What Would Taylor Do?

The day has finally arrived. After months of anticipation, my daughters are heading to SoFi Stadium for Taylor Swift’s first L.A. stop on her Eras tour. I have no doubt it will live up to their high expectations. Like the studythat found that “vacation anticipation” boosted happiness for eight weeks, I’m sure they’ll remember the lead-up to Taylor’s show as fondly as the show itself.

Watching their anticipation has made me think a lot about the mastery of the Taylor Swift marketing machine:

• A show that appeals to fans from Fearless to Folklore
• The “surprise song” that has Swifties following every stop on the tour to find out if they’ll get to hear Taylor play their favorite.
• Tour-specific merchandise fans are sleeping in parking lots the day before the gates open to get in line to buy.

I realized this morning that the brilliance of this tour isn’t the marketing. It’s in Taylor’s commitment to her fans. Her three-hour set could be a show in itself. Instead, my daughters get to see two of their favorite artists, Gracie Abrams and HAIM, and watch Taylor Swift videos that have yet to be released to the public before Taylor takes the stage. And all of this after they watch Swifties trade friendship bracelets with strangers and decipher like-minded fans based on their fashion choices for the show.

Taylor talked about her commitment to her fans on GMA following the Ticketmaster debacle when Eras tour tickets went on sale. She explained that she’s brought many aspects of her career in-house: “I’ve done this SPECIFICALLY to improve the quality of my fans’ experience by doing it myself with my team who care as much about my fans as I do.”

Today, rather than thinking about the money she’s making on this tour, I’m thinking about that commitment and what brands and organizations can learn from it. Next time I plan a campaign or event, I’ll ask myself, “What would Taylor do?”