The way that Taylor Swift creates connections with her fans is nothing short of magic. With 200 million followers on social media, she has transformed the notion of fandom, elevating it to a level of friendship that most artists can only dream of. It’s true that Taylor’s social media presence is a well-oiled machine, operated by a team of dedicated professionals. But make no mistake, it’s her vision that guides the ship, her direction that sets the course, and her final say that ensures her brand is always portrayed in the most authentic and heartfelt way possible.
Through her posts, Taylor invites us into her world, sharing her ups and downs, her joys and sorrows, her triumphs and setbacks. She’s not afraid to be vulnerable, to show us the raw, unfiltered version of herself, flaws and all. And that’s what makes her so relatable, so lovable, so uniquely Taylor.
In a world where authenticity is often sacrificed for likes and followers, Taylor remains steadfastly true to herself and her values.
She uses her massive platform not just to promote her music and projects, but to speak out on issues that matter to her, from social justice to mental health to politics.
Taylor Swift is more than just a pop star. She’s a beacon of hope, a ray of sunshine, a friend to millions. And as long as she continues to share her heart with us, we’ll keep on following her lead, wherever it may take us.
Taylor Swift social media
Taylor Swift’s success over the past decade is nothing short of phenomenal. While other superstars have fallen by the wayside, she has continued to reign supreme, capturing the hearts of millions of fans around the world. So, what’s her secret?
Let’s use our smart strategic thinking model to delve into the brilliance behind Taylor’s enduring success.
First and foremost, Taylor has always had a clear vision of what she wants for her brand. From the very beginning, she knew she wanted to be more than just a musician. She wanted to connect with her fans on a deeper level, to create a sense of community that transcended music. And she’s achieved that, and so much more.
Second, Taylor has invested significant resources in a strategic program that has helped her to achieve her goals. From her social media strategy to her meticulously planned album releases, every move she makes is part of a larger, carefully crafted plan.
Third, Taylor has always been laser-focused on identifying opportunities and capitalizing on them. She’s not content to rest on her laurels or repeat what’s worked in the past. Instead, she’s always looking for ways to push the boundaries, to try new things, and to take risks.
Taylor Swift tries to act like her fans would expect.
Fourth, Taylor’s breakthrough market impact is undeniable. She’s not just a musician, she’s a cultural phenomenon. Her influence can be felt in everything from fashion to politics to social media. She’s a force to be reckoned with, and she’s not going anywhere.
Finally, Taylor has consistently delivered performance results that pay back in spades. She’s sold millions of records, won countless awards, and built an empire that shows no signs of slowing down. And through it all, she’s remained true to herself and her values, inspiring countless fans to do the same.
In short, Taylor’s brilliance lies in her ability to set a vision, invest in a strategic program, identify opportunities, leverage breakthrough market impact, and deliver performance results that pay back. It’s a winning formula that’s fueled a decade of momentum, and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Five elements of strategic thinking that explain Taylor Swift's momentum plan.
1. Set a vision of what you want
While every pop star dreams of having #1 hits and sold-out shows, Taylor Swift is different. She’s not just in it for the fame and fortune. She wants to be seen as a small-town girl living a big city celebrity life. Despite her massive success, Taylor has always remained grounded and relatable. She wants her fans to see her as one of them, someone who worked hard to achieve her dreams and never forgot where she came from.
Whether she’s singing about lost love or hanging out with her besties, Taylor always comes across as authentic and genuine. She’s not afraid to be vulnerable or share her struggles with her fans. And that’s what makes her so special. In a world where celebrities can seem distant and unapproachable, Taylor is a breath of fresh air. She’s proof that you can be successful without sacrificing your authenticity. And that’s why her fans love her so much.
2. Invest resources in a strategic program
Taylor Swift’s most loyal fans are young women who are just starting to discover life. They’re navigating the ups and downs of growing up, and Taylor is right there with them every step of the way.
She doesn’t treat her fans like distant admirers. Instead, she sees them as new friends along for the ride. She uses social media to show them that even though she’s living a crazy celebrity life, she’s still doing ordinary things just like them.
Taylor understands that her fans want to feel connected to her on a personal level. That’s why she uses face-to-face events to shock a few lucky fans. It’s a way of making everyone feel closer to Taylor and reminding them that she’s just a regular person like them.
Whether she’s baking cookies or hanging out with her cats, Taylor’s social media presence is all about showing her fans who she really is. She’s not afraid to be vulnerable or share her struggles, and that’s what makes her so relatable.
For young women who are just starting to discover life, Taylor is a role model and a friend. She’s proof that you can be successful without sacrificing your authenticity, and that’s a message that resonates with her fans. They’ll always be there for her, just as she’ll always be there for them.
3. Focus on an identified opportunity
Taylor Swift’s social media game is unmatched. She knows how to connect with fans in a way that feels personal and genuine. Whether she’s leaving surprise notes on fans’ Instagram posts or randomly showing up at their most personal moments, Taylor’s impact is immeasurable.
Her writing style is like a conversation between friends, and when a teenager realizes that someone with 100 million followers is on their page, it’s a moment they’ll never forget.
Taylor takes face-to-face drop-ins to the next level, surprising fans by showing up at their weddings or other special occasions. Can you imagine the joy of having Taylor Swift at your wedding, hugging you and chatting like old friends?
But Taylor doesn’t stop there. She takes the time to study her fans’ social media pages and create bespoke gifts for them. She even writes hand-written notes, just like a true friend would do. And when she visited one long-term fan, she didn’t just bring gifts for her son. She spent two hours playing with him, just like any good friend would.
Taylor’s ability to connect with her fans on such a personal level is truly remarkable. It’s what sets her apart from other celebrities and makes her an inspiration to millions. She’s not just a pop star, she’s a friend to her fans, and that’s why they love her so much.
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4. Leverage a breakthrough market impact
With each program, Taylor comes off as open, authentic, and genuine, who loves connecting with her fans. In a cluttered world of social media, her perfect image remains the “normal girl doing normal things anyone might do.” Her image has allowed her to overcome any natural pain points a celebrity goes through.
She has had many bad personal relationships. What would a normal girl do when she breaks up? Write a song about what a jerk each guy was. She took on Apple over low royalty payments. Apple backed down. And then, Taylor did an Apple TV ad. Taylor pulls off everything with ease her squeaky clean image allows her to do.
5. Performance result that pays back
Taylor Swift is the epitome of open, authentic, and genuine. She loves connecting with her fans, and it shows in everything she does.
In a world of social media where everyone is trying to portray a perfect image, Taylor remains refreshingly relatable. She’s just a normal girl doing normal things, and her fans love her for it.
Even when she’s faced with personal pain points, like bad relationships or low royalty payments, Taylor handles it all with grace and ease. She writes songs about her exes and takes on giants like Apple without losing her cool.
Her squeaky clean image is a testament to her authenticity.
She’s not afraid to be vulnerable or share her struggles, and that’s what makes her so relatable. She’s a role model for young women everywhere, showing them that you can be successful without sacrificing your values.
And when she takes on a new project, like an Apple TV ad, she does it with ease. Her brand image allows her to overcome any obstacle, and she does it all with a smile on her face.
Taylor Swift is more than just a pop star. She’s a friend, a role model, and a champion for authenticity in a world that can often feel fake. Her fans will always love her for who she is, and that’s a testament to her true and genuine spirit.
Taylor Swift instagram
Examples how Taylor has surprised her fans
Brand strategy
How to write smart strategic objective statements to build a plan around your situational strategy
Using our model for how to write a smart strategic objective statement, let’s look at how the four elements – a) strategic program b) focused opportunity c) market impact and the expected performance result – play out:
Writing a situational strategic objective statement with the a + b + c + d model
A: Build a strategic program that deploys one of your key resources (financial, people, time or partnerships) against the situation.
B: Find a focused opportunity to enhance or fix one area of your brand. For example, this could be your brand positioning, advertising, media, innovation, claims, retail, consumer experience or organizational culture. Or, you could also look at pricing, costs, investment decisions or product lineup.
C: Achieve a market impact that directly addresses the brand situation, one of: keep the momentum going, fix it, realignment or a start-up situation.
D: Then, achieve a performance result that puts the brand in a better position for the future, either driving one of the eight power drivers or one of the eight profit drivers.
Examples of writing situational strategic objective statements for Taylor Swift’s continuing to drive momentum plan
Use intimacy of a social media to get closer to fans (a) using well-placed social media comments and face-to-face surprise events (b) to build a core base of loyal brand lovers that help maintain her momentum (c) and drive higher album and concert sales (d).
Invest time in building deeper, and more meaningful songwriting (a) that repositions Taylor as a more mature “indie artist” (b) which will realign her image (c) to maintain a tight bond with her most loyal fans, as Taylor and her fans get older together (d).
Taylor Swift brand plan
Vision:
Recording superstar, who is a small-town girl living the big-city celebrity life.
Goals:
#1 songs, concert sales, social media followers, video views.
Key issues:
- First, how do we stay connected with our most cherished fans, who see themselves as friends of Taylor?
- Next, how do we continue Taylor’s star power momentum, as Taylor’s core base of fans moves into their 20s and 30s?
Strategies:
- First, use intimacy of a social media to get closer to fans using well-placed social media comments and face-to-face surprise events to build a core base of loyal brand lovers that help maintain her momentum and drive higher album and concert sales.
- Then, invest time in building deeper, and more meaningful songwriting that repositions Taylor as a more mature “indie artist” which will realign her image to maintain a tight bond with her most loyal fans, as Taylor and her fans get older together.
Tactics:
Maintain strong following. Engage with fans directly on social media. Create surprise and delight events. Use quick videos to show Taylor’s behind-the-scenes life (small-town girl living a big-city celebrity life). Finally, stand up on key issues such as bullying and the rights of artists.
Marketing Excellence
We empower the ambitious to achieve the extraordinary.
Without a doubt, our role at Beloved Brands is to help the ambitious marketers who are trying to improve their marketing skills. Most importantly, we will prepare you so you can reach your full potential in your career. You will learn about strategic thinking, brand positioning, brand plans, marketing execution, and marketing analytics. As well, we provide a suite of marketing tools, templates that will make it easier to do your job, processes that you can follow, and provocative thoughts to trigger your thinking.
Have you gone through an assessment of the marketing skills of your team? Take a look below:
The fundamentals of marketing matter.
Our Beloved Brands marketing training programs cover different streams to suit the type of marketer you are. For instance, our marketing training covers consumer marketing, B2B marketing, and Healthcare marketing.
The marketing fundamentals that we show in this article are part of what we use in our marketing training programs. Ambitious marketers will learn about strategic thinking, brand positioning, brand plans, marketing execution, writing creative briefs, advertising decision-making, marketing analytics, and marketing finance.
Importantly, when you invest in our marketing training program, you will help your team gain the marketing skills they need to succeed. Without a doubt, you will see your people make smarter decisions and produce exceptional work that drives business growth.
Finally, I wrote our Beloved Brands playbook to help you build a brand that your consumers will love. If you are a B2B marketer, try our B2B Brands playbook. And, if you are a Healthcare Marketer, try our Healthcare Brands playbook.
We designed our brand templates to make it easier for you to do your job.
Moreover, we provide brand templates that help you run your brand. For instance, you can find templates for marketing plans, brand positioning, creative briefs, and business reviews. Altogether, we offer brand toolkits with all the presentation slides you need.
Beloved Brands video
Everything a Marketing must know about.
Importantly, Brand leaders need to know how to think, define, plan, execute and analyze with the best of them. Moreover, while the brand leaders don’t really know how to do anything, they are looked upon to make every decision. Have a look at our five minute video on everything a marketer must know. To read more, click on this link: Everything.
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If you are looking to make your marketing team smarter, we can help. To get started, email Graham Robertson at [email protected]
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Marketing Careers
On a classic marketing team, there are four key levels:
- Assistant Brand Manager.
- Brand Manager.
- Marketing Director or Group Marketing Director.
- VP Marketing or CMO.
To illustrate, click to zoom in on the brand management career pathway.
At the Brand Manager level, it becomes about ownership and strategic thinking within your brand plan. Most Brand Managers are honestly a disaster with their first direct report, and get better around the fifth report.
When you get to the Marketing Director role, it becomes more about managing and leading than it does about thinking and doing. To be great, you need to motivate the greatness from your team and let your best players to do their absolute best.
And finally, at the CMO level, you must create your own vision, focus on your people to make them better and shine, drive the business results, and run the processes.
Our Beloved Brands Marketing Training program will make your team smarter.
If you are running a marketing team, you will always benefit from having a smarter team. When you invest in our marketing training program, you will help your team gain the marketing skills they need to succeed. As a result, you will see them make smarter decisions and produce exceptional work that drives business growth.
We’ll work with your team to help them learn more about the five core marketing skills: Strategic Thinking, Brand Positioning, Marketing Planning, Marketing Execution, and Brand Analytics. Most importantly, your marketers will learn new tools, concepts, and ideas to trigger new thinking. To help their skills, we get participants to take each tool on a test run. Then, we give feedback for them to keep improving.
To illustrate, click to zoom in on the brand management career pathway.
Strategic Thinking:
Our marketing training teaches brand leaders how to ask tough strategic questions to slow everyone down and engage in debate of options to move forward. To start, you will be given various tools to approach strategy in a thoughtful, analytical way. Importantly, marketers need learn how to change brain speeds to move from a strategic thinker style to uncover what is holding back a brand, and onto an instinctual thinker style on marketing execution.
We introduce our Strategic ThinkBox that allows marketers to interrogate their brand. Importantly, our ThinkBox pushes you to take a holistic look at the brand’s core strength, competitive landscape, tightness of the consumer bond, and business situation.
Brand Positioning:
Our brand positioning process teaches how to decide on the target market, consumer benefits, and reasons to believe. To start, you will learn to define the ideal consumer and frame the definition with their biggest needs, consumer insights and their enemy. Then, we provide our benefit cheatsheets to help learn how to discover the functional benefits and emotional benefits that a brand can deliver. Importantly, marketers need to make a decision on trying to stake out a unique space that is motivating to consumers, and ownable for the brand.
Learn to use our brand idea tool and see how it helps to communicate the brand idea to everyone across the organization. Finally, marketers will learn how to take the brand positioning work and translate it into a brand concept, brand story, and a brand credo.
Marketing Plans:
We see the marketing plan is a decision-making tool on how a brand will spend their limited resources. Moreover, the marketing plan communicates the expectations to everyone who works on the brand. Importantly, we teach marketers how to put together the vision, purpose, goals, key issues, strategies and marketing execution plans.
Learn how to write key issue questions and strategic statements that forms the foundation of the marketing plan. In addition, our marketing training provides various marketing planning templates including our one-page brand plan and ideal Marketing Plan presentation deck.
Marketing Execution:
Our marketing execution training starts with the concept of our Marketing PlayBox that matches up to the Strategic ThinkBox. To keep marketers on strategy throughout the execution stages, our Marketing PlayBox helps find in-the-box ideas that meet four dimensions: they are focused on our target, fit with the brand, deliver the message, and execute the strategy.
To start, we show how the creative brief sets up the PlayBox, serving as the bridge between the plan and execution. We go through the creative brief line-by line and give you examples of the best and worst. Importantly, you will learn to use our Creative Checklist to help make smarter decisions on creative communications. We workshop how to give feedback to your agency based on gaps you see with the checklist.
Learn to make media decisions that match up to your consumer’s purchase journey. In addition, we provide a similar Innovation Checklist to compare innovation ideas.
Brand Analytics:
Our comprehensive brand analytics training teach brand leaders how to lead a deep-dive business review. We outline the best analytical thinking so you can become a well-rounded marketer.
Learn to look at the marketplace, consumer analytics, channels of distribution, competitors or other brands in their industry. And, learn assess the brand itself. Importantly, you will learn how marketing funnels can help assess the brand’s performance. We provide 64 analytical questions that marketers can ask of their brand. Finally, we show how to understand the financial performance indicators of the brand.
Our training looks at three specific streams; Consumer Marketing Training, B2B Marketing Training, and Healthcare Marketing Training. With each program, all the of the examples are tailored to the type of marketer. Undoubtedly, we believe marketers will be at their best when the can see the concepts or tools working on their type of brand.
For more information on our Beloved Brands Marketing Training programs, click below or email Graham Robertson at [email protected]
