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Even before this years Spotify Wrapped dropped, I had a hunch what mine would reveal. Lo and behold, one of my most-listened-to songs was an obscure 2004 track titled Rusty Chevrolet by the Irish band Shanneyganock. I heard it first thanks to my son, whose friend had been singing it on the swings at school. My son found it utterly hilarious, and its been playing in our house nonstop ever since. Like parents all over the world, I rue how my sons musical tastes have hijacked my listening history. But Im also tickled to learn that our household is probably one of the few even listening to it. [Photo: Spotify] Spotify Wrapped is an annual campaign by the popular streaming music platform. Since 2015, the streaming service has been repackaging user dataspecifically, the listening history of Spotifys users over the past yearinto attractive, personalized slideshows featuring, among other data points, your top five songs, your total listening time, and even your listening personality. (Are you a Replayer, a Maverick or a Vampire?) As a consumer behavior researcher, Ive thought about why these lists get so much attention each year. I suspect that the success of Spotify Wrapped may have a lot to do with how the flashy, shareable graphics are connected to a couple of fundamentaland somewhat contradictoryhuman needs. [Image: Spotify] Individuality and belonging In 1991, social psychologist Marilynn Brewer introduced what she coined optimal distinctiveness theory. She argued that most people are torn between two human needs. On the one hand, theres the need for validation and similarity to others. On the other hand, people want to express their uniqueness and individuation. Thus, most of us are constantly striving for a balance between feeling connected to others while also maintaining a sense of our own distinct individuality. At Thanksgiving, for example, your need for connection is likely more than satisfied. In that moment, youre surrounded by family and friends who share a lot in common with you. In fact, it can feel so fulfilled that you may start craving the opposite: a way to assert your individuality. Maybe you choose to wear something that really reflects your personality, or you tell stories about interesting experiences youve had in the past year. In contrast, you may feel relatively isolated when you move to a new town and feel a stronger need for connection. You may wear the styles and brands you see your neighbors and co-workers wearing, pop into popular cafes and restaurants, or invite people over to your home in an effort to make new friends. [Image: Spotify] Have it your way When people buy things, they often make choices as a way to satisfy their needs for connection and individuality. Brands recognize this and usually try to entice consumers with at least one of these two elements. Its partly why Coca-Cola started releasing bottles featuring popular names on the labels as part of its Share a Coke campaign. The soft drink remains the same, but grabbing a Coke with your name on it can cultivate a sense of connection with everyone else who has it. And its why Apple offers custom, personalized engravings for products such as its AirPods and iPads. Spotify Wrapped works because it nails the balance between competing needs: the desire to belong and the desire to stand out. Seeing the overlap between your lists and those of your friends fosters a sense of connection, and seeing the differences is a signal of your (or your kids!) unique musical taste. It gives me a way to say, Sure, Ive been listening to Soda Pop nonstop like everyone else. But Im probably the only one playing ‘Rusty Chevrolet on repeat. The Wrapped campaign is also smart marketing. Spotify turns listeners unique, personal listening data into striking visuals that are tailor-made for posting to social media accounts. Its no wonder, then, that the Wrapped feature has led to impressive engagement: On TikTok, the hashtag #SpotifyWrapped garnered 73.7 billion views in 2023. The annual campaign has earned numerous honors, including a Cannes Lion and several Webby Awards, otherwise known as the Oscars of the Internet. Its been so successful that its inspired a wave of copycats: Apple Music, Reddit, Uber, and Duolingo now release similarly personalized year-in-reviews. None, however, has managed to achieve the same level of cultural impact as Spotify Wrapped. So whats on your list? And will you brag, hide or laugh at what it says about you? [Photo: Spotify] Ishani Banerji is a clinical assistant professor of marketing at Clemson University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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E-Commerce
The U.S. stock market is drifting near its record levels on Wednesday following mixed reactions to profit reports from Macy’s, Marvell Technologies, and other companies. The S&P 500 rose 0.2% and pulled within 0.7% of its all-time high set in late October. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 174 points, or 0.6%, as of 11:50 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was virtually unchanged. Marvell rose 4.1% after the supplier of semiconductor products delivered a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. CEO Matt Murphy credited strong demand for its data center products, while also announcing a $3.25 billion purchase of Celestial AI to bolster its artificial-intelligence infrastructure business. American Eagle Outfitters was another winner and rallied 16.1% after the retailer reported a better profit than expected. Its CEO, Jay Schottenstein, said it also saw a strong start to the holiday shopping season with an acceleration in demand across its brands during the Thanksgiving weekend. Outside of earnings reports, Capricor Therapeutics surged 352% after the biotech company reported encouraging results for its potential therapy for people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. On the losing end of Wall Street were relatively few companies, including one out of every three stocks in the S&P 500 index. But among them were some of the market’s most influential stocks, which kept indexes in check. Microsoft fell 2% and was the heaviest weight on the S&P 500. Nvidia slipped just 0.4%, but because it’s the most valuable stock on Wall Street, it was another one of the heaviest weights dragging on the index. Macys fell 1% despite reporting a profit for the latest quarter that was much better than the loss that analysts were expecting. Its stock may be feeling the pressure of high expectations after it came into the day with a rally of 34.1% for the year so far, more than double the S&P 500s rise. CrowdStrike slipped 0.5% despite topping analysts expectations for profit. It too came into the day with a big gain for the year so far, raising the stakes, at 51%. In the bond market, Treasury yields eased after a report suggested U.S. employers outside of the government may have cut more jobs in November than they added. The data from ADP was much weaker than economists expected, but it has not had a perfect track record predicting what the more comprehensive jobs report from the U.S. government will say each month. Wednesdays data may be discouraging for people looking for jobs, but it also keeps alive expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut its main interest rate next week. If the Fed does, that would be the third such cut this year in hopes of bolstering the slowing job market. A report later in the morning on activity for U.S. services business was more encouraging. It said growth was stronger last month than expected for businesses in the retail, finance, insurance, and other industries. Perhaps just as important was that the Institute for Supply Management’s survey also said prices were increasing at their slowest rate since April. That could help the Fed because fears of high inflation are the main argument against cutting interest rates. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.07% from 4.09% late Tuesday. Easing bond yields can boost prices for all kinds of investments, and bitcoin climbed again to top $92,000 following its scary downward run in recent weeks. It briefly plunged below $81,000 last month. In stock markets abroad, indexes were close to flat in Europe following a mixed finish in Asia. Japans Nikkei 225 jumped 1.1% on gains for technology stocks like Tokyo Electron, which jumped 4.7%. SoftBank Group Corp. leaped 6.4% following reports that its founder, Masayoshi Son, regretted having to sell shares in computer chipmaker Nvidia to help pay for other investments. Chinese indexes sank following the release of data showing weaker factory activity. Stocks fell 1.3% in Hong Kong and 0.5% in Shanghai. Stan Choe, AP business writer AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.
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E-Commerce
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has once again expanded its warning on certain brands of imported cookware, this time adding nine additional products that may leach significant levels of lead into food. That list of cookware has grown significantly since the FDA issued its original alert, which was updated twice, after tests found certain brass and aluminum cookware (known as Hindalium/Hindolium or Indalium/Indolium) could be leaching lead into food when used for cooking or food storage, making it unsafe to eat. The FDA investigation remains ongoing, and the agency said it will be adding additional products to the list as needed. Here’s what you need to know. Is lead dangerous to health? Yes. Lead is toxic for humans, and even low levels can cause serious health problems. Children, women of childbearing age, and those who are breastfeeding could be at higher risk after eating food from cookware that leaches lead. Babies and kids are more susceptible to lead toxicity due to their smaller size, metabolism, and rapidly developing bodies, according to the FDA. Which cookware is listed in the FDA’s expanded warning? As Fast Company previously reported, the FDA’s original recall warning on August 13 was issued for Saraswati Strips Pvt. Ltd., an Indian aluminum cookware company that sells Tiger White brand cookware. In September, three additional products were added to the list, including Silver Horse cookware distributed by Patel Brothers, and JK Vallabhdas products distributed by the Indian supermarket chain Indiaco. Since then, the FDA has added nine additional products to the list. Those product details are as follows: Brand and product name: Sonex Aluminum, Pot, an ISO 9001:2000 5 certified company Retailer: Alanwar Food Corp. (Balady Foods) 7128 5th Ave Brooklyn, NY Manufacturer: Sonex Cookware 60-61 / A, Small Ind. Estate #2 Gujranwala, Pakistan Recall status: Recall initiated on 11/18/25. Brand and product name: IKM Aluminum Saucepan(7023672411878 Aluminum Pan 2 Size Pouted Wooden Handle 9) Retailer: India Metro Hypermarket, 5130 Mowry Ave Fremont, CA Manufacturer: SM Foods, New Delhi, India Recall status: Distributor agreed to recall on 11/19/25. Brand and product name: Brass Tope Retailer: India Metro Hypermarket, 5130 Mowry Ave Fremont, CA Manufacturer: Kraftwares (India) Ltd. Mumbai, India Recall status: Distributor agreed to recall on 11/19/25. Brand and product name: Aluminum Kadai Size 5 A cook brand Retailer: India Metro Hypermarket, 5130 Mowry Ave Fremont, CA Manufacturer: Kraftwares (India) Ltd. Mumbai, India Recall status: Distributor agreed to recall on 11/19/25. Brand and product name: IKM 4-Quart Pital Brass Pot(7023672414398 Brass Hammered Handi No 3) Retailer: INDIA CASH AND CARRY, 39175 Farwell Dr Fremont, CA Manufacturer: JSM Foods, New Delhi, India Recall status: Distributor agreed to recall on 11/19/25. Brand and product name: Silver Horse Aluminum Coldero 28 Retailer: Punjab Supermarket & Halal Meats, 8767 Philadelphia Road Rosedale, MD Manufacturer: Recall status: FDA notified retail location of sample results. Brand and product name: Silver Horse Aluminum Coldero 28 (765542732177 Aluminium Degda 20) Retailer: Punjab Supermarket & Halal Meats, 8767 Philadelphia Road Rosedale, MD Manufacturer: Recall status: FDA notified retail location of sample results. Brand and product name: Silver Horse Aluminum Degda 24 Retailer: Punjab Supermarket & Halal Meats, 8767 Philadelphia Road Rosedale, MD Manufacturer: Recall status: FDA notified retail location of sample results. Brand and product name: Chef Milk Pan 24 cm (Milk Pan 24 cm MF 0732131905632) Retailer: Punjab Supermarket & Halal Meats, 8767 Philadelphia Road Rosedale, MD Manufacturer: Shata Traders, 10227 Avenue D, Brooklyn, NY 11236 Recall status: Distributor agreed to recall on 11/19/25. FDA recommendations According to the FDA, consumers should check their homes for the cookware and throw it away. Do not donate or refurbish it. Consumers who are concerned they may have been exposed to lead or elevated levels of lead should contact their healthcare provider. Retailers and distributors are encouraged to consult with the FDA regarding the safety and regulatory status of any products used in contact with food that they market or distribute. Additional questions can be sent to the FDA via email at premarkt@fda.hhs.gov.
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