Why Taylor Swift is a business genius

More than 83 million people have seen Swift’s videos on TikTok in which she names the songs one at a time after taking a ball out of a bingo machine. On Instagram, her post announcing her album earned 8 million likes. Many of her clothing, accessories, and phrase choices have secret meanings that thousands of fans have speculated about.

The excitement around the release of Swift’s 12th album demonstrates that she is a brilliant marketer in addition to being a talented songwriter. She is already among the best-selling recording artists of all time becausofto her marketing expertise. Swift uses an ever-evolving burlesque performance of selectively divulging details while retaining an air of mystery and excitement, unlike many musicians who stick to a tried-and-true playbook (social post, press junket, tour).

Taylor Swift is regarded as one of the most divisive mainstream music performers today. People either like or detest Kim Kardashian, according to branding experJeetendradr Sehdev, best-selling author of The Kim Kardashian Principle: Why Shameless Sells (and How to Do it Right). “When the Richter scale is so high, you don’t only have admirers; you also develop fanatics. That level of devotion among the zealots is unlike anything you’ve ever witnessed. It’s not what you think.

Her approach to marketing includes lessons that go beyond

Swift has accomplished this while still being genuine and loyal to herself, according to Sehdev.

Taylor has always tried to stay as close to her roots as she can. She has undoubtedly made the transition from country to pop, but Sehdev tells Fortune that she has maintained the sensibility that her fans have liked from the beginning. She still resonates with a specific group the most.

She uses one of Marvel’s cleverest strategies.

Swift employs “easter eggs”—secret, self-referential clues that fans love to discover, decode, and discuss.

The wildly popular superhero series Marvel employs a similar strategy, as shown in the scene in which Dr. Selvig alludes to S.H.I.E.L.D. from The Avengers in the movie Thor. Fans who want to learn more commonly Google these sources.

Taylor made a wise decision by referencing earlier songs. It serves as a reminder to her devoted followers that she is not a newcomer and has been active for a long, claims Sehdev.

Becauset “consumers adore the feeling of success when they figure out a riddle,” according to Ian Ausdal of WIUX, using easter eggs works “marketing miracles” for artists and franchises.

“In order to learn more, people look for hints in an artist’s earlier works. This boosts previous releases’ streams and revenues and presents them to the audience in a fresh way. As a result, a musician’s fan base expands,” argues Ausdal. “Excitement over the artist extends to individuals who were initially unknown as admirers work together to puzzle out hints.”

Swift used a tree emoji and French braided her hair before the release of Evermore, which eventually turned out to be a nod to the album’s aesthetic. Fans assumed that her re-release of Red would be her next album when she just tweeted a red love emoji.

Swift has taught her followers to hunt for the hidden message behind every red carpet by employing this strategy.