❤️‍🔥 LOST IN TRENDJACKING

It’s official: Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album, The Life of A Showgirl, is breaking records, clocking up more than 1.5 B global streams. Fans have made the album their own, with eldest daughters rewriting the lyrics to Eldest Daughter, the Ophelia dance challenge spreading across TikTok (no surprise that it’s currently one of the most popular tracks on the platform), and fan-produced parties popping up in Manila.

Everything from the announcement to the Target tie-up, time-limited theatrical release, and NYC Spotify pop-up came rendered in the album’s signature orange and was designed to create curiosity and encourage repeat fan participation. Taylor Swift continues to run a marketing masterclass, but there’s still plenty for brands to learn.

OUR TAKE

The truth for most brands that hopped onto the TS trendjacking machine is that, despite breaking streaming records, not everyone is feeling the Showgirl era. The ‘tradwife’ aesthetics—sourdough bread, basketball courts, domestic bliss—haven’t landed well with some US fans. Others have mourned the ‘distinct lack of yearning,’ a big departure from the gut-punch bridges of early Swift. Meanwhile, SEA fans have been Googling lyrical context for some of the more American references (Elizabeth Taylor, redwood trees 👀).

Something many backlash-focused think-pieces overlook is that this isn’t new. The more aggressive and edgy sound of 2017’s Reputation? That also wasn’t initially well received. But the criticism feels louder this time—partly because Swift is now a star that can alter GDP, partly because online discourse is faster, and everyone is so punk on the internet. Yes, some of the critiques about lyrical quality and multiple album versions feel valid. And yet… the album still dominates.

Anticipating that success, brand responses rolled out ahead of the album artwork reveal. Following Swift’s announcement of The Life of a Showgirl on the New Heights podcast, posts began flooding timelines, with brands leaning into the orange branding or placing products on the forthcoming album cover—all eager to catch the Swift wave. The more creative and authentic posts landed—see Dunkin’s “always been in our orange era” (it is the brand’s signature color) and the playful Life of a Canva Girl meme. KitchenAid’s Tangerine Twinkle mixer was another fun activation. Most others, though, were formulaic and forgettable 💤.

Trendjacking an unreleased album buys entry into the conversation, but it doesn’t give fans a reason to participate—and that’s something they (especially Taylor Nation, a fandom born and trained to decode Easter eggs album after album) are keen to do.

For SEA marketers watching this unfold, the lesson isn’t about avoiding trendjacking altogether—but about not getting lost in it. Cultural proximity without cultural understanding has diminishing returns. Instead of defaulting to reflexive “X era” content, consider what Swift’s fans actually care about, and play within their hotspots. Her SEA fanbase—including the Philippines, her second-biggest market after the US—skews young and female. They’re interested in relationships, beauty, and travel.

Coffee brands shouldn’t stop at Showgirl era latte art, they should, in the same breath, create dedicated spaces for fans to meet and decode the album. Beauty brands could tap into the album’s old Hollywood glamor references, teaching SEA fans about Elizabeth Taylor’s iconic looks. The smartest move might be to wait—not to be late, but to be right. In the case of Swift, her storytelling will always provide the blueprint. It’s up to marketers to actually read it.

For those of you born before 1997, ‘fax, no printer‘ is Gen Z speak for ‘undeniable facts I agree with’

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