People from all over the world come to Amsterdam for Taylor Swift. How did the pop sensation grow into one of the world’s strongest brands and what can brand builders learn from this?
A friend of mine flew from New York to Amsterdam for the Taylor Swift concert. At five in the morning he was already at the Johan Cruijff Arena, next to a Russian girl who flew via Turkey to be at the concert. The American superstar (34) will be performing no less than three times this week in a sold-out Johan Cruijff Arena.
It sounds bizarre, but in the world of Swifties (as the fans call themselves) it is the most normal thing. It even has its own term: Swiftonomics. Or the enormous economic impact Swift has, thanks to generous fans. The Swifties are expected to add one billion pounds to the British economy through her UK concerts.
The Swift effect is also noticeable in other places. Last year, for example, she appeared in the stands of the American football club Kansas City Chiefs. It confirmed the rumors regarding a relationship with player Travis Kelce. Within 24 hours, sales of his shirt increased by 400%.
By the way, Swift herself did not wear the shirt, nor did she call on people to buy it. Swifties came up with this hype themselves, as a way to express themselves to each other, by means of a shirt that is linked to the Taylor Swift brand. It shows the active community that Swift has built around herself with its own norms and values, its own moments and customs, its own language, with its own symbols and expressions.
She is continuously working to feed her community through her brand. In doing so, she always asks herself: what can I give people, so that they can be of significance to each other?
- So Swifties have their own codes and language
- Every concert is an experience to meet other swifties
- Swifties make and exchange friendship bracelets with each other
- Swifties organize Swiftogeddons, a club night for and by swifties
- Swifties correct each other online when someone is rude to someone else
And when the rights to Swift’s albums fell into private equity hands, Swift re-recorded all six of her albums. Swifties bought all of the albums once more, as a counter-voice to the capitalist music industry. And that is precisely where a valuable lesson lies for brand builders: strong brands in 2024 are no longer just meaningful to the recipient, but also facilitate them to be meaningful to others. The well-known large power brands understand this.
- For example, Apple recently launched a support community where smart Apple users (you too can be a genius) can connect with each other and help each other all over the world
- Anyone can organize and experience local activities with Airbnb
- And 100+ million people motivate each other to run with the Nike Running Club.
Swift proves that community building is not only valuable for positive sentiment around your brand, but also provides financial gain. That should be music to the ears of every marketer.
Anne Stokvis is creative director and partner of advertising agency N=5.
