It's no secret that Taylor Swift is a 21st Century marketing genius. Whilst unseasoned spectators of Taylor's album releases may be unaware of the significance of many of her social media posts, there is nothing unintentional about what is shared on the country-pop star's accounts.
Since coming into her own after taking back control over her discography with the 2021 release of "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)", there is no doubt that we have seen a development in Taylor mania. OG fans like myself have been able to relive the emotions of first listening to Taylor's albums but with the vocal maturity that comes with these fresh versions, and the added bonus of songs "from the vault" which are new to even the original fans. Taylor has also gained a host of new followers who were either too young to be aware of her back in '06, or have a new found love for the style of music she is putting out to the world.
The monetary gain Taylor has seen over the past few years can be directly attributed to the "Taylor's Version" albums and tours, with Scripp News reporting an estimated $28,112,355 in royalties alone from her first three re-released albums, and around $300 million in her pocket from the "Era's Tour". But, behind this movement is a team of geniuses, including Taylor herself, who are carefully curating her every move.
Whether it's her relatable song lyrics, the love she shares for her cats, the wholesome circle of famous friends she hangs out with, or the infamous red scarf, Taylor knows what her fans want to see and is more than happy to indulge our desires.
Most recently, Taylor has been linked to NFL Super Bowl champion, Travis Kelce, who currently plays Tight End for the Kansas City Chiefs. Not a big deal, right? Celebs are linked all the time and are bound to end up dating one another given the circles they run in. For any other pop star, this news may not have even made the front page, but as we've already discussed, there is nothing unintentional about what Taylor does in the public eye.
Swifties all across the world have jumped on this new relationship, developing viral TikTok trends, and even prompting the NFL themselves to change their social media bios and content to rave about Taylor and Travis' connection. Channels such as NBC in the US which stream NFL games have also benefitted, seeing a 19% rise in viewers compared to this time last year as well as a huge spike in female viewers due to Taylor's large presence in the stands with Travis' friends and family.
Given what we know about Taylor Swift and her intentional actions, it would not be obtuse to assume that Taylor's presence at these games has something to do with an upcoming project. Due to be released later this month, "1989 (Taylor's Version)" is another highly anticipated album whose light blue cover features Taylor with a smile on her face, surrounded by white birds. Kelce, who was born on this day (5th October) in 1989, was spotted leaving an NFL game with Taylor by his side, wearing a jacket and trouser combo which fans noticed resembled Taylor's upcoming album cover.
Publicly hanging out with a potential love interest mere weeks before your next album release date, which just so happens to be named after the year that said love interest was born? Genius.
So, what can we expect to come next? Assuming this relationship is merely for PR purposes (it may very well be real, however) I would anticipate a break-up or a statement confirming the pair are not in fact dating either just before the new album is released, or shortly after.
How have I come to this decision?
If there's one thing Taylor Swift is an expert at (besides writing hit after hit), it's playing with her fans emotions. After being invested in this "are they, aren't they" relationship ahead of a new album and raising our hopes for a happily ever after for Taylor after her breakup with long-term partner, Joe Alwyn, in March of this year, the perfect time to listen to this new album would be in the midst of an emotional rollercoaster.
With songs such as "Blank Space", "How You Get The Girl" and "Wonderland" depicting the start of a potential relationship followed by songs including, "All You Had to Do Was Stay", "Clean", and "Shake It Off" all being a part of this album, having the "Traylor" relationship to relate these songs to in real time would be the perfect marketing move for Taylor and her team.
I suppose only time will tell, but for now, I join the majority of Taylor Nation in enjoying seeing how this relationship flourishes week on week.
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