What Is Happening Down Under In The Pop World?
It’s official: Taylor Swift has touched down in Melbourne to kick off The Australian leg of The Eras Tour. The entire leg of the tour sold out in minutes with 3 nights at the MCG and 4 at Sydney’s Olympic Park. The almost 4 hour long show spans 10 albums and 15 years of music and is set to attract fans far and wide. With multiple stores and companies preparing for the swift arrival, it’s a mania we haven’t seen since the likes of Beatlemania, Michael Jackson or Princess Diana. Let’s delve into how companies are harnessing the power of the biggest pop star on the planet to achieve their company goals.
Who is Taylor Swift?
Starting as a country musician almost 20 years ago, she has amassed over 114 million album units worldwide, 14 Grammys, 29 American Music Awards, an Emmy and has a net worth of over a billion dollars. Accompanied by her onslaught of Millennial and Gen Z fans, she has created a loyal fanbase that is a force to be reckoned with, especially for businesses.
Everywhere Taylor Goes, Good Things Happen
Her Eras tour has not only done wonders for her own popularity but also the economic success of every place she visits. In the US, her concerts have had an economic impact of more than $5 billion USD ($7.4 billion AUD), according to the US Travel Association, which said Swift fans – more commonly referred to as Swifties – injected more into local economies than the Super Bowl. In Melbourne, it’s set to generate $1.2 billion AUD in the economy, and businesses are harnessing this success themselves.
So, how are companies leveraging The Eras Tour? Lets go into some case studies that perfectly harness the millennial and Gen Z market for The Eras Tour.
The Cotton On Concert Collection
It’s rather convenient that Australian retailer Cotton On announced their Concert Ready collection weeks before the Australian leg of the eras tour, and their products don’t make it any less obvious. It would be extremely easy for any swiftie to pinpoint what products relate to what album era. Even their press on nails have names like ‘midnight magnetic’ and ‘fine lines red’.
This marketing strategy is an interesting one, as it isn’t just focusing in on Swift but it allows those who aren’t attending her shows to buy the collection. This allows Cotton On to expand their consumer base for the summer festival and concert season.
Glassons SYDNEY!
Compared to Cotton On’s approach, Glasson’s ‘Front Row’ is a lot more overt. Glassons utilised TikTok marketing to advertise various products that were made for Swift’s Australian concert. This allows them to really harness the young swiftie market. Their first TikTok was a teaser, announcing a new era for them, followed by a myriad of different TikToks with their Front Row collection with various Taylor Swift TikTok sounds, utilising TikTok to it’s fullest potential as seen below
Chatime’s Love Era
Chatime announced their love era drink collection with drinks such as their Raspberry Cheesecake Frozen with a girl walking to Chatime wearing the following outfit: glittery cowboy boots, a purple glittery dress and a pink glittery cowboy hat. At her concerts in the US, this outfit was often seen at her concerts. Another noteworthy detail is the collections name very much alludes to the ‘Lover Era’, the album cycle of Taylor Swift’s album Lover. This TikTok campaign harnesses the Gen Z audience of Taylor Swift to promote Chatime using her fanbase.
How To Benefit From A Celebrity Pandemonium
Although this is happening for Taylor right now, this will most likely happen again for someone else in the future. But considering the Taylormania right now, we’ll use her as an example. A great way to do this would be to add certain Eras Tour colours to your marketing, or come up with Taylor related products (similar to Smirnoff Ice’s Lavender Lemonade (a nod to Swift’s track ‘Lavender Haze’). The choices are endless! And the best part, Easter Eggs (these are fun little clues she puts into her music, and has also been done by other musicians) are such a big thing in the Swiftie community, which make the options endless for marketers to harness the power of Taylor Swift. Essentially, use as much iconography for a particular person and integrate it into your own branding.
How Can Ignite Search Help You Discover Your Taylor’d Opportunity?
At Ignite Search, we understand the power of cultural phenomena like Taylormania. Our expertise in digital marketing and consumer behaviour can help you tap into the excitement surrounding Taylor Swift’s visit to Australia.
Whether it’s through targeted social media campaigns, influencer partnerships, or search engine optimisation strategies, we can help your business make the most of this unique marketing opportunity. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you ignite your brand’s success during any major cultural event. If you need more guidance, feel free to download our free branding worksheet or read our blog for more inspiration.
