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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THE FANDOM BOARDROOM

Last week, Taylor Swift released her 11th studio album The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD), concluding the already anticipated event with 15 (more) surprise songs. From the time of announcement, in true Swift fashion, the songstress pulled all the stops in creating hype leading up to the actual release date. From social media teasers and easter eggs to curated playlists —fans were kept on their toes till the very last minute. With so much done to reward the unwavering devotion of her fans throughout various points leading up to the release, we’d like to believe brands would’ve already taken a page out of Ms Swift’s fandom strategy—instead, many resorted to trendjacking over the weekend with their own renditions of the tortured. We weigh in on why this is a bad idea and what can be done instead. 

OUR TAKE

It’s arguable that there’s really no harm for brands that want in on the fun—and this can be true to an extent. Done right, trendjacking can give brands their 5 seconds of fame for being witty but how often has that catapulted brands into the spotlight and instantly made them culturally relevant? What marketers seem to have a hard time grasping time and time again, is that fans are already used to brands showing up everywhere they go; making these activations annoying at best, intruding when overdone.

The release of the album itself was not a trend that had happened overnight leaving brands no option but to trendjack—they were given more than a fortnight to craft an intentional and ownable activation that would be distinct to their brand platform (if they wanted to, they would). Trendjacking, in its essence, is the equivalent of laggards in brand speak: a reactive adoption by those who are just too late in the game.

Understandably, the blurring lines between brand and entertainment pose both the permissibility for brands to play in spaces that were previously out of reach and the challenge of competing for attention within the same space. For the most part, in an attempt to prioritize speed over impact, many not only fail to cut through the clutter but also make the grave mistake of overlooking a key component: engaging the fans themselves. Which then causes more damage to the brand than it would have had they decided to stay out of it.

To take part in a trend that involves a fandom means entering their world—not the other way around. It is inherently entitled for brands to assume the only job to be done is putting your own spin on the artist’s creative assets when speaking the fandom language involves acknowledging their shared identity, celebrating what brings them together, understanding the layers of their inside jokes, and giving them the opportunity to co-create experiences that let them enjoy more of what they already love. Consistently showing up in the same space with depth to your activations is what ultimately allows you to access the fans’ cultural wallet.

One brand that seems to have gotten it right is American doughnut brand Krispy Kreme. Following the release of TTPD, the brand was quick to announce a giveaway for anyone wearing their friendship bracelets. As a brand that prides itself on inspiring creativity (who can forget their Total Eclipse Collection featuring an Oreo at the center), the brand took this cultural moment to reward the creativity of Swifties by acknowledging the lore, celebrating the fandom, and creating something fans will remember their brand for—all communicated from an enduring brand platform.

Engaging fandoms doesn’t always have to be an out-of-pocket fanfare—Merriam Webster shows us how sometimes you just have a place in that conversation, and the opportunity comes to you (for the uninitiated, fans were advised to keep a dictionary handy when listening to TTPD).

Brands can be seen as a positive force of culture when they don’t just show up once, but consistently. What distinguishes the line between impactful vs intruding is a marketer who knows when a trend is worth the hijack. This only becomes clear when they’ve clearly defined the role they want their brand to play in engaging culture and fandoms. A cultural calendar that marks niche, fandom-specific celebrations (not festivities) helps brands identify culturally significant moments ahead of time and work towards meaningful activations. Having such structures in place is what allows brands to act at the speed of culture without stepping on any toes or forsaking the brand for a one hit wonder.

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

SPOTIFY: AUTHENTICATED FANDOM

Exchanging friendship bracelets at Swift’s concerts is a ritual that came from Swifties, but Spotify saw an opportunity to bring it to music. To celebrate the Singapore shows, the brand created virtual ‘fanship’ bracelets which could be collected exclusively by Swifties in the region when they listened to songs on the ‘This is Taylor Swift’ playlist. The ‘fanship’ bracelet included 10 charms representing an era; each one matched an existing Spotify playlist to a specific Taylor era.

OUR TAKE

Out of all the activations featured in this newsletter, this one probably got the least airtime. But that doesn’t mean it failed: the fanship bracelets combined acknowledgment and validation with exclusivity, making them very popular with Swifties (fans outside the region expressed disappointment that they were unable to access them). And with niche becoming normal, appealing to one very specific demographic—or even a demographic within a demographic—isn’t necessarily a bad idea.

If you’re looking to take on the role of authenticator, consider how you can help people prove they are genuine fans, both to the community and the wider world. Or offer exclusive rewards to fans that have somehow ‘proved’ their worth. Target the niche to broaden your impact!

KLOOK: FACILITATOR OF EXPERIENCES & THE CULTURE WALLET

As the official experience partner, Klook offered experience packages that included concert tickets and hotel stays, and other tourism-related offers. According to one report, Swifties from the Philippines were particularly keen, but the brand also saw global demand with over 10M users globally entering the queue for tickets in the span of one second .

OUR TAKE

The success of Klook’s packages is a testament to the power of the Culture Wallet, with fans willing to spend on meaningful, memorable experiences that align with their passion points. These emotion-driven purchases aren’t nice to have, they’re an essential spend. The Culture Wallet extends into the wider economy: Klook reported a 50% increase in bookings for its Singapore Pass, and the brand’s research suggests that people traveling for a concert can hit an incremental spend of five times the face ticket value. 

Demand is shifting away from utility-based spending and towards passion-point-led spending. How can you help facilitate those experiences? Can you bring fans closer to what they love? 

CHANGI AIRPORT GROUP: CELEBRANT OF FANDOM CULTURE

Ahead of Swift’s first Singapore show, Changi Airport Group hosted a free singalong event at the Shiseido Forest Valley in Jewel Changi Airport. Over 1,000 Swifties attended the three-hour event, with local singer Joie Tan covering some of Swift’s biggest hits. Of course, there were complimentary friendship bracelets and discount codes for Jewel Changi.

OUR TAKE

Let this activation serve as a reminder that no brand is too far removed from culture to participate in—or even drive—the surrounding narrative. The beJEWELed event was a very local celebration of Swift, and united fans ahead of the artist’s National Stadium dates. Another celebrant campaign that caught our eye came from the Straits Times, which created a nine-part collectible infographic series.

Want to take on the role of celebrant? Start by identifying the unique brand attributes that could become a blank canvas to celebrate passion points. Bonus points if you can bring the fandom together IRL!

MARINA BAY SANDS: PURVEYOR OF CULTURE

Bringing Swift to everyone, Marina Bay Sands (MBS) hosted Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour Trail: an installation of the artist’s musical journey spanning 10 iconic eras. There was also a retail pop-up stocked with official merchandise, a light and water show (free, but required a ticket—every event sold out), and an architectural light-up. 

OUR TAKE

Marina Bay Sands didn’t just make it possible for locals and visitors to celebrate the Eras Tour outside the National Stadium. MBS was a purveyor of culture, offering three ticket packages ranging from SGD 10K –  50K; all sold out with 90% of the guests traveling from overseas. This high-low approach allowed MBS to turn their property into a destination and reach Swifties and non-Swifties alike.

Be a purveyor of culture by allowing as many people as possible to experience their passion point. Just remember that this might require a two-pronged approach!

UOB: ENABLER EXTRAORDINAIRE 

Following the announcement that UOB cardholders would have early access to The Eras Tour tickets, debit card applications in Singapore and Vietnam jumped by almost 130%, while the daily average for credit card applications rose by 45% across five SEA markets. UOB also worked on bundle deals with subsidiary UOB Travel; that partnership netted significant customer growth among females ages 25-29. 

OUR TAKE

This was a big coup for UOB: first it allowed the brand to own the cultural conversation in the lead-up to ticket sales, and it successfully made ownership of a credit card culturally relevant. Regular Culture Wire readers will know that passion points are the way to engage with fans and turn them into customers, and the above data points reinforce how this can help brands reach otherwise elusive demographics.

Can your brand become an enabler and give both long-term and new fans unique access to their passion point? UOB provided very practical assistance, but there are plenty of ways to be an enabler! 

IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME COMING 

Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour kicks off in Singapore tomorrow, and Marina Bay Sands (MBS) is getting Swifties in the mood with a host of activations including a retail pop-up stocked with official concert merchandise, a special (and free!) water and light show complete with a Swift soundtrack, and an architectural light-up. Our favorite feature? The Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour Trail—a large-scale installation of the artist’s musical journey spanning 10 iconic eras, is filled with props, and provides plenty of photo opportunities.  

Culture Group collaborated with MBS to ideate and conceptualize the Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour Trail—one-of-a-kind, large-scale experience that we’re thrilled to have played a role in bringing to Swifties, celebrating the fandom and helping them create forever memories of what they love most.

OUR TAKE

First, let’s take a moment to explore the different approaches brands have taken when it comes to using culture to engage with consumers. 

UOB primarily focused on access, providing pre-sale tickets for card members (a tactic the bank successfully repeated with Ed Sheeran). MBS is doubling down on celebration, extending the Eras hype beyond the stadium and giving fans space to connect over their shared passion. It’s proving popular—the light show is already fully booked. As the trail is in a visible public space, it could reach consumers unaware of Swift-mania, further legitimizing the fandom. 

When it comes to a brand’s role within culture, there’s clearly no one-size-fits-all approach. But it is essential to identify your reason for entering the space—this will help create activations that resonate with fans and add real value. So let these case studies inspire your thinking, or get in touch with us to discuss more!

Some final thoughts on Marina Bay Sands’ Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour Experience. In a previous edition of Culture Wire, we discussed how retail spaces are moving away from commerce-focused activities and towards passion points-based experiences. Tying that passion point experience to a pop culture moment makes it more compelling and helps build cultural proximity around a brand. If you’re looking to mix up your retail strategy, consider the cultures that you want to get close to and the unique aspects of those fandoms that can be rendered IRL. 

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

OPENING THE CULTURE WALLET

What do #girlmath, the growth of bubble tea, and the explosive consumer demand for live entertainment have in common? They all demonstrate the power of the Culture Wallet — consumers’ disproportionate propensity to spend when it comes to their passion points. Some examples of the culture wallet in action? BLACKPINK fans in Vietnam spent more than three-quarters of the average monthly salary on a ticket to see their idols, while the majority (80%) of Gen Z is willing to take on credit to see their favorite artists live.

OUR TAKE

We’ll discuss live music & entertainment in greater detail in the next piece, but for now, let’s talk about the Culture Wallet, as observed through the pop culture happenings over the last few months. Fans are willing to spend on their passion points, viewing these purchases — which are primarily driven by emotions — as an essential lifestyle spend versus a ‘nice to have.’ To capture a share of the culture wallet, brands should consider the shift from utility- to passion-driven spending and focus on experience-based offerings (discounts are soooo 2019). Forget functional, the future is cultural!

LIVING THE LIVE

Live music and entertainment is having its moment Coldplay, Taylor Swift, and Ed Sheeran did very brisk business in Southeast Asia, dominating headlines with the buzz around their ticketing periods. Consumers’ Culture Wallet for live events has also had a spillover effect on the rest of the economy — following Taylor Swift’s concert announcement, Agoda reported a 160x increase in Singapore hotel searches while Traveloka saw a 6x increase in flight bookings. Beyond the current slate of events, one-third of Gen Zs are looking to spend more on live entertainment in general.

OUR TAKE

You don’t need a crystal ball to predict that the culture economy will go from strength to strength in 2024. But here’s the thing: the frenzy we’ve seen so far? That’s just the ticket sales. The actual events will take place in 2024, meaning we have not even seen the peak of consumer excitement yet. By Culture Group’s own estimation, in Q1 2024, about 1.2M people in SEA will see a live event, just across the three global acts mentioned above. These events will represent huge pop culture moments that brands would do well to be part of. So, if you need help being a part of the movement, drop us a note.

SWEET, SWEET SUPERSTAR

TIME magazine’s Person of the Year. More than 26.1B streams on Spotify. The most searched for songwriter. And the topic of countless thought pieces (including Culture Wire)… we cannot do a 2023 pop culture review without mentioning Taylor Swift. In 2024, the Eras Tour continues globally, with stops in Singapore and Tokyo, and Swift could break (more) records at the Grammys. Devoted Swifties will continue to set new standards around what it means to be a fandom, creating plenty of opportunities for brands to tap into Swiftonomics.

OUR TAKE

Beyond just Taylor Swift, it’s worth noting that 2023 was dominated by female-led pop culture moments. It started with Michelle Yeoh winning big at the Oscars and finished with the Greta Gerwig-directed Barbie topping USD 1B in box office sales (in the midst of all that was Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour). Two thoughts: hopefully these success stories will finally dispel the notion that female-centric narratives are not universally appealing and lead to more diverse stories. Second, that the playful fandom behavior that was the hallmark of Eras, Barbie, and Renaissance is here to stay. Are you looking out for moments when escapism and pop culture collide?

GAME OF THE YEAR

Gaming continued to extend its influence into mainstream culture: think the highly successful The Last of Us TV adaptation, Genshin Impact and its music, and the GTA 6 trailer drop becoming a cultural moment. But the biggest title of the year is one that is perhaps not as familiar to non-gamers: Baldur’s Gate 3. The classic RPG from Larian Studios became one of the highest-rated games of all time and most-played games on Steam, beating out evergreen titles like DoTA 2 and PUBG.

OUR TAKE

The success of Baldur’s Gate 3 can be attributed to several factors: revival of the classic RPG genre (hello Stranger Things and D&D!), a great narrative, and most uniquely, scrapping microtransactions. It was a well-made passion project and fans — jaded by the same-old, slightly-upgraded yearly releases from big companies — responded positively. Gaming presents a dichotomy for marketers to work with. Big titles crossing over to the mainstream means a wider pool of casual enjoyers to engage, but appealing to the core fans will require an understanding of what makes gamers truly tick. What’s your play?

GENERATING INTEREST

At the start of 2023, interest in generative AI was high. The technology quickly infiltrated pop culture with AI-generated images going viral (did you create a ‘90s high school photo?) and creators exploring cultural mash-ups – think Wes Anderson x Star Wars or Harry Potter x Balenciaga. More recently, Nicki Minaj fans used AI to create a pink-colored fictitious world, known as Gag City, ahead of the launch of the rapper’s new album launch. The seemingly organic movement was a win for fans and brands.

OUR TAKE

Fans create internet culture. It’s not surprising that they jumped on generative AI to highlight the depths of their fandom or – in the case of Nicki Minaj – worked together to realize elaborate narratives around a new release. Are you attuned to the way that fans are taking the lead in shaping use cases for generative AI? Could these new tools help fans play with your IP in playful ways? See how Coca-Cola opened up their IP for consumers to experiment with.

IS IT OVER NOW?

In keeping with her long-standing tradition of Easter eggs, this week Taylor Swift teased the launch of 1989 (Taylor’s Version) through an Easter egg on Google. Fans who googled her name would see a blue vault appearing in the corner of Google’s search engine results page (SERP). Each person who opened the vault would get 89 puzzles to solve, and collectively fans had to solve 33M puzzles to unlock the vault and learn the titles of the new tracks on the album. Did they do it? Of course they did, and according to Reddit it was within 20 hours to boot!

(A quick primer for you non-Swifties: the artist is currently re-recording her old albums. Each ‘new’ release includes several songs ‘from the vault’ that didn’t make it onto the original release.) 

Our take

Ticketmaster. Spotify. Now Swifties can also add ‘breaking Google’ to their list of achievements. So many fans were solving puzzles – with the help of spreadsheets and Reddit forums – the vault temporarily jammed, forcing Google to announce they were ‘in their fix-it era’. And while people might think working through 89 word puzzles individually was a lot of work just to access song titles, for fans this playfulness is intrinsic to Taylor’s appeal. They even added an extra layer of analysis – our resident Swiftie proposes that 33M puzzles was a reference to Taylor’s age (she’s 33). 

Of course, as the puzzles were accessible via the Google search page, this wasn’t limited to dedicated fans. It was easy for casual listeners, or those intrigued by the online buzz, to explore (and directly contribute to) the campaign. 

As for Google – the brand itself is no stranger to Easter eggs (have you clicked the purple paw that appears when you type ‘puppy’? ) so there’s a natural synergy. And with young people gravitating away from Google and starting their searches on TikTok and Instagram, this activation could be the start of repositioning the search engine. This won’t be an overnight silver bullet – 33M engagement might seem like a huge number, but it pales in comparison to the estimated 8.5B Google searches made every day – but it could help Google shake off its reputation among younger internet users. 

One final takeaway for all brands. Given the speed at which fans opened the vault, there wasn’t much opportunity for brands to get involved. But this should serve as yet another reminder that pop culture is a fast-moving train that waits for no one. As Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour heads to SEA, the consumer excitement will build. How might your brand tap into this wider movement?

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

IN OUR WILDEST DREAMS

Taylor Swift made waves this week when she announced the next batch of international dates for her current Eras Tour. For the Southeast Asia leg, she will be performing only in Singapore over three nights in March 2024. There is so much to unpack here, so let’s jump straight into it!

Our take

There are fans…and then there are Swifties. While Taylor Swift plays an active role in building her own lore, this fandom is a juggernaut with a life of its own. Swifties trade friendship bracelets (an organic practice inspired by the lyrics to You’re on Your Own, Kid from Midnights). They Taylor-gate. They curate concert outfits that go viral on TikTok (#erastouroutfits has over 810M views). In the Philippines, Swifties packed out malls to invite their favorite artist to the country. 

This passionate fandom has turned the Eras Tour into an economic powerhouse, with Bloomberg calling it the ‘Swiftonomics’. It also has significant local impact – for every $100 spent on a concert ticket by an out-of-town fan, the local economy benefits from an additional $334 in consumer spending. Some creative fans in the US are also enjoying the rewards – unofficial merchandise is a gold rush on Etsy.

Now, all of this is coming to Southeast Asia. Thanks to strong government support and its thriving post-pandemic recovery, Singapore is fast becoming Asia’s capital of cool, attracting some of the hottest names in culture to the scene. Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour in Singapore is already talk of the town, especially as Swift has only toured in the region twice (her last stop here was in 2015). For brands, this means plenty of opportunities to tap into Swiftonomics. 

The Eras Tour hype feeds into a bigger shift around the future of the culture economy. Regular Culture Wire readers would be familiar with the themes – fandom is shaping travel decisions, while young people are escaping into meaningful IRL experiences. And it’s not just a post-pandemic boom. Pop culture is becoming more fragmented, and sometimes media coverage of high-profile moments can be disproportionate to actual fan interest, fueling a cultural dissonance. 

In an age where there are fewer opportunities for cultural harmony, demand for events that bring people together around a common theme will only grow. They might not all be on the scale of Eras. But they will be there – and so will we, to help brands maximize the opportunities to engage fans in authentic ways.

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