The Taylor Swift Problem: When Success Outpaces Authenticity
The conversation around Taylor Swift is changing, and it has nothing to do with her music.
Generation Z is sick of the system, and can’t bring themselves to get excited over overly-safe, corporate content. They can smell media training from a mile away. They know when they’re being used, and they know when someone isn’t being themselves. This is why Swift, and countless other brands, are falling flat.
She’s still the biggest pop star in the world. “The Fate of Ophelia” has been #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 3 straight weeks. The same can be said for “The Life of a Showgirl.” Yet, people are fed up. Her music charts, but it doesn’t tell a story that fans can resonate with. Her desire to make money has superseded every other aspect of her brand.
When Taylor came onto the scene in 2006, her music had a very specific personality. She never tried to be the cheer captain. She was the girl next door who had mass appeal. Swift had a relatable personality that was expressed through her music. That personality is absent in her recent work. When brands try to be something they aren’t, Gen Z is quick to roll their eyes. Whether it's a milktoast corporate social responsibility initiative or an irrelevant change to a menu, we know when we’re being manipulated. We do not want to be talked down to. We do not want to be exploited. We want to feel like we’re a part of a community that represents something bigger than fueling the capitalist machine, something modern Taylor Swift cannot offer.
With the introduction of social media, fans can now find a niche that matches their exact interests. This gives brands far more competition. Big brands and pop stars are no longer just competing with big brands. They’re competing with every garage band DJ, DePop salesman, and small burger joint. For brands like Taylor Swift, her size arguably hurts her. Her massive spotlight is being outpaced by her desire to make money. “The Tortured Poet’s Department,” Swift’s last project, ultimately had 36 unique variants. Swift has diehard fans who will buy everything she produces, but for the surface level observers, this feels exploitative. Since her spotlight is so big, these monetary power plays are on display to the whole world, alienating everyone but Swift’s most diehard fans. Brands need a symbiotic relationship with their consumers. They need to offer something genuinely meaningful to consumers, and that has to go beyond a good product. In many ways, Gen Z doesn’t separate the art from the artist. We don’t ignore Swift’s exploitative marketing tactics, just like we don’t ignore when massive brands pull the rug out from under us.
Obviously, brands exist to make money. That said, the way brands chase the bag matters. Kendrick Lamar, one of the biggest rappers in the world, appears to only make music for the love of the art form. He’s less prolific than Taylor, but he’s still able to make millions of dollars through his music. His music– and the way he packages it– feels true to what he believes. While this has earned him a good amount of hate, it’s also earned him a devoted fanbase that can sell out stadium tours. The Kendrick Lamar community is far healthier than Taylor’s, and what the overwhelming majority of brands should be chasing.
Other brands have learned this lesson, too. There’s a reason why McDonalds, one of the biggest brands in the world, gets weird with their marketing. McDonalds knows that merely being a staple of the fast food industry will not keep them on top. Instead, they keep innovating. Goofy menu items like the "Grimace Shake” are in line with McDonalds’ branding, and give the chain a level of personality that fans can laugh at.
The only truly scalable thing in business is authenticity. The people behind a business have real stories, motivations, and values. These are the stories that brands should tell, not the stories that come from surveys. While no one’s story will resonate with everyone, it will resonate with the people who will help build brand equity. That’s why brand architects promote brands for what they are, and stray away from idealized corporate slop.
