As we wrap up another year, one campaign style continues to dominate inboxes and social feeds: the "Year in Review" email. It’s a shining example of how "Data is the New Creative" when it comes to driving customer loyalty and retention.

Spotify Wrapped may be the poster child, but they don't own the idea exclusively! Here are 4 more best-in-class examples that prove the versatility and impact of this approach:

Strava: Year in Sport 

Strava’s "Year in Sport" campaign 2024 is a fitness enthusiast’s dream. Athletes receive a personalized summary of their total miles, elevation gains, and even their longest workout of the year. These data points are beautifully visualized and designed for easy sharing. The campaign has become a badge of pride for users, boosting Strava’s community engagement and app stickiness. Strava’s 2023 campaign saw over 12 million athletes share their personalized cards, with engagement rates 4x higher than their regular content. The genius? They transform raw numbers into meaningful milestones that athletes are proud to share.

Tinder: Year in Swipe 

In the dating app category, Tinder’s "Swipe Stats" campaign is a cheeky take on Year in Review. Users receive stats like how many swipes they made, how many matches they got, and even their "Top Emoji." It’s fun, personal, and perfectly on-brand. This Year in Review drove a 15% rise in app reactivations, a 30% increase in social media mentions of Tinder during the campaign period, and an average session length increase of 12% as users explored and shared their stats. Social sharing skyrocketed as users laughed over their data—and their “romantic” accomplishments for the year.

Duolingo: Year in Language Streaks

Dulingo's year in review creates personalized stories of users' learning streaks, complete with quirky statistics like “how many mistakes you made”, "number of times you practiced at 3 AM" and "your most consistent studying day." The unhinged owl mascot's sassy commentary adds personality to the data, making these recaps both informative and entertaining. User sharing of these recaps drove a 51% increase in app downloads during their 2023 campaign.

Nintendo Switch: Gaming Year in Review 

Nintendo transforms gaming data into a celebration of player achievements through their annual Year in Review campaign. 2024 is still upcoming. The 2023 Year in Review generated over 3.2 million social shares in the first week alone, with a 78% email open rate for the campaign - nearly triple Nintendo's average marketing email performance. The campaign also drove a 40% increase in Nintendo Switch Online app logins during the review period and resulted in a 25% uptick in game purchases among users who viewed their year-end recap. Most impressively, Nintendo reported that users who engaged with their Year in Review showed a 35% higher retention rate in the following quarter compared to non-engaged users, proving that personal gaming insights create lasting player connections. 

Why These Campaigns Work

What makes these campaigns so effective? Personalization is the secret sauce:

• Personal relevance that makes users feel seen and understood
• Surprising insights that teach users something about themselves
• Beautiful, easily shareable visuals optimized for social media
• Cross-channel integration across email, push notifications, and in-app messaging
• Time-sensitive FOMO that drives immediate engagement

Why It Works Beyond the Inbox

The magic of Year in Review campaigns doesn’t stop at email. When paired with other channels like push notifications and in-app messages, they extend their reach and engagement. For example, sending a push notification with a teaser (“Your 2024 Wrapped is ready!”) can drive customers to open the app, explore their stats, and share them. These campaigns also strengthen retention by rewarding customers for their loyalty and creating a habit loop—users stick around because they’re curious to see next year’s recap.

Over to You!

Do you have a favorite Year in Review campaign you look forward to every year? Are you working on one for your brand or clients (or even yourself) right now?

Reply below with your ideas, we'd love to help make them a reality! Happy New Year!