Marketing options have become so diverse that you have an almost endless number of platforms to market your product. Whether you decide to stick with print advertising, branch out into digital or even rely on word of mouth, marketing has been, still is, and will always be an essential component to your product strategy. Effective campaigns are game-changers, bringing you one step closer to your target KPIs.
Whether you are an entrepreneur trying to make your way, a well-established company launching a new product in the market, or a global superstar announcing a new album, an impactful marketing campaign can be the move that helps set apart your product from your competitors.
While almost all marketing campaigns share similar goals of increasing brand awareness, promoting products or services, and driving sales, each campaign is unique in its ideation and budgeting.
A campaign need not be a high-budgeted one. A simple, creative and low-cost idea with an engaged audience can deliver outstanding results. It is no secret that celebrities use marketing to achieve their objectives and increase revenues, whether interviews, advertisements, or even social media posts. For example, Taylor Swift has been dropping easter eggs for her fans in her output and media platforms to creatively figure out clues to her next steps. In August, when accepting the award for Video of the Year at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), she addressed her supporters, saying “I thought it might be a fun moment to tell you that my brand-new album comes out October 21st”, adding “and I will tell you more at midnight.”
When the clock actually struck midnight, she posted that her new album would be titled “Midnights,” releasing the official Midnights: Moonstone Blue Edition vinyl, CD and cassette. Her campaign, however, does not stop here. A few days later, she announced three other limited-time special editions of the vinyl and CDs (Jade Green, Mahogany, and Blood Moon editions) while only showing the front cover.
Of course, that drove the Swifties into chaos, trying to grasp what all these could mean. During an interview with Jimmy Fallon in 2021, Swift said “How far is too far in advance? Can I hint at something three years in advance?”, this caused the fandom to believe that Midnights was an extension to her 2019 album “Lover.”
By speaking directly to her fans and rewarding them for paying attention, Swift generates immense discussion online amongst her followers, positively contributing to anticipation for her releases.
After the special edition versions of the album were removed from her official store, an even more exclusive ‘Lavender’ edition vinyl and CD carrying three bonus tracks was announced, featured exclusively at Target. Momentum was built, fans got access to content just for them, but money was also made. As such, exclusive partnerships can be very rewarding for both parties.
Swift didn’t stop there. She posted a reel on her Instagram announcing that the previous three special editions are back on the website – with a twist, revealing further highly anticipated details about the album art.
When showing the latest editions in the post, Taylor Swift said “Alright so I’ve wanted to show you guys this for a while. So, we have four different covers for the ‘Midnights’ album and if you turn them over there is obviously a back cover to each one of them, they’re each different. What I wanted to show you is that if you put all the back covers together, she’s a clock,” Taylor added, pointing at the artwork. “It’s a clock, it makes a clock. It can help you tell time.”
The four back-covers each have a few numbers, and the necessary pieces to assemble the physical clock were made available on her official store, featuring four wood shelves, each engraved with one word from the phrase “Meet me at midnight”, with the clock hands pointing towards the twelve, further reinforcing her campaign and creating anticipation for her 10th studio album.
In my opinion, what Taylor Swift’s campaign proves is that you do not need a big budget for your marketing campaign to be successful; but a simple and creative idea can take you a long way. In this day and age, teasing your product in phases with all of them revolving around a main idea is the way to go, making people want to know more about your product and your story, while even involving them in an ‘easter-egg hunt’ is a creative method, and that is why I believe Taylor Swift is a marketing genius!
Antoine Boghos is Senior Account Manager at Cicero & Bernay Communication Consultancy, an independent PR agency headquartered in Dubai offering new-age public relations consultancy to the UAE and across the MENA region. | www.cbpr.me