What is brand strategy?

Disclaimer

When we talk about T Swift’s brand, we’re not talking about her marketing—although her marketing moves have been really good.

Taylor’s marketing includes things like  jumping on relevant marketing trends, surprise album releases, collaborations, and fan engagement initiatives.

Her brand includes things like her core values, how she takes control of her narrative with lyrics and public statements, strong themes consistent throughout her work like empowerment, authenticity, and relatability.

Now…Let’s dive in further…

WHY IS TAYLOR SWIFT AN ICON?

1. TAYLOR’S TRUE TO HER VALUES

Taylor embodies personally everything her brand is. Her whole life is her logo. (It’s no wonder she blew up more than ever during the most recent “Eras Tour”—her brand’s taken a lifetime to build.)

Take it, use it:

✅ Take center stage and make your brand personal. Use content that shows how your brand values match up with your personal values and opinions irl.

2. TAYLOR’S A STORYTELLER

—and the story she’s telling is, women and girls can do whatever they want. You don’t have to do what others expect you to do.

Take it, use it:

✅ Whether on a deeper level or right on the surface, your brand can make a philosophical statement about how things ought to be. (E.g., women should write their own story instead of society writing it for them) People love to get behind a cause they believe in. So give them one.

3. TAYLOR’S GOT HER FAN’S TRUST

Taylor has so much integrity to the core values of her brand that it doesn’t matter if we don’t love a new album, we’re going to try to give it a shot and respect it without letting it damage how we feel about the brand.

That’s the power of trust.

Take it, use it:

✅ If you’re nurturing your brand right, your fans can handle a product that flops without giving up their brand loyalty. That’s the magic of the “Taylor’s Versions.” It’s basically Taylor saying, here’s a version of that old song that’s even closer to the true brand that you love. Brilliant.

4. TAYLOR LOVES HER FANS

She’s audience-centric. Taylor makes her fans a part of the brand by creating puzzles and dropping easter eggs meant to engage and entertain just them.

Take it, use it:

✅ Create inside jokes and “had-to-be-there’s” that make your audience feel special when they can participate in something only they would get. (Disclaimer: This is a brand-enhancement move that will work best once you already have a healthy, engaged following.)

5. TAYLOR HAS THOUGHTS

We feel like we know who Taylor is, because she’s not shy about sharing her opinions with the world. She knows she can’t please everyone—but she engenders love from her following by being loudly authentic.

Take it, use it:

✅  Don’t avoid being opinionated because you know it won’t vibe with some people. Focus on your tribe and resonate with them. In a phrase, “have courage and be kind” when sharing your opinions online.

6. TAYLOR CHALLENGES THE SYSTEM

Taylor’s a disruptor of the status quo. She makes it her job to test the boundaries of what she can do with her music. (Have you seen her music videos? “Bejeweled” is almost 6 minutes long and includes prelude and epilogue scenes with celebrity cameos.)

Take it, use it:

✅  Dream big. If something’s never been done before, but you think it would be a great value-add to your offering, just do it! Don’t let the status quo put you in a box.

Want to apply any of these winning strategies to your brand? I can help.

Schedule a Power Hour with me and we can brainstorm together how we can T. Swift-ify your brand.