Hey guys, hope the week was good. Mine was pretty solid.
The reason I say that is because, this past Tuesday, I was privileged enough to attend the sold out Taylor Swift concert at Nationals Stadium here in Washington D.C. It was a trip, man.
Clearly, I’m sure you’re thinking, what is a 20-something year-old guy doing fan-boying out at a Taylor Swift show? Honestly, I don’t really know. I hadn’t heard her full album until the day of, but clearly it had an effect on me. I mean, I’m writing about her. Me and literally millions of other people.
Another good question: What does this have to do with marketing/branding/or anything that has to do with the general theme of this blog? Again, I’ll tell you.
Everything.
As I was sitting in my seat, next to my sister who was kind enough to invite me, bathing in the tween energy that coated the air in an anxious excitement that I haven’t felt since middle school, I couldn’t help but notice the massive effect this woman has on so many people. Which led to my last question: how?
The way she does this is, and I’ll stand by it, is that she is one of the greatest personal brands of the millennial generation. Throughout the show, videos of her engaging with her fans would play on the giant screens, how she responds to fan questions on social media, how she invites them to parties she hosts, and how she bakes them cookies, how she buys them wedding gifts, etc.
All of which is nice, but what was best, was her use of the word “responsibility.” She’s a role model, she affects a lot of young girls, and she has built herself around being a positive influence. She sees it as her duty to keep this up. This is her brand as much as her music. Her presence in popular culture is dictated largely because of her behavior, not necessarily her art. And usually when that happens, it’s a negative thing (AKA Chris Brown circa 2009).
Now, I’m not exactly in the audience that she is addressing. I’m an adult man, and her lessons on bullying and “being yourself” don’t necessarily apply to me. But I appreciate it. It’s a respect thing. Which, as trivial as it sounds at this point, can affect how you think about your own brand for your business. For most celebrities, a few fans will be lucky to even get a retweet, but it’s a two-way reaction with Taylor. This is something to keep in mind in your marketing plans. Engage with your customers; stay consistent with the positive parts of your image through both dialogue and action. Keep in mind the word “respect,” and there’ll be no bad blood.
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See what I did there?
Deal with it.