7 lessons brands should learn from Taylor Swift’s marketing genius

Lesson #1: Brand evolution without alienating customers

Taylor Swift has been a global icon for almost two decades now. Like any brand, she’s had to evolve during this time but she hasn’t simply remained popular with her original fanbase or the same age group. She’s maintained the appeal with her earliest fans, as they’ve grown, and welcomed younger audiences into her ever-growing fanbase without alienating previous ones. In fact, I attended the Anfield leg of the Eras Tour with my two nieces, aged 26 and 13 – all of us equally excited to hear our favourite songs.

Lesson #2: Authenticity, from underdog to icon

Relatability was key to Taylor Swift’s early popularity, candidly singing about adolescence, breakups, awkwardness and genuine experiences.

The Eras tour taps into her progression as an artist, but also as a person. Growing up as an artist, Taylor Swift moved between music genres and reinvented her brand image multiple times, but she doesn’t shy away from her earlier music, personas or – most importantly – fans. She embraces her progression as a natural part of growing as a person and an artist.

Lesson #3: Authentic advocacy

Taylor Swift champions social causes, including gender equality, LGBTQ rights and her personal beliefs. She isn’t pandering to expectations, either. She uses her platform to advocate for change and regularly reaches out to people in need with financial and moral support.

Her actions make an impact, too. This is a woman who took on the male-dominated music industry by rerecording her first six albums to reclaim control of her own music. The same woman who wrote a letter to Apple over its three-month free trial for streaming services without any royalties for artists – plans that were overturned within 24 hours of receiving her letter.

Lesson #4: Tailoring the Taylor experience

Taylor Swift is known for connecting with fans on a personal level. She engages with fans directly. She replies to them on social media, greets them in public, hosts secret events and constantly surprises them with personal interactions.

This is a key theme in her Eras tour. She organised exclusive pre-show events, surprise meet-and-greets and online contests. Every interaction builds that sense of inclusion for fans and generates more hype for the tour.

The artist carries this mentality onto the stage, too. From saying “hello” and “welcome” in Welsh in Cardiff to dancers dabbling some scouse phrases at Anfield, every show acknowledges the city and the audience.

Lesson #5: Building anticipation

The Eras marketing campaign started early, ramping up anticipation with teasers and easter eggs that raised more questions than they answered. Everything from surprise fan interactions and non-setlist songs fuelled the hype around her tour before the first round of tickets were available.

Taylor Swift isn’t the first artist to cover almost two decades worth of music in a single show (although she might be the youngest) but the Eras marketing campaign certainly makes it feel this way.

Lesson #6: Building community & loyalty

Taylor Swift understands the power of community. Her gang of “Swifties” is a marketing tribe that’s constantly talking about her, promoting on her behalf and keeping her at the top of the charts. Her relatability, authenticity and constant interactions with fans has built a community with a genuine sense of belonging.

On a psychological level, there’s a parasocial relationship between the fans and the artist, However, there’s also a more tangible relationship between community members.

Lesson #7: Memorable experiences

Taylor Swift outperforms almost every artist across the board: the charts, ticket sales, tour revenue – you name it. But she puts in the work to outperform the competition, too. She does more shows, plays bigger venues, performs more songs and works little skits into her performances – most of which go viral, of course.

She also makes every show a little bit different, giving fans something to speculate about between every show and something to talk about after.

The Eras tour is extra in every way and all of this hard work leaves fans walking away with experiences they’ll never forget (or stop talking about).

Takeaway: Be more like Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift’s marketing acumen is staggering. Starting from the age of 16, she expertly navigated digital trends and innovated her fair share of them during almost two decades in the spotlight.

The Eras tour encapsulates every aspect of her billion-dollar brand identity. Where most brands struggle to create authentic stories, deal with social issues and build meaningful relationships with customers, Taylor Swift pulls it all off, seemingly effortlessly.

Maybe the lesson here is, be less like a brand; be more like Taylor Swift.

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