November 7, 2023
Taylor Swift needs no introduction.
She’s one of the world’s most recognizable brands, with the last year marking one of her most successful yet. Her ongoing “Eras” tour is well on track to gross more than $2.2 billion in North America alone—and that’s not all. From creating a loyal fandom to “putting Travis Kelce on the map” (iykyk), it’s undeniable that she’s the queen when it comes to creating a buzz.
So, what can brands learn from this? Quite a lot. While your company may not be in the business of selling out global stadium tours, there’s still a thing or two to learn from Taylor in creating immersive and memorable experiences.
Here are 5 Taylor Swift marketing lessons that can be applied when creating brand experiences. Whether your business uses traditional ads or is leaning toward experiential marketing, these tips can help you smash goals (your brand’s version).
Taylor Swift knows the value of an authentic connection with her audience.
She often shares her personal experiences and genuine emotions through lyricism—it’s what her fans love about her and is what catapulted her into stardom at such a young age. It’s also what fans have come to expect with every album release.
Whether you’re a diehard Swiftie or not, you can’t deny everything she does is authentically Taylor.
Eighty-eight percent of consumers say authenticity is important when deciding which brands they like and support. With that in mind, your options are clear: be authentic or lose their hard-earned dollars to a competitor who is!
Knowing the essence of your brand and working these values into your campaign is a great place to start. Make sure that whenever you’re building brand experiences, you’re aligning them with your overall mission.
Whether you’re running a pop-up shop in a mall or planning an influencer event, all facets of the event will affect your brand’s image and authenticity. Partner with influencers who hold the same values, host the event at a space that doesn’t harm the environment—whatever it is, make sure you do your research.
Taylor Swift knows all too well how change is inevitable.
From switching genres to relationships to now re-recording her albums to gain full control over her masters, she’s always embraced change head-on. This forward-thinking attitude has paved the way for the Taylor Swift marketing team to form strategic partnerships across the industry, reaching new audiences without losing existing customers.
Her fans have enjoyed the ride and evolved with her, learning to love each new edition of her experience because they know the effort she puts in.
Keeping up with trends can be an uphill battle, but brands need to embrace the climb and put forth experiential campaigns that excite people.
Embracing change and staying ahead of the curve is easier when you use all the tools at your disposal. Data tracking is key; knowing what your customers like and how they spend their money can inform your next move.
Incorporating hybrid technology into your event when creating brand experiences is another way to stay ahead of the curve. This can include making the event hybrid or live-streaming it to increase attendees in the coming year. Depending on the product or service, VR technology could even play a part in enhancing the consumer experience!
Though Taylor rarely engages with her fans online, she’s been known to keep up with them and their interests. This helps the Taylor Swift marketing team develop new and exciting ways to make their wildest dreams come true.
In the past, she’s invited fans to exclusive album launch parties in her own home or surprised them with personalized gifts. This tailored approach to consumer engagement builds a solid relationship with her audience and lends a “human” touch to every brand experience she orchestrates.
When it comes to creating brand experiences, savvy marketers know the value of leveraging exclusivity—these “can’t miss” opportunities are powerful.
While not every brand has celebrity endorsement at their fingertips, there are simpler ways to create hype around your product or service. For example, businesses can offer the first 20 guests to a new store opening a 20% discount on their purchase. Or, a few lucky attendees to a product launch event will receive a limited edition of your best-selling product.
Regardless of how you go about it, providing exclusive opportunities for your branded experiences is always a good idea.
Everyone loves a good story, and no one knows this better than Taylor Swift. Her songs are stories within themselves, tales of heartache or empowerment that connect with her audience’s lived experiences. But it doesn’t end there—she consistently creates narratives around the release of her music, movies, or whatever else she’s doing.
One way she does this is by leaving “easter eggs” for her fans to decipher. One of the most notable was a series of online puzzles, which, when solved, revealed the vault songs included in her remastered 1989 album. These intricate Taylor Swift marketing tactics work every time—because who doesn’t love a scavenger hunt?
An easy way to take your brand experiences to the next level is to tell an engaging story.
If you’re working on a high-profile collaboration, what can you share about how this connection came to be? Maybe a percentage of your sales goes to a non-profit organization your brand is passionate about, what should consumers know about that?
People want to feel like they’re part of something; so if you can make this happen, they’ll be more likely to engage!
The Taylor Swift marketing team knows the power of fan content. As such, Taylor often encourages and celebrates fan-generated content on social media. Since the release of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, viral videos have surfaced of movie-goers having the time of their lives—proving yet again that immersive experiences can be created—and they’re incredibly effective!
This all-encompassing audience involvement is all part of her brand experience strategy, which focuses on getting her fans to feel like part of the “Swiftie” community.
Just like Taylor, you can foster a strong connection with your consumers by promoting and embracing user-generated content.
Encourage customers who enjoy your product or service to share it on social media. When they do, make sure you’re interacting with these posts or repost them! This simple act can extend the customer journey and strengthens the brand-consumer connection.
Replying to customer feedback is another great way to build positive brand experiences. As you actively show you care about customer satisfaction, people will feel more comfortable engaging with you.
The success of Taylor Swift marketing strategies can be narrowed down to elevated brand experiences. People want to feel involved, and she’s definitely created that for her audience.
Now, it’s time to start applying these insights to your marketing efforts. The Concierge Club can help. We are a premium experiential marketing agency that transforms events into immersive experiences. If you’re looking to boost brand recognition and leave your audiences wanting more, we can execute it.
Get in touch with our team today to shake off stale branded experiences!