Not another article about Taylor Swift’s impact on brand marketing

Ideas
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October 20, 2023
lessons learned and opportunities uncovered from big brands' reactions to the cultural phenomenon that is taylor swift

Taylor is everywhere. Whether you’re a Swiftie or not (wait, who’s not?), I bet you’ve seen something Taylor Swift related in the past couple of months. Maybe a clip of her diving into the ocean on her concert stage or cheering with Travis Kelce’s mom in a box seat at the Kansas City Chiefs football game. 

But we’re not here to talk about Taylor… well kind of. We’re here to talk about what audiences care about, how deeply they care, how Brands like capital-t Taylor effectively tap into that. And how they’re doing it in-real-time, finding the perfect intersection of culture, timeliness and valuable spin to garner the most attention and relevancy.

Shifting (Swifting) culture by creating it

Brands must be relevant to be part of a consumer’s consideration. They have two options… they can either define culture OR they can react to it. Or, the elusive third option, do both. They want to get people talking by making culture happen while also being part of the constant conversation.

In Taylor’s case (as a person and a brand) she’s defined culture. She has been a mainstay of music, on the forefront of where country and pop music is going since she started singing about Tim McGraw and the teardrops on her guitar. And she’s curated and nurtured her own fandom with meticulous consideration and design. But outside of collaborations and endorsements, other brands have stayed in their conventional lane with her.

That was until the T Swift momentum hit a threshold that just couldn’t be contained any longer, spilling out into every corner of the cultural zeitgeist. Her concert literally existed in every part of the globe, breaking every financial record and inspiring an inconceivable amount of content across social and your mom’s, sister’s, brother’s photo library and text thread. And to top it off cracking into the sports arena by starting a relationship with one of Football’s brightest stars. There is not an area of culture that Taylor isn’t at least showing up in.

Taylor has become Culture.

Opportunity is right-now

But what makes this particular situation so interesting (the situation being that a famous person is resetting culture as she’s just living her life) is that so much is happening so quickly and the moments are predictably unpredictable. We just don’t know what we’re going to get with Taylor.

So let’s focus up, brands know there’s an opportunity, but finding those opportunities and knowing exactly how to capitalize on that opportunity is downright impossible… until it isn’t. And this folks, is right-now marketing. Brands becoming part of an existing conversation by building on it, leveling it up in ways that feel like only I (well, brand in this case) could have taken it there. I made the conversation even better, more interesting. I made lemonade out of Taylor Swift lemons (but all in a good way).

Remember Peloton’s BIG Moment?

For example, let’s remember, honor and humbly respect the Peloton ad that went viral less than a week after And Just Like That (Sex and the City’s reboot) wrote Big off in the most I’m-glad-I’m-not-Peloton-right-now kind of way. The man (character) died after a ride on a Peloton and with a famous Peloton instructor. Now, I for one, put some of the blame on Carrie… let’s just say a phone call to 911 could have been made a bit quicker. But I digress, the point of this example is that Peloton saw an opportunity and reacted quickly, casting Chris Noth in a spoofy commercial that poked fun at the pointed send-off… changing the literal narrative, adding to the conversation, getting lots of attention, making some cultural impact and changing minds and perceptions not only about the product but the cleverness of the Peloton brand.

So applying this right-now marketing concept to the era in which we’re all currently existing, the Taylor Swift Era (let’s be honest, it’s Taylor Swift’s world and we’re all just glad to live in it). Brands are looking for an opening - a moment that feels ownable. Relevant. Buzzworthy. But not every Brand can do it, it just doesn’t make sense for everyone to be part of the conversation. But boy, when something clicks, and a brand sees their moment and acts quickly, it’s magic.

Heinz got it

Take Heinz’s recent “Ketchup and Seemingly Ranch” product. A product that seemingly came out of nowhere (but is really a repackaging of an existing product). Taylor posed for a pic with a chicken nugget and a couple condiments. Twitter and Reddit blew up with their theories (as they tend to do) and boom, a new (limited-edition) product is born. Giving Taylor fans a little taste of what Taylor… tastes? Okay, maybe not, but it’s giving them something that feels Taylor adjacent.

‍Some other examples of Brand’s seizing their TS moment:

State Farm placing their Character mascot, Jake from State Farm, with Travis Kelce’s mom, getting lots of internet attention

The NFL changing it’s social bios and headers to “Taylor’s Version” and other Taylor notables… It’s important to note that NFL viewership among women and jersey sales skyrocketed since Taylor showed up.

KidSuper changing the name of one of it’s products within hours of Travis Kelce being photographed in it (alongside Taylor). Talk about maxing out search and SEO potential.

Whether it’s a branding stunt, an ad, a limited-edition product or swift product repositioning, capitalizing on culture by reacting to it in-real-time and adding value to the conversation can prove to be invaluable to a Brand’s perception and bottom-line.

Right-Now but make it experiential

But you know what’s un-suspiciously missing but a ripe opportunity… in-real-time cultural Brand events (both IRL and in digital-land)l. Imagine, a pop-up immersive experience at the next Kansas City Chiefs home game that allowed fans to walk through a tunnel of photography of the two things they love - the Chiefs and Taylor Swift with a gift shop of co-branded merchandise. Or a Taylor Swift-themed parade early Sunday, before the next big Kansas City Chiefs home game, inviting Taylor fans to join their own special celebration. Granted, building creative, considered and polished experiences like this takes time and budgets, so harder to conceive and execute than some of the examples showed. But including experiential to the right now marketing mix provides a unique, special, unparalleled depth of connection.

This is the next frontier of right-now marketing. Being part of and building on cultural dialogue by creating experiences that audiences care about and adding value to the conversations that they're already having, … Brands giving them exclusive, hands-on, can-only-experience-right-here-right-now moments that feel of-the-moment and part of the broader cultural zeitgeist.

This is experiential marketing in its Taylor Swift Era.

‍

Return to Extra! Extra!
XDA
10.28.23

Not another article about Taylor Swift’s impact on brand marketing

Not another article about Taylor Swift’s impact on brand marketing

lessons learned and opportunities uncovered from big brands' reactions to the cultural phenomenon that is taylor swift

Taylor is everywhere. Whether you’re a Swiftie or not (wait, who’s not?), I bet you’ve seen something Taylor Swift related in the past couple of months. Maybe a clip of her diving into the ocean on her concert stage or cheering with Travis Kelce’s mom in a box seat at the Kansas City Chiefs football game. 

But we’re not here to talk about Taylor… well kind of. We’re here to talk about what audiences care about, how deeply they care, how Brands like capital-t Taylor effectively tap into that. And how they’re doing it in-real-time, finding the perfect intersection of culture, timeliness and valuable spin to garner the most attention and relevancy.

Shifting (Swifting) culture by creating it

Brands must be relevant to be part of a consumer’s consideration. They have two options… they can either define culture OR they can react to it. Or, the elusive third option, do both. They want to get people talking by making culture happen while also being part of the constant conversation.

In Taylor’s case (as a person and a brand) she’s defined culture. She has been a mainstay of music, on the forefront of where country and pop music is going since she started singing about Tim McGraw and the teardrops on her guitar. And she’s curated and nurtured her own fandom with meticulous consideration and design. But outside of collaborations and endorsements, other brands have stayed in their conventional lane with her.

That was until the T Swift momentum hit a threshold that just couldn’t be contained any longer, spilling out into every corner of the cultural zeitgeist. Her concert literally existed in every part of the globe, breaking every financial record and inspiring an inconceivable amount of content across social and your mom’s, sister’s, brother’s photo library and text thread. And to top it off cracking into the sports arena by starting a relationship with one of Football’s brightest stars. There is not an area of culture that Taylor isn’t at least showing up in.

Taylor has become Culture.

Opportunity is right-now

But what makes this particular situation so interesting (the situation being that a famous person is resetting culture as she’s just living her life) is that so much is happening so quickly and the moments are predictably unpredictable. We just don’t know what we’re going to get with Taylor.

So let’s focus up, brands know there’s an opportunity, but finding those opportunities and knowing exactly how to capitalize on that opportunity is downright impossible… until it isn’t. And this folks, is right-now marketing. Brands becoming part of an existing conversation by building on it, leveling it up in ways that feel like only I (well, brand in this case) could have taken it there. I made the conversation even better, more interesting. I made lemonade out of Taylor Swift lemons (but all in a good way).

Remember Peloton’s BIG Moment?

For example, let’s remember, honor and humbly respect the Peloton ad that went viral less than a week after And Just Like That (Sex and the City’s reboot) wrote Big off in the most I’m-glad-I’m-not-Peloton-right-now kind of way. The man (character) died after a ride on a Peloton and with a famous Peloton instructor. Now, I for one, put some of the blame on Carrie… let’s just say a phone call to 911 could have been made a bit quicker. But I digress, the point of this example is that Peloton saw an opportunity and reacted quickly, casting Chris Noth in a spoofy commercial that poked fun at the pointed send-off… changing the literal narrative, adding to the conversation, getting lots of attention, making some cultural impact and changing minds and perceptions not only about the product but the cleverness of the Peloton brand.

So applying this right-now marketing concept to the era in which we’re all currently existing, the Taylor Swift Era (let’s be honest, it’s Taylor Swift’s world and we’re all just glad to live in it). Brands are looking for an opening - a moment that feels ownable. Relevant. Buzzworthy. But not every Brand can do it, it just doesn’t make sense for everyone to be part of the conversation. But boy, when something clicks, and a brand sees their moment and acts quickly, it’s magic.

Heinz got it

Take Heinz’s recent “Ketchup and Seemingly Ranch” product. A product that seemingly came out of nowhere (but is really a repackaging of an existing product). Taylor posed for a pic with a chicken nugget and a couple condiments. Twitter and Reddit blew up with their theories (as they tend to do) and boom, a new (limited-edition) product is born. Giving Taylor fans a little taste of what Taylor… tastes? Okay, maybe not, but it’s giving them something that feels Taylor adjacent.

‍Some other examples of Brand’s seizing their TS moment:

State Farm placing their Character mascot, Jake from State Farm, with Travis Kelce’s mom, getting lots of internet attention

The NFL changing it’s social bios and headers to “Taylor’s Version” and other Taylor notables… It’s important to note that NFL viewership among women and jersey sales skyrocketed since Taylor showed up.

KidSuper changing the name of one of it’s products within hours of Travis Kelce being photographed in it (alongside Taylor). Talk about maxing out search and SEO potential.

Whether it’s a branding stunt, an ad, a limited-edition product or swift product repositioning, capitalizing on culture by reacting to it in-real-time and adding value to the conversation can prove to be invaluable to a Brand’s perception and bottom-line.

Right-Now but make it experiential

But you know what’s un-suspiciously missing but a ripe opportunity… in-real-time cultural Brand events (both IRL and in digital-land)l. Imagine, a pop-up immersive experience at the next Kansas City Chiefs home game that allowed fans to walk through a tunnel of photography of the two things they love - the Chiefs and Taylor Swift with a gift shop of co-branded merchandise. Or a Taylor Swift-themed parade early Sunday, before the next big Kansas City Chiefs home game, inviting Taylor fans to join their own special celebration. Granted, building creative, considered and polished experiences like this takes time and budgets, so harder to conceive and execute than some of the examples showed. But including experiential to the right now marketing mix provides a unique, special, unparalleled depth of connection.

This is the next frontier of right-now marketing. Being part of and building on cultural dialogue by creating experiences that audiences care about and adding value to the conversations that they're already having, … Brands giving them exclusive, hands-on, can-only-experience-right-here-right-now moments that feel of-the-moment and part of the broader cultural zeitgeist.

This is experiential marketing in its Taylor Swift Era.

‍

Return to Extra! Extra!