What Marketing Era Are You In?
When you think of Taylor Swift, you probably think of bittersweet love songs, girl power anthems, or misty-eyed nostalgia. But beyond songwriting alone, Taylor Swift has succeeded in what few artists manage to do: stay relevant and increasingly popular for years, to the point where her sold-out Eras tour has the power to boost the global economy. How is this the case? By pairing relatable music with genius marketing.
I can see you—you want to do the same. In this blog, learn which Taylor Swift Era (Marketer’s Version) speaks to your current strategy needs, and learn the tactics you need to be the best marketer at this party.
Debut Era
"I don't know what I want, so don't ask me."
Over the years, Taylor Swift has sung a wide array of musical styles, from pop, to folk, and as early Swifties know: true country ditties about pick-up trucks and Tim McGraw.
But similar to the way that she vacillates between genres, customers are often quick to change their minds about what content they want. What they’re interested in right now may be clear, but months from now, they could either want similar content or something completely out of left field.
This makes it challenging for marketers to create content with long-term appeal—especially with a manual build process. Marketers can get ahead of customers’ preferences if they use AI powered personalization. With this solution, you can look into the mirrorball and predict customers’ future wants and needs before they know it themselves, ultimately increasing CLV and long-term engagement.
Fearless Era
“In this passenger seat, you put your eyes on me. In this moment, now capture it, remember it.”
Nostalgia is another reason behind Taylor Swift’s lasting popularity. For many of her listeners, 15 and 22 were special birthday milestones they looked forward to, and “Never Grow Up” was the song that only really hit home once they’d grown older than that.
We all get a rollercoaster kind of rush when good times are remembered. Apply this idea to your next marketing campaign, and lean into that sense of nostalgia by reminding customers of your best moments together.
Year-in-review (YIR) campaigns are a great way to bring good memories to the forefront. Here, Dinnerly gives customers a taste of good times with a data-driven campaign that highlights their best moments throughout the year and reinforces value with personalized metrics.
Speak Now Era
“The playful conversation starts. Counter all your quick remarks, like passing notes in secrecy. And it was enchanting to meet you.”
Taylor Swift knows all too well how important a first impression is. That first hello or initial conversation are all moments that stay with people for years to come. Because beginnings are so uniquely memorable, it’s crucial for marketers to leave customers wonderstruck by their very first interaction.
Club Monaco’s welcome campaign introduces customers to the brand with fresh, relevant content. At the top of the message, a “Most Viewed Category” app pulls in popular items from personalized categories that the customer has already shown interest in. Using an evergreen banner powered by behavioral data, new shoppers are also offered a welcome discount.
It’s never too late to begin again with your customers; start fresh and make customers feel at home from the very first message.
Red Era
“You told me about your past thinking your future was me.”
There’s no worse feeling than sharing important information with someone who soon forgets all about it. Unfortunately, this is a situation that virtually everyone has experienced, and the emotional, Jake Gyllenhaal-focused album Red explores this topic in depth.
Just as listeners are able to relate to the universal experiences sung in Red, customers too have a sour experience with brands that fail to apply their given preferences to the messaging they receive. Collecting zero-party data has been a standing priority for marketers, but if we don’t activate that data quickly and effectively, our efforts will just get lost in translation.
This is challenging when there’s a trecherous number of data points to keep track of—meaning that marketers need to turn to automated, data-driven tools. By leveraging solutions that access and activate data from any source, you’ll have a safety net to make sure no customer falls through the cracks and feels forgotten.
1989 Era
“Cause we never go out of style, we never go out of style”
Just like red lipstick and white t-shirts are timeless trends, there are some marketing efforts that deserve a permanent spot in your messaging. From automated banners to personalized product modules, marketers should do themselves a favor and leverage evergreen content that dazzles every time.
The NBA nails their 1989 marketing era with personalized fan banners that always live at the top of their newsletter The Zone. The banner displays badges earned by each customer—becoming an NBA ID member, choosing a favorite team, tuning into the NBA streaming service League pass, and becoming a season ticket holder—to encourage and celebrate continued engagement.
Marketers, take the time to choose what data you always want to display. If there are any setbacks, just shake it off—embrace A/B testing and keep at it until you find the perfect evergreen modules for your customers. This is an easy, automated win for the NBA.
Reputation Era
“This is why we can't have nice things, darling — because you break them.”
After a few years of silence, Taylor Swift returned to the music scene with an album that tells it like it is more sharply than ever. And let me be equally blunt with you, marketers: if you want to be your customers’ end game, you need to offer them an unbroken, omni-channel experience. Keeping customers engaged is a delicate process, and any friction between touchpoints is enough to drive them to another brand.
This issue usually arises on mobile, as customers are often routed to irrelevant landing pages or get stuck with broken links. Customers expect the same level of seamless content personalization they receive on desktops, so it’s crucial marketers use dynamic deep linking for every mobile touchpoint.
Are you ready for it? If not, learn everything you need to know about upping your mobile game using the Mobile SDK.
Lover Era
“I've got a hundred thrown-out speeches I almost said to you.”
Lover is an ode to celebrating everything Taylor Swift loves best, and saying so honestly and unabashedly. But if you’re not quite as talented in the songwriting department, expressing exactly what you mean can be tough.
For marketers, this issue often shows up when creating copy. Whether you’re trying to come up with a snappy and fun subject line or trying to explain everything your product offers within the confines of a Twitter character limit, wordsmithing can sometimes need a little extra support.
That’s why it’s nice to have a friend in Generative AI. While you still need that human touch for truly creative copy, it can be a great tool for drafting. Instead of starting from a blank space, use AI to have a leg up in creating copy that doesn’t just sound good: it resonates with each individual customer.
Folklore Era
“I had a marvelous time ruining everything.”
Trying something new can be frightening. Take Folklore for instance; in Taylor Swift's musical canon, this is the first album that focuses on experiences that are not her own, and in a new genre to boot. Yet, Folklore proved to be incredibly popular nonetheless, with hits like “August” and “Cardigan” ushering in the end of summer for listeners everywhere.
It can be tempting to never take risks and stay in your comfort zone as a marketer. When you’ve got KPIs to meet, adopting new technologies can feel like a recipe for interrupted workflows and marketing misfires. In other words, ruining everything.
But every marketer is a creative at heart, and the great ideas you have pushed onto the back burner deserve to be realized. Embrace technologies that will free up your time to explore new ventures—hello, automation—and take the leap of faith to start a new marketing dynasty in your workplace.
Evermore Era
“Seeing the shape of your name still spells out pain.”
Evermore closes the chapter on Taylor Swift’s foray into folk music with hard-hitting lyrics. And as she sings in “Closure,”names hold a lot of meaning—which is what made first-name personalization so exciting for early email marketers.
But now, every brand and their sister (album) is implementing some level of personalization. And while first-name call-outs are still a good marketing move, marketers need to use the gold rush of data points at their fingertips for hyper-personalization
There’s lots of data tricks up your sleeve that you can use: contextual, customer, behavioral, and business data are all great sources for powering marketing experiences that spark interest with customers.
Midnights Era
“Best believe I'm still bejeweled, when I walk in the room, I can still make the whole place shimmer.”
Finally, onto Taylor Swift’s current era: Midnights. While glittering, bluesy tunes, truly hit different from her previous work, the lyrics in this album return to the roots of her songwriting: drawing on her own experiences and turning them into catchy, relatable music.
In the same way, don’t forget what the foundation of digital marketing is: engaging experiences that keep your brand at the forefront of customers’ minds, even when they’re not buying from you at that moment. Visually dazzling messages will do the trick.
But coming up with new creatives for countless, personalized message variations is beyond challenging: it’s humanly impossible. That’s why marketers need to reuse their best creatives smartly and get the most out of their existing technology investments.
With AI solutions like Movable Ink Da Vinci, marketers can optimize their creative use by analyzing what messages have been delivered, opened, or unengaged with. From there, the AI can decide which messages should be deployed again and when is the best moment to do so—whether it’s at midnight or noon, customers will receive content just when they need it.
You’re not on your own, kid. With the right tools and technologies, you’ll be able to make the whole place shimmer every time you walk into the inbox.
Embrace the Marketing Era (Your Version)
Long story short, you’ll survive. You may be in a competitive and sometimes cutthroat field, but by thinking smartly and strategically, embracing your creativity, and jumping into new opportunities, you’ll soon be a marketing mastermind.