I’ve caught it, Taylor Mania. But from a brand perspective. Lets take a look at this brand juggernaut and see just how Taylor has done it. I’m going to preface this by saying I can’t officially call myself a Swiftie, my Spotify playlist sounds more like Ben Folds, Weezer, Guster and pretty much any late 90’s-early 00’s Australian indie band, with a dash of vintage Joni Mitchell and Sara Barielles for some chill vibes.
Throw in my concert/musical attendance for the last 12-ish months that reads like this: Billy Joel, Hamilton, Weezer, Tim Minchin and Harry Connick Jr. Diverse - yes. Do I have any Taylor merch - No. But Taylor fans never fear - I have found an admiration for all things Swiftie or shall I say #swiftie.
You know Taylor Swift, I know Taylor Swift, yet I have never met her. I think of Taylor as cool, confident, a woman who loves a pop of red lipstick and has amazing fashion. She OWNS who she is - and I am here for it. This is what we want for the girls of today - the example of a strong, confident woman taking it all in her stride and dominating. Sure, she has had some bumps in the road (hello love life) but have you truly loved if you have been burned by the hot sear of heartbreak in your teens and twenties? Taylor is not only a pop culture icon, she is a world dominating brand. A brand that is so much more than a logo or colour palette - its her whole vibe - the messaging, tone, language, style - IT IS EVERYTHING.
This amazing woman knows her audience and they LOVE her, they really love her. There’s something amazing about Taylor that you may have noticed - she appreciates her audience - even in a stadium of 90,000+ people she takes the time to say thank you. I’ve been to concerts where barely a word of story telling or connection with the audience has been had, its been: play the songs, applause, finish. Taylor’s audience isn’t just a market to conquer, its a community with a sense of belonging and kinship, bought together by a singular love and admiration. Then there’s the bracelets, let’s talk about the bracelets. To me, friendships bracelets were created from embroidery thread acquired from my Nana, a bit of sticky tape on a cushion and many, many knots. A badge of honour. But today these are a whole thing - beaded, beautiful creations running up and down the arms of tween, teens and ladies alike (and some Swiftie dads too), crafted with care to share and reinforce that common bond of all things Swiftie. And then there is the outfits! Hours spent aligning oneself with the perfect era to describe that all-important connection and another touch point on belonging - the era tribe! I’ve lived a little vicariously through one of my own besties this week as she prepares for her own Swiftie experience with a perfectly curated outfit.
Taylor owns her stuff, we all saw the horribly drawn out battle with that guy who uses the name of a piece of transportation (we shall not say his name) to have the rights over her own creative. So what did Taylor do - Taylor's Version! And hell yes all Swifties are going to back this legend with procuring these new recordings - not only sticking it to that man, but showing Tay Tay they have her back. Taylor shows us all to stand up for what you created - it is your intellectual property, your craft and as a creative person myself, I can honestly say it's a piece of your soul, no way do you give that up without a fight.
Any business owner will tell you there’s a lot to be said for passive income - the item created once and sold over and over. Merchandise - it’s pricey but a MUST have. Mums and Dads everywhere have poured out hundreds of dollars for those coveted t-shirts and hoodies and the fortunate recipients will make damn sure the cost per wear is down to $0.001 before the end of the year. Where do your value perceptions of Taylor lie? It is the price of ticket or the value of the experience? Lets take a look at the sheer amount of money Taylor makes with this handy reference from Yahoo Finance estimating that Tay Tay is bringing in a sweet US$150,000 per minute or US$2,500 per second. Of course she has bills to pay - but that is a phenomenal amount of money. A-reserve tickets started at $379.90 for this Australia Eras tour, right down to $65 for those lucky enough to snag a last minute ticket. (Full disclosure I tried this, just to be part of the experience). Even when Taylor is a speck in the distance we will pay to be part of this experience, part of this community and feel that overwhelming sense of harmony. Reports out of the concerts by attendees tell the story of the Melbourne shows being unlike any concert they have experienced with a true sense of connection, warmth, humanity and kinship - and isn’t that we what we want out of life? Heart warming experiences and for our children to see that? Taylor has created something truly coveted - getting those tickets was a battle, a battle of wills, IP addresses, credit card numbers and a tribe of willing friends all agreeing it will go on their credit card for reimbursement from the group.
Taylor Swift has built a community like no other. With the way the world is, we all want a sense of community and belonging and I’ve already touched on it here - Swifties are for life. It’s like how I can step remember all the words to Step By Step and do a mean air violin, Swifties have a sense of connection with their community - and with Taylor and for those swept up in their own youth this is something that will stay with the forever - a core memory. They idolise her, they know all the words, the dances - the eras. Taylor has clearly communicated who she is and what she stands for - these are the very foundations of building a recognisable, memorable brand. Her community - her tribe - are willing consumers of all things Taylor, they feel the connection and they soak it up, her messaging is authentic and confident. They forgive her flaws and embrace her victories - aren’t breakup songs the best?! The trajectory of Taylor’s life is shared with her community - warts and all (I doubt Taylor has warts - her skin is flawless). We have seen in recent times an increased openness to share and the fans love it - apart from the NFL fans who think she’s a “distraction” But not the NFL execs who welcome the cashflow powerhouse.
There is so much to unpack when it comes to learnings from Taylor Swift the brand. As a business owner its is important that we have brand clarity - that being a clear understanding around these key facets:
• What we do
• How we do it
• Who we do it for
With Taylor Swift I can guarantee you can easily articulate those three points in a matter of seconds. Can you do that in your own business? How can you articulate your brand messaging clearly so that your audience has a clear of understanding what you do:
1. Define your vision, mission, values
These are the cornerstone points of branding and business - from big game changing world-dominating dreams to the finite details of how you do it
2. Have clear service offerings
Do the work that you love, and stay committed to your passions. There is a lot to be said to saying "No" with confidence for work that is not aligned with your key services, expertise and boundaries of work. Articulate your inclusions and scope for 100% clarity.
3. Articulate your messaging
Its not only what you say - its how you say it. Your tone of voice, language and even your fave emojis say a lot about who you are a person and a business, PLUS it creates engagement with your audience. A dash of humour can go a long way as well as using correct terminology and giving your audience a subtle education on your specific business services and skill.
4. A professional, consistent brand design
Invest in a professional brand design that gives you plenty of options - a primary logo, secondary logo and brand mark. Pair those important brand elements with a set colour palette, typography styles and even a brand pattern will have you looking and feeling the part. PLUS having a brand suite saves you time because you have the resources to execute brand touch points effectively and efficiently. Want to know more about brand design and rebrands?
Simply take a look at all the touch points - they are seamless. From the dedicated tour page on her website to merch to concert tickets - the design is cohesive and consistent. In terms of mission and vision - that’s a clear domination of her genre and performing successfully all around the world. And her values - we see that in way she conducts herself and the thriving community.
What Taylor does is obvious and you can be assured that nobody is asking her to lower her quote or squeeze in a some more hours and deliverables. She does what she is does, in the way she does it - the expectation is set - and the audience is there for it. The messaging is clear with the audience knowing exactly what to expect and being thrilled in the process with unique skills - just like what the aims for any industry.
Own who you are - as a person, in business and as an expert in your field. Perceptions matter and as the business owner you are 100% in control of how you are perceived. Invest in a solid brand strategy that provides you with a logical , bespoke guide to implementing your brand to grow your business. Because, after all, you are the one and only person who has your unique skills, methodology and personality and your strategy should be Taylor-made (pun intended) specifically for your business goals.
And now as I drop the final curtain on what we can learn about branding from Taylor Swift I may have even converted myself to being a Swiftie, based purely on the insights of an amazing brand and acumen for creating a worldwide phenomenon (ok, ok I do love a good car sing along too).
It feels like everyone these days has a business idea or a side-hustle on the backburner. But getting those ideas off the ground can be overwhelming. Between branding, marketing, setting up your processes and website and finding the right advice amongst a sea of resources and networking events…the whole thing can sometimes land in the "too hard" basket before we even begin.
The temptation is great... it looks so easy... your mate did it.. you want to save some money... In theory, yes, but in reality DIY is hard work
Do you need the support of a professional designer, but don't know where to start? Perhaps you feel unsure of what a designer can actually do for your business? Or maybe you feel a designer would be a "nice-to-have", but there are more important things to invest in first?
"*" indicates required fields
