Every winter, agencies flood feeds with clever holiday cards. Some are charming. Most are forgettable. Meanwhile, real culture moves somewhere else: where stories meet music and fans feel seen. That’s why I’m siding with partnerships that turn a show’s sound into a shared moment, not another inbox garnish.
“See more agency holiday cards—plus, Netflix and Spotify team up to celebrate the music of ‘Stranger Things.’”
My view is simple. Stop pouring time into seasonal vanity projects and start building fan-first experiences that last. The latest example is Netflix joining Spotify to honor the music of Stranger Things. That’s a better use of creative energy than a thousand animated snowflakes.
Holiday Cards Are Nice. Culture Is Better.
Agency cards try to show wit and warmth. They rarely move behavior. They don’t build brand memory. By January, they vanish. I’ve worked on them. I know the hours they consume for a few likes and a quick chuckle.
Music, on the other hand, sticks. It taps memory and emotion. It can lift a scene and a brand at the same time. Stranger Things proved this more than once. When Season 4 put Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill at the emotional core, streams on Spotify reportedly surged by thousands of percent. The track hit the top of charts decades after release. That is impact. That is culture.
Why The Netflix–Spotify Move Matters
A team-up around a soundtrack is not another promo. It’s fan service done right. People don’t just watch Stranger Things; they relive it through songs. They build playlists. They share those songs with friends. They connect over them years later.
So when a platform that curates listening habits joins a platform that drives storytelling, the result feels natural. It hands control to the audience. It says: you own this world with us. That is how loyalty grows.
- It extends the story without another pricey shoot.
- It invites repeat engagement through playlists and replays.
- It creates measurable behavior, not passive applause.
These are the signs of a smart move: it lasts longer than a greeting, and it lives where fans already are.
The Case Against The Annual Card Machine
Let’s be honest. Holiday cards are inside baseball. They seek industry approval, not audience love. They also carry hidden costs. Designers and writers lose days chasing a gag. Production teams squeeze in last-minute tweaks. For what? A quick post, a link, a line in a new business deck.
Even “good” cards fail a basic test: do they build a world people want to enter again? Do they earn a saved playlist spot, a shared link, a memory tied to a song on a cold commute? Rarely.
What To Build Instead
I don’t want agencies to be less creative. I want them to be braver about where creativity lives. Start with the music people already love, then build on it in ways that feel generous, not self-serving.
- Make playlists that map to story beats and character arcs.
- Release short audio commentaries from music supervisors and artists.
- Invite fans to create alternate track orders and share them publicly.
- Design limited-time listening rooms that pair scenes with songs.
- Reward repeat listeners with early looks or easter eggs.
These ideas scale. They don’t need massive budgets. They need taste, timing, and partners who care about the audience experience.
Addressing The Pushback
Some will say the holiday card is a tradition. It shows personality. Fine. Keep it if you must. But measure it. If it can’t beat a simple playlist in time on task or shares, stop doing it. Others will argue that not every brand has a hit soundtrack. True. But every brand can borrow music smartly, support artists fairly, and build rituals that invite repeat listening.
What The Audience Already Told Us
Fans voted with their ears when Running Up That Hill climbed back up the charts. They did it again for Metallica’s Master of Puppets after another key scene. This is not a fluke. It is a pattern. When story and song meet, people show up—and keep showing up.
So I’ll take one well-made cultural bridge over fifty festive e-cards. Culture compounds. Cards evaporate.
A Better Tradition
Let this season be the last time we mistake an inside joke for impact. Build moments that invite people to listen, feel, and return. Partner with platforms that turn a watch into a habit. Treat music as the living thread that ties fans to your story long after the credits.
Stop the fluff. Fund the soundtrack. Ask your team this week: what can we ship that people will still care about in March? If the answer is a playlist, a live session, or a fan-led music drop, you’re on the right track. If it’s another animated greeting, you already know how that ends—deleted.
