Red (Taylor’s Version) as a Marketing Strategy
On November 17th, Taylor Swift re-released a new version of her well-known album Red, being the second one to be re-recorded following Fearless. With the objective of claiming ownership over her music, Taylor Swift has released every song from her previous album again, along with some never-hear-before ones. She calls these new recordings “Taylor’s Version,” and as she has claimed in interviews, this means she now owns them.
The support Red (Taylor’s Version) has received in the media has been massive. It has included acclaim from celebrities, as well as from a range of different brands and corporations. Encouragement has consisted of comments on Taylor’s TikToks, tweets, and even adding “(Taylor’s Version)” at the end of company Twitter profiles.
Some of the companies that have participated in the appraisal for Red (Taylor’s Version) include TikTok, Target, Olive Garden, Chips Ahoy, Duolingo, Sour Patch Kids, Mac Cosmetics, and Nascar. Many have expressed their support through witty remarks, such as “testing our lung capacity with this album” from the American Lung Association. Not to mention Sour Patch Kids’s tweet saying, “Good morning to everyone except Jake Gyllenhaal… actually where is he I just wanna talk,” referring to the actor who most of the songs in Red are allegedly about.
Some other brands stuck to changing their Twitter profile for the day in which the album was released, while others, such as Tiktok, still show off Swift’s name on their profile. On a different note, Starbucks went as far as to rename Taylor’s favourite drink as “Taylor’s Version” of a caramel nonfat latte, which is served in a red cup in honour of the name of the album. This type of partnership, however, is not something new, as we have seen it before between other singers and food companies. Some examples include Pharell Williams and Ladurée, BTS and McDonalds, Megan Thee Stallion and Popeyes, among many others.
So, why is it that brands have expressed their enthusiasm for Taylor Swift? It is a known fact that brands tend to hop on trends as a marketing strategy. This includes making references to present topics, and it goes as far as making commitments, such as environmental ones, when this is relevant for their audience.
Considering this, it does not strike as a surprise how quickly many brands have jumped to show their encouragement for Taylor Swift. However, it is not only because Swift is a major singer and songwriter in this generation. It is also worth highlighting the principles in Swift reclaiming her music, which is a topic that many people feel passionate about. This is why it makes sense for brands to openly show their encouragement, as it is an easy way to get quick attention from new potential customers. Besides, commenting on popular topics such as this one, helps brands to shape the image they want to create for their audience. This shows current and potential customers that these brands relate to them and empathise with the same topics. But then again, it is possible that they are actually all just Swifties.
Image credit: Flickr