Unless you’d been living under a rock for the past year, you might have heard of Taylor Swift. In case you need a refresher: the 34-year-old American pop singer has been making music for over two decades, she was Spotify’s most streamed artist last year and has an estimated net worth of over £1 billion. Taylor is currently touring the world (and coming back to London later this week!) on her Eras tour, which happens to be the highest-grossing concert tour of all time.
It’s safe to say, if you were to think of Taylor Swift as a brand, she is undeniably a very successful one.
But why is Taylor Swift so popular? And what can the Eras tour teach us about brand love?
In true researcher style, our very own Research Manager (and Swifty) Becca Munns, has done an extremely robust deep dive across the world-wide-web to understand what people love about her, and where brands should take note. She’s condensed these down into seven* ‘Taylor teachings’… are you ready for it?
*to clarify I don’t claim this to be an exhaustive list and know there must be many more reasons as to why Taylor Swift is great…so don’t come for us Swifties!
Taylor’s teaching #1: Be a relatable storyteller
When talking about Taylor Swift, the word ‘storyteller’ comes up LOT. Fans talk about how her raw talent and impressive productions transport listeners to another place. Earlier last year, the Museum of Art and Design in New York even dedicated an exhibition to the artist entitled Taylor Swift: Storyteller, which shone a light on ‘the captivating worlds she brings to life on stage and screen through exquisitely crafted costumes, inventive stage design, and imaginative iconography’. Though crucially it’s not all about her stage presence – fans appreciate her emotional, yet poetic song writing that sets her apart from other artists. She writes her own lyrics, many of which are grounded in her own experiences and struggles. But the stories she tells aren’t all folklore, with fans finding parts of themselves reflected in her music. One said online: ‘there have been many instances where one of her songs captures a feeling that I’ve had for a long time but never really had the words to articulate, and Taylor’s work essentially creates that vocabulary for me’.
What brands can learn: though I may be biased saying this as someone who works in insights…know your audience! Create emotional connection with your consumers by sharing genuine stories that they can relate to.
Taylor’s teaching #2: Consistently adapt
If there’s one thing Taylor’s great at, it’s keeping things fresh so that she doesn’t go out of style. This is an impressive feat considering how long she’s been making music for, and how many #1’s she’s managed to achieve. Her ability to consistently produce music has meant she’s been able to continually attract new fans and re-ignite older ones. Starting with her pivot from a country musician to a pop icon, she has managed to touch on a range of genres too. The fact that her new tour celebrates her distinct ‘eras’ just highlights how adept she is in being able to shake it off and change it up. She even manages to bring something new to the 150+ shows that she’s performing, as one fan commented: ‘there’s a regular flow of new stuff to talk about. During her tour, there’s been re-releases, vault songs, a new video featuring her ex who then joined her on stage, and surprise songs every show’.
What brands can learn: Taylor shows us the importance of innovating and adapting in order to generate sustained loyalty and make sparks fly with new interest. Oh and be fearless enough to try something new!
Taylor’s teaching #3: Utilise the power of ‘nowstalgia’
The impact of nostalgia is something we know all too well, though as pointed out in an BBC article that coined the term ‘nowstalgia’, the 20-30 year window of brands bringing back nostalgic products is narrowing. Taylor Swift is an excellent example of this. Not only can fans see their own current experiences reflected in her music (see teaching #1), they also use her past hits as markers of a particular period of their lives. Fans will listen fondly to her music from 10 years ago and remember themselves in their early teens, like this Swiftie: ‘[the most nostalgic for me is] the whole 1989 album. I remember being 12, playing the CD in my mom’s 2000 Chevy Tahoe while we were road-tripping to the Keys!’. With many of her current fans discovering her music at a young age they can also find new meaning in her old hits (maybe songs about heartbreak were less relevant to us when we were 10!), with re-discovery of her music helped by her recent re-releasing of past albums. All to say, not only can fans appreciate her new hits, Taylor is also high successful in generating that warm, fuzzy nostalgic comfort that we all love to feel.
What brands can learn: the nostalgia cycle is shortening so, once you know your consumers, don’t shy away from looking into the not-so-distance past to find products and experiences that hold sentimental value for them.
Taylor’s teaching #4: Blank space generates buzz
You only need to do a quick search online to find pages and pages about the potential ‘hidden meanings’ of Taylor’s lyrics and who exactly she might be referring to. As one fan said: ‘yes, there is a lot to speculate on as far as her dating life goes but she’s smart to never confirm songs being about a specific ex or anything’. This is not a happy accident, it’s this speculation that creates further intrigue around her music – it’s exciting for fans to get a glimpse into her life and further reinforces that she is indeed writing about personal, real experiences. Given the sheer quantity of music she’s created, fans are often given the opportunity to look for ‘easter eggs’ that exist across her songs and albums too. As Taylor said herself: “I think the best messages are cryptic ones. Easter eggs can be left on clothing or jewellery. This is one of my favourite ways to do this because you wear something that foreshadows something else, and people don’t usually find out this one immediately, but they know you’re probably sending a message. They’ll figure it out in time. Lots of examples of this exist through the history of my career.” There’s an invisible string that ties all of her work together.
What brands can learn: create content that leaves consumers wanting more – their natural curiosity will generate buzz without needing to directly ask a question.
Objectively, Taylor Swift isn’t super relatable. She currently spends night after night in cities across the globe putting on an incredible performance of singing and dancing for 3 hours straight, whilst many of us are sitting on the sofa. Yet she somehow generates this feeling of being somewhat…normal. You feel you get to see her personalities in her shows, and not an overly produced image that doesn’t seem authentic to who she is as a person. Not only does she offer up deeply personal insights through her music (even if indirectly) she also isn’t afraid to open up on social media. As one fan said in an in online forum: ‘this generation has a good feeling for manufactured, they don’t mind it but they do consume it differently. She bridges a weird gap between Hollywood and YouTube/ TikTok in terms of where she’s perceived – she has a cat she’s undeniably obsessed with, wears comfy clothes and sings about things people relate to, while being a billionaire.’
What brands can learn: showing a bit of personality, even if a little weird, is appreciated. Consumers do see through authenticity though, so this has to come from a genuine place.
Taylor’s teaching #6: Engage with your community
For those who have been lucky enough to see Taylor perform live, they have commented on the real sense of community and belonging that’s present at her shows. Strangers become friends and bond over their mutual love of her music. They swap friendship bracelets bejewelled with their favourite lyrics. Parents find joy in witnessing their kids bopping along to the very same music that they spent hours dancing to during their own childhood. Given the variety and quantity of her music that spans decades, it’s no wonder that the community feels inclusive and welcoming to all. Fans feel that it’s Taylor’s ability to connect with her audiences that is a real driving factor in this: ‘Taylor’s music has always been very personal and relatable, she built off that in her live performances by being generally very personal and friendly in how she addresses the audience. People love Beyoncé, but Beyoncé is also, well, Beyoncé. Her whole public identity is being larger than life & cool & powerful. Very aspirational and everything, but it does also keep the audience at arm’s length. Taylor’s someone you can both admire and relate to.’
What brands can learn: create the right platform to engage with your consumers personally, whilst also fostering opportunities for your consumers to enjoy shared experiences and engage with one another too.
Taylor’s teaching #7: Do the right thing!
Taylor isn’t afraid of putting her voice, power and finances to a good cause. Her dedication to donating to local foodbanks during her UK tour has often been noted as a point of admiration in any recent conversation I’ve had about the Eras tour. One foodbank in Liverpool commented that the amount she had donated was enough to cover their food bill for the next 12 months. There are many other examples of this, such as in the $100,000 she reportedly gave the truck drivers of her Eras tour, her donations to schools in the US to improve access to education, or her support of minority groups. Aside from financial support, she also uses her platform as a force for change. Perhaps most notably, when she posted a message on Instagram last year encouraging her fans to register vote in the upcoming election, a spike in about 40,000 voter registrations followed. For fans, while her ability to do a good deed isn’t the reason they were drawn to her in the first place, it certainly makes them like her even more. As one 7-year-old young Swiftie said: ‘Taylor Swift is girl power. And she is kind. And because she is both, she makes us feel like we can be both. And that’s a very good thing!’.
What brands can learn: while using your platform for good isn’t new, doing so does drive positive sentiment and boosts reputation. Especially if done in a vein similar to Taylor Swift: slot it in alongside your regular programming and don’t shout too loudly about it.
To conclude, Taylor Swift is The Man. Her Eras tour is more than just another concert; it’s a masterclass in brand love and loyalty. By staying relatable, adaptable, nostalgic, authentic, engaging, and socially responsible, she has created a brand that resonates deeply with fans across generations. Something to be admired, no matter how you personally feel about her music!
And in true Taylor Swift style, you may have spotted that I’ve hidden some ‘easter eggs’ in the form of her song lyrics throughout the article – bonus points if you can spot them all.
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