Taylor Swift’s Massive Hit Year
Taylor Swift has recently been in the news and trending on social media more than ever. Is it because of her sold-out, multi-million dollar Era’s Tour? Or, as Swift shared, “the dads, brads, and chads” complaining about her coming to her boyfriend Travis Kelce’s football game? How about the NFL showing her on screen instead of the game? The Grammy Awards were a month ago, yet people are still talking about the record-breaking moments from the show, especially related to Swift. Let’s go through the “Eras” of Taylor Swift’s success this year.
We all heard about the monumental topic that shut Ticketmaster down in 2023 and sent fans worldwide scrambling to snag tickets to this three-and-a-half-hour show. There was an overwhelming demand for tickets to the singer’s first tour in five years. The Ticketmaster issue garnered significant media attention leading up to the first few weekends of the tour. Each media platform to cover Swift’s groundbreaking tour chose a different topic to highlight which engaged audiences from all areas.
CNN, an outlet mostly focused on covering global topics, covered the fact that The Era’s Tour represents Swift traveling through time. The New York Times also wrote about the pop singer’s record-breaking tour that dominated the summer and is continuing to conquer the world. Good Morning America discussed the many outfits the 34-year-old wore on tour. These looks became the inspiration for fans attending the concert. Media coverage provides a way to increase exposure to a wider audience and engage with people. Many people have their own opinions on her and her music, but if they see she is making an impact or difference, her brand and following can become more positive.
While performing each night, the star manages to give back to the community by granting bonuses to her crew members and donating to various food banks during each stop of her tour. Proving time and time again how genuine she is sparks conversations. Swift’s great reputation formed from her actions consistently keeps her in the spotlight. Recognition of her generous donations is visible when businesses post on socials like Instagram. Plus, connecting Swift to the companies she donates to not only brings awareness to her brand but also to the organizations.
Swift’s Public Relationship Lends Publicity to Herself and the NFL
Throughout Swift’s career, her dating life has continuously been in the public eye and a popular topic in the media. When Swift made her music video for “You Belong With Me” come true by dating Travis Kelce, her name was everywhere on all media platforms. Swift was nominated for Time’s 2023 Person of the Year, and in her interview, she commented on all the attention her relationship is getting.
Swift shared in her interview that she simply wanted to go to the games with her friends and have fun. In doing so, the Chiefs received even more attention than they previously were. The Chiefs suddenly had a 5% increase in viewership and 28% more views than other games in the Sunday Night Football category. Swift’s attendance encouraged more females to tune into the football season. A popular skin care product, Cetaphil, took this concept of the singer attending the games and created a Super Bowl advertisement based solely on the bond between a father and daughter watching the same game.
Surprise Album Announcement While Breaking Grammy History
This year, Taylor Swift broke the Grammy record for most wins in the Album of the Year category after her fourth win with her album Midnights. Billboard discussed that Swift beat the trio of other artists, Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, and Paul Simon, who also won the award three times. Being the first female to break this record meant all attention was on her.
For those who are unaware, Swift’s lucky number is 13 and when accepting her 13th Grammy, she surprisingly announced that her 11th record The Tortured Poets Department will be released on April 19th. This led to conversations and debates from fans who were happy about the announcement as well as critics. Many were assuming other celebrities’ reactions, showing how they seemed annoyed and disrespected by Swift’s surprise. Some even claimed that Swift was like the friend who announces an engagement at your wedding.
While many disagreed with the album announcement, t, Swift’s following on social media platforms increased. According to a Newsweek article, her Instagram page gained about 435,590 new followers overnight and her announcement on Instagram gained over 14 million likes. Even her Twitter account gained 70,615 new followers, bringing her total to 95.1 million. It is safe to say that Swift’s announcement had an enormous influence on those watching the Grammy Awards.
Image sourced from Google
Embracing Being the Anti-Hero and Proving Everyone Wrong
Taylor Swift fully embraced the fact that people may not like her or her promotional efforts, but it does not stop her from proving people wrong. This past year, everyone has seen or discussed Swift’s work, performance, or community involvement. Whether it be the record-breaking amount of sales from the tour, increasing viewership of a male-dominated sport, or always having a trick up her sleeve, publicity for Swift has been highly successful.
About Madi
Madi Reifler is a junior studying Advertising and Public Relations with an emphasis in Public Relations and a minor in Digital Studies. She is the VP of Public Relations for GVPRSSA and an Account Associate for GrandPR. Madi works part-time as the Digital Marketing Staff Assistant at the Promotions Office in the Office of Student Life. She also has internship experience at Allied Global Marketing as their Entertainment Publicity and Promotions intern. In her free time, Madi loves spending time with her puppy Kingsley, going on walks, attending concerts, and hanging out with friends and family.