Need to catch up on the latest marketing and advertising stories of the week? Check out the biggest stories you may have missed in our Weekly Must Reads.

Spotify Releases Annual Wrapped Campaign

For the ninth year in a row, Spotify has released their year-end Wrapped campaign, which tallies both individual users’ and the global Spotify audience’s most interesting statistics from the year. For their 2023 campaign, the Spotify team centered their content around “the real deal,” as an antidote to the heavy focus on artificial intelligence throughout the year. The ad lineup includes out-of-home spots with “real” and “realer” statistics, video messages from popular artists, and partnerships with brands like WhatsApp.

One of the biggest additions to this year’s Spotify Wrapped was a live, in-person concert hosted in London last week. The event, which was also livestreamed on TikTok, featured several of the year’s top artists, including Sam Smith and Charli XCX. See more details and examples from the 2023 Wrapped campaign here: https://www.thedrum.com/news/2023/11/29/spotify-wrapped-2023-team-behind-much-anticipated-music-moment-share-their-story

Chevy’s Moving New Holiday Ad

As companies start rolling out their holiday campaigns, one brand’s commercial is striking a chord with viewers. Chevrolet’s new ad, called “A Holiday to Remember,” centers on an older woman with Alzheimer’s and her family as they navigate the trials and triumphs of the disease. The spot, which is more than five minutes long, quickly took over social media, with users commenting on the ad helps them feel seen during a season that can be challenging for caregivers.

Chevrolet developed the ad in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association, who helped them develop a story around “reminisce therapy,” or using nostalgic items to help trigger patients’ memories. Watch the moving ad and find out more about Chevrolet’s work to create the story here: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2023/11/29/chevrolet-holiday-commercial-alzheimers/71743866007/

Apple’s New Short Film from Taika Waititi

In honor of International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3, Apple released a new short film with Oscar-winning director Taika Waititi. The spot, titled “The Lost Voice,” is told like a narrated children’s story, featuring a young girl who sets out to help a large rabbit find his voice. Throughout their journey, the pair travel through magical forests, meet other animals, and discover that the rabbit has “so much to say” without speaking a word. At the end, we discover the tale came from a father with speech loss using Apple’s Personal Voice feature to tell his daughter a bedtime story.

This is the second short film Apple has released to highlight how their accessibility features can help those with disabilities. Last year, their first film, “The Greatest,” won several advertising awards, including Best of Show at The One Show in New York. Check out the moving film here: https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/apples-whimsical-film-is-a-hopeful-fable-about-speech-accessibility/

Netflix Launches New Campaign with Geico’s Gecko

Last week, Netflix released their first campaign to promote its ad-supported streaming tier. The campaign stars Leo the Lizard, star of Netflix’s latest film “Leo,” as well as another famous mascot: the Geico Gecko. In the spot, the Gecko offers Leo humorous advice about starring in a commercial, including tips for vocal warmups and finding the best lighting. In addition to the video ad, Netflix’s new campaign will include social media spots and out-of-home ads featuring both reptiles.

Netflix is no stranger to partnering with major brands for their advertisements. In the past, they’ve worked with Domino’s to promote “Stranger Things,” and brought on Old Spice for spots about “The Witcher.” Learn more about their new ads and early results from their ad-supported tier here: https://www.marketingdive.com/news/geico-netflix-launch-co-branded-ads-leo-animated-film/701114/