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What we can learn from Taylor Swift and her Marketing Team

Taylor Swift is not only a renowned singer-songwriter but also a marketing genius. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated strategic moves and brilliant marketing strategies that have captivated audiences and propelled her to the top of the charts, even earning her recognition as Billboard’s first-ever Woman of the Decade Award and an honorary Doctorate from NYU. Let’s explore the marketing lessons we can learn from Taylor Swift and her marketing team, from brand reinvention to audience engagement and maintaining buzz.

Be Adaptive but Stay True to Your Core Brand

Understand When You Need to Pivot and Change

One of the key takeaways from Taylor Swift’s marketing approach is her ability to adapt while “stay stay stay”-ing true to her core brand. Throughout her career, she has successfully reinvented herself with each album cycle, creating distinct thematic shifts that create an immersive experience for her fans. This shift shows in every aspect of her brand, from her outfits to social media and even her approach to interviews. She refers to her albums as “eras,” each with its own unique style and narrative. By doing so, she creates an experience that keeps her fans engaged and eagerly anticipating every release.

Companies can apply this strategy by being willing to adapt and evolve in response to changing market dynamics while staying true to their core brand. Just as Taylor Swift’s core brand revolves around authentic storytelling and connecting with her audience on a personal level, companies should continuously assess and refine as necessary when it comes to their brand positioning, messaging, and offerings. The bottom line is understanding when you need to pivot and change as a company, helping you remain relevant, capture new audiences, and retain your existing customers.

Give Old Content New Life

One of Taylor Swift’s recent strategic moves is her re-recording of her original albums, known as “Taylor’s Versions.” This move is aimed at regaining control over her master recordings, which were acquired by Scooter Braun’s company without her consent. By re-recording her albums, she ensures that she has ownership and financial control over her music, allowing her to license, distribute, and profit from her own songs. This is so important to Taylor Swift because of her innate connections to the songs she writes and the experiences behind them. From a marketing perspective, this strategy is genius. It not only allows her original fans to experience the nostalgia of listening to the album for the first time (again) but also reaches a whole new younger audience with her new releases.

Taylor Swift's original release of the album cover for "Fearless" compared to her new album cover for the re-recording of the same album

Additionally, with each re-recording, she adds new tracks that were cut at the original release called “Vault Tracks,” providing exclusive content and making the albums even more appealing to her fans.

Companies can take inspiration from this strategy by revamping and giving new life to their old content. By adding exclusive never-seen-before content or stories, companies can create excitement and engage their audience in a whole new way. This approach has been wildly successful for Taylor Swift, as seen with the re-recordings of her albums, which broke streaming records and topped the charts.

Value and Include Your Audience

The most successful brands put their audience first (Sprout Social). Taylor Swift has a clear understanding of what her audience wants and values. She listens to her fans and knows how to meet them where they are, whether it’s on social media (Tumblr, Instagram, or the current focus, TikTok), at personally planned secret sessions and meet-and-greets, or sending them gifts for Christmas (also known as “Swiftmas”). By engaging with her audience on their preferred platforms, she builds strong and loyal customer relationships through personal interactions. In the world of Taylor Swift, no detail is too small to be overlooked. From grand gestures to the tiniest personal touches, Taylor Swift and her team understand the details matter when it comes to engaging their audience.

During the 1989 era, Taylor Swift orchestrated an enchanting event known as “Swiftmas”. This celebration involved lots of interactions with fans on social media, leaving Christmas themed emojis on their profiles. Around Christmas, those lucky fans received packages containing a multitude of handpicked gifts from Taylor herself. What makes this truly special is the level of personalization. Taylor even took the time to wrap these gifts herself. This attention to detail showcases her genuine appreciation for her fans and dedication to making every moment with them something to remember.

EXAMPLE: Taylor Swift’s Gift Giving of 2014 | SWIFTMAS

Hand-picked Meet and Greets: a personal connection

Taylor Swift goes above and beyond to make her fans feel seen, valued, and included. During her performances during the tours for Fearless through 1989, Taylor’s mother word go into the crowds and find fans who were overly excited or dressed up. After the concert, she would invite them backstage for hand-picked meet and greet with Taylor — for free! This personal invitation shows Taylor’s commitment to recognizing and appreciating the dedication her fans show.

One of Taylor Swift’s most remarkable marketing strategies is her exclusive fan gatherings known as “Secret Sessions”. These intimate events involve Taylor personally inviting a select group of fans to listen to her unrelease albums in advance. During the 1989 session, she even invited them into her home and baked them cookies. This intimate of experience creates that close connection between Taylor and her most devoted supporters, fostering that sense of exclusivity and special treatment that every customer desires.

EXAMPLE: 1989 Secret Sessions, Behind The Scenes!

EXAMPLE: The reputation Secret Sessions

Image of Taylor Swift's Secret Sessions rooms

Secret Sessions: Creating Exclusivity and Connection

How can you apply this?

In the marketing world, exclusive customer opportunities hold immense value. Just as Taylor Swift’s secret sessions create a sense of exclusivity and strengthen the bond between the artist and her fans, companies can leverage similar strategies to enhance customer loyalty and generate positive word-of-mouth marketing. Tell a story worth talking about and encourage customer involvement. By strategically drawing attention through engagement and making fans feel like they belong, companies create a strong brand presence and drive customer loyalty. Providing exclusive experiences or opportunities to a select group of customers makes them feel appreciated and valued, fostering stronger connections and brand advocacy.

Companies should also prioritize valuing and including their audience. By understanding what their audience wants and paying attention to their preferences, companies can tailor their marketing efforts to create a deeper connection. Taylor Swift’s example teaches us the importance of actively listening to our audience and following their lead to build the most loyal customer relationships.

Create Buzz and Maintain Engagement

Maintaining a devoted customer base involves making fans feel like they play a role in your brand’s journey. Taylor Swift excels at creating buzz and maintaining engagement with her audience. Her album releases are not just music releases; they are events that excite and engage her fans.

Taylor Swift’s “Easter Eggs”

Taylor’s use of “easter eggs,” hidden messages and references in her music, music videos, and social content, is a master class in building buzz. Similar to the way that the Marvel franchise incorporates previous films and characters to tell the whole narrative, these easter eggs have become something that generates excitement and immense curiosity. So much so that Taylor’s fans eagerly decode and share their findings all over social media platforms, creating a sense of community and connection. This strategy allows her fans to feel involved in the process and fosters a deeper bond between the brand and its customers.

Taylor Swift’s easter eggs are not just random occurrences but a deliberate part of her marketing playbook. These hidden messages are strategically placed throughout her music videos, social content, and even album packaging. By creating a sense of mystery and curiosity, Taylor ensures that her fans are constantly on the lookout for these clues.

What initially began as a personal touch to incentivize fans to read the lyrics (like the “Fearless.” CD booklet’s atypical capitalization, with lyrics mostly in lowercase but with certain random capital letters that formed a secret message) and pay attention turned into an effective marketing strategy. Taylor Swift’s easter eggs became an additional promotional tool for her albums. Fans shared their findings on social media, fueling anticipation and building buzz around her releases.

Example of Taylor Swift's use of easter eggs in her Love Story lyrics

In the “Reputation” era, Taylor Swift took her easter eggs to another level. After facing intense scrutiny and hate, she transformed the trauma and negative comments into art. In the music video for “Look What You Made Me Do,” she embedded easter eggs that addressed her public perception and media narratives. From the gravestone symbolizing the death of her previous reputation to the symbolic use of snakes representing drama and backstabbing, Taylor turned her personal journey into a powerful visual statement, reclaiming her control over her own reputation and narrative.

(EXAMPLE: Video Ex2 Reputation MV.url)

Easter eggs continued to play a significant role in Taylor Swift’s subsequent albums. In the “Lover” era, she strategically dropped clues and references prior to singles and album releases. From surprising fans in Nashville by showing up at The Gulch, a location referenced in her music, to hinting at collaborations with the Dixie Chicks through social media, Taylor utilized easter eggs to keep her fans engaged and eagerly anticipating new music. In her “ME!” music video, she even hinted that the album title was featured! EXAMPLE: Video Ex3 Me! MV.url)

With the release of “Midnights,” Taylor Swift took a bold approach by not releasing any singles before the album’s launch. Instead, she gradually revealed the song titles through social media. This unconventional strategy created excitement and buzz, leading to Spotify’s most-streamed album in a single day and breaking records for the most-streamed artist in Spotify history.

EXAMPLE: https://www.tiktok.com/@taylorswift/video/7145677990385454378?_r=1&_t=8dJJMK90apm&social_sharing=v2

Image of Taylor Swift in Tennessee with the butterfly mural wall

(Alan Poizner/ For the Tennessean) EXAMPLE

How can you apply this?

Taylor Swift’s clever use of scarcity and mystery demonstrates the power of hidden messages in building buzz and fostering engagement. By incorporating easter eggs into your marketing campaigns, whether through subtle references, hidden messages, or interactive elements, you can create excitement, encourage fan involvement, and generate positive word-of-mouth marketing. Just like Taylor Swift, strategically placing messages and references can turn a simple marketing campaign into an immersive and captivating experience that keeps audiences invested and eager for more.

Applying Taylor Swift’s Marketing Strategies

By learning from Taylor Swift and her marketing team, companies can enhance their brand presence, foster customer engagement, adapt to changing market dynamics, and ultimately drive growth and loyalty among their audience. The key lessons to take away include being adaptive while staying true to your core brand, giving old content new life, valuing and including your audience, and creating buzz and maintaining engagement.

Taylor Swift’s marketing strategies demonstrate the power of authenticity, storytelling, and building a strong connection with fans. By embracing these principles and applying them to your own marketing efforts, you can make a lasting impact on your audience and achieve success in your industry.