by collaborating with a multicultural group of girls from diverse ethnic backgrounds.  The brand tapped into the early 2000s by choosing Kelis' "Milkshake" as the soundtrack, a song that heavily resonates with Millennials who grew up listening to it. They played this while tapping into the Y2K resurgence so that Gen-Z could witness a retr...

Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty has dipped its toes in the fragrance market, and they are already doing wonders. Their siren strategy is installing three scratch & sniff billboards in Soho and Chelsea, New York City. This prompts the passerby to stop, scratch and smell notes of creamy caramel and pistachio, giving way to an unexpected duality of rich vanilla and spicy ginger, then dries down to an earthy sandalwood. To complement this experience, the passerby can scan the QR code on the billboard and order themselves a sample of the Rare Eau de Parfum . From impressions to conversions, Ms. Gomez and team have really done it this time. A perfect execution of guerrilla marketing that creates an experience for potential customers of a particular brand or product. Oftentimes, it becomes difficult to advertise a perfume to customers, so to sell a scent, brands rely on sensory storytelling by relying on emotions, visuals and setting the mood. Nevertheless, this usually does not comply wit...