Taylor Swift Effect or End of Branding? [Part 1]

Sales cannot be the sole goal of a brand or a cultural product.

Am I genuinely interested in writing about Taylor Swift and contributing to the inundation of blogs, newsletters, and op-eds discussing the purported “Taylor Swift effect”? To be frank, not really! However, the blog and media spheres are saturated with repetitive ideas. In a landscape where discussions about the “Taylor Swift effect” have reached a saturation point, it became imperative for me to join the conversation with a critical lens to ask some hard questions, aligned with the mission and vision of this newsletter. #wink

After a Barbie-bombed summer, we’re now in the grip of a Taylor Swift obsession this fall. Many bloggers, creatives, strategists, leaders, and self-proclaimed thought leaders can’t seem to stop glossing over the “Taylor Swift effect” and attributing it to shaping business strategies, inspiring brands, and furthering cultural consumption. Yet, my questioning mind leads me to ponder several questions about how the market is thinking about Taylor Swift and her claimed “effect” in all of the above domains.

There’s a consensus within the marketplace regarding the definition of the “Taylor Swift effect.” The “Taylor Swift effect” is widely accepted as the substantial influence her brand and business exert on the marketplace, primarily due to the collective behavior of her dedicated and mobilized fan base, the Swifties. [As a side note, I’m not particularly fond of the common practice of defining terms at the outset of every blog, but I have a reason. Please bear with me.]

Is Taylor Swift a profitable franchise? Absolutely. The Washington Post recently reported that Swift is expected to personally earn $4.1 billion from the Eras Tour and could potentially surpass Elton John’s tour earnings when her tour film is factored in. Is it a successful one? Certainly, from the standpoint of influence and marketplace performance. For some, the Taylor Swift Era Tour stands out as one of the most financially rewarding cultural products ever, with earnings that compare favorably to the highest-grossing movie of all time (Avatar, $2,923,706,026).

I don’t dispute this influence, nor do I downplay the pivotal role of Swifties in amplifying her impact. What we are observing aligns with the fundamental idea of fan-driven franchises and cultural products. Think of Harry Potter, Star Wars, Lady Gaga and many more to list here. However, I’d like to step back for a broader perspective, question the praise, and present an alternative viewpoint on how the Taylor Swift effect is bad news and might be killing the branding — surely and maybe not so slowly.

Why is the Taylor Swift effect a cause for concern in our profession, and where is it leading us? Is the Taylor Swift effect, and similar phenomena, harming the field of branding? How do the evolving dynamics of the marketplace impact brand managers, creators, and the marketplace in general?

Read the rest of the blog on my Cultural Faultlines newsletter on Substack.