Taylor Swift Isn’t the Marketing Genius Everyone Says She Is

Taylor Swift’s teaser for her new album the showgirl is sending the world into a frenzy with ABC News stating she is a “marketing mastermind” like it’s breaking news. And sure, it’s working, but let’s not pretend this is a new ground-breaking strategy. It’s the same formula we’ve watched big-name artists use for years: calculated easter eggs, fan theories building anticipation, and a release date reveal timed to perfection.

Now don’t get me wrong, I would be a fool to say it doesn’t work. Swift knows her audience, and she’s built a feedback loop any marketing textbook would froth over. But to crown her a marketing mastermind? as a marketing major and BTS fan, I physically have to stop myself from rolling my eyes.

Why mention BTS? Because their marketing strategies are one of the most well-crafted I’ve ever encountered. Everything Swift is being praised for in Forbes, from building anticipation with teasers and fan theories to developing a stronger connection with fans through social media, BTS has already done, and I’d argue they’ve done it even better.

From well timed teasers to going on livestreams to foster fan-artist connection, BTS has followed the popstar marketing strategy, and more. One fantastic example is how spanning over six years, BTS has released a myriad of interconnected music videos that create a storyline known as the “BTS Universe” or “BU”. Fans have spent millions of hours theorising about the plot, and guessing what concept the group would follow next. To top it off, BTS even partnered with a Webtoon to release a webcomic known as “Save Me” to tie the entire story together. This marketing tactic is truly something to gawk at, I have never seen such an intricate marketing strategy in place by musical artists.

Even without comparing Swift’s strategy to other artists, it’s still nothing incredible. Take the TikTok below for example, praising her choices to announce the album on New Heights, the podcast hosted by pro NFL player Travis Kelce, framing it as a nod to the album’s focus on her life beyond her public persona. Yes, it’s a clever choice, but it’s hardly a strategy innovative enough to name her “a marketing genius. Mastermind through and through.”

And while describing the New Heights podcast as more “personal” than a late-night show or formal interview, she fails to mention one small detail: the podcast has over three million subscribers on YouTube, and like any production of that scale, it’s not exactly off-the-cuff. There’s still a direction, maybe even a loose script guiding the conversation.

Swift’s strategy works, no doubt, but calling it revolutionary is overselling it, BTS has been playing this game better for years.