In January 2023, Taylor Swift’s latest release, Midnights, continued its hot streak atop Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart, as the set spends its 12th consecutive, and total, week at No. 1 on the list. Midnights has the most weeks at No. 1 on the Top Album Sales chart since the Frozen soundtrack in 2014. Furthermore, Taylor Swift has made history by occupying every single spot in the top 10 of Billboard Hot 100 with tracks from her new record, from Anti-Hero to Vigilante Shit on the 10th. All of these accomplishments managed to prove that Swift isn’t just a great songwriter, but also an unparalleled marketing mastermind.
While other artists adhere to a tried-and-true playbook—social post, press junket, tour—Swift takes a different approach by selectively revealing details while maintaining an aura of mystery and excitement. She was announcing the tracklist through “Midnights Mayhem”, one-by-one after pulling a ball out of a bingo cage that impressed more than 83 million views on TikTok. Her album announcement post received 8 million likes on Instagram. Swifties, her fans, are posting their theories for the hidden meaning behind her accessories, outfits, and the word choices. Some Midnights’ lyric snippets also featured in Spotify billboards at midnight in New York City and London.
She is also a master at reinventing herself. From her earliest album releases to the present day, the thematic content of Swift’s music has consistently mesmerized her audience. Unlike her older albums, Midnights leans into a dreamy, mystical vibe, evidenced by track names like “Lavender Haze” with the video shot under dim lighting, “Maroon”, “Labyrinth”, “Mastermind”, and also a collaborated one with Lana Del Rey called “Snow On The Beach”. Taylor Swift has mastered these savvy image shifts, which is crucial in this digital age. “In our digital economy, being interesting is a valuable asset,” stated André Spicer, a management expert, in his Guardian post. “Our leisure time has become an endless quest to curate the perfect palate of interesting friends, experiences, and objects to share through our social media feeds.”
Through her songs, Swift often provides self-referential messages that fans are excited to find, analyze, and share. The parallels on each track have succeeded in making her listeners return to listening to the old songs, and this is what is considered a smart move. On “You’re On Your Own, Kid” bridge she sings: “Cause there were pages turned with the bridges burned”, channeled with “Call It What You Want” line: “Bridges burn, I never learn; at least I did one thing right” from Reputation and “right where you left me” line: “Pages turn and stick to each other” from evermore. She was such a genius for this.
Other details that succeed to thrilled the fans are how the four separate vinyl editions of Midnights form a clock. The “Midnights”, The “3am Edition”, The “Til Dawn Edition”, and the last one may be released very soon. There are also special tracks for each vinyl, which makes it even more interesting. This strategy might drive album sales even higher as fans clamor to buy all four editions. Taylor Swift is indeed a marketing mastermind.
Source: The Drum, Fortune, & Billboard
