A number of you have become loyal consumers of this blog.  Whether you’re an everyday reader or you’re a more occasional browser, I appreciate you taking the time to read what I write. For the most part, you seem to like the topics of these posts.

But there’s been one exception – namely Taylor Swift.

This is the third post this year with her name in the headline.  The one that probably rankled the most people was the post when I talked about (and you debated) her Taylor’s impact versus the Beatles.  I was not the least bit surprised by your reactions.  We all have our favorite artists – those who perhaps changed or even saved our lives.  And when anyone starts making comparisons, sparks are going to fly, especially with the Fab Four.  For the record, it became the most-read post in the 18 year history of the blog. So, there’s that.

And today, I’m right back at it.  That’s because several legacy media and entertainment brands have been tapping into what we may one day refer to as “The Taylor Swift Effect.”  When a single star gets multiple generations talking – and spending money – that’s a phenomenon.

You have no doubt read the numerous stories about how Taylor’s concerts are noticeably boosting local economies when the “Eras” circus comes to town.  In the U.S. alone, that’s nearly $5 billion in revenue.  Time quotes Dan Fleetwood, President of Question Pro Research and Insights who claims that “if Taylor Swift were an economy, she’s be bigger than 50 countries.”  I think he’s low.

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OK, but what does that have to with media in general, and radio specifically?  Without trying too hard, I’ve found three vivid examples where “The Taylor Swift Effect” is in full swing, boosting old school entertainment and information platforms:

USA Today Goes Full Tay-Tay – It’s no secret that newspapers are hurting, punctuated by shrinking staffs and diminishing resources.  And the prolonged slump has exacted a serious toll on the entire industry.  The Guardian reports newspapers are shutting down at the rate of two per week.

Desperate times demand bold actions.  While some news media operations are making moves like creating special bureaus or desks for areas like climate or opioids, USA Today is taking a much different approach.

Last month, they announced they’re hiring a reporter whose sole “beat” is to cover “The Swift Tsunami.”  Variety reports the job description reads as follows:

“Swift’s fanbase has grown to unprecedented heights, and so has the significance of her music and growing legacy. We are looking for an energetic writer, photographer and social media pro who can quench an undeniable thirst for all things Taylor Swift with a steady stream of content across multiple platforms.”

But wait, there’s more:

“Seeing both the facts and the fury, the Taylor Swift reporter will identify why the pop star’s influence only expands, what her fanbase stands for in pop culture, and the effect she has across the music and business worlds. We are looking for a journalist with a voice — but not a bias — able to quickly cultivate a national audience through smart content designed to meet readers on their terms.”

USA Today is reportedly creating a second post for a Beyoncé special correspondent.  Despite the tumultuousness of the 2024 election, the Hamas/Israel War, the Trump indictments, and other issues of the day, USA Today has determined consumers want to read about these dynamic divas.

Has the paper taken flack for creating this position focused on Taylor Swift and her ability to generate headlines, page views, and money?  While that appears to be the case, the publicity has no doubt had the desired effect.  People are talking about and debating this journalistic decision, creating buzz for a newspaper than previously had none.

Still, a story in Fortune reports that NewsGuild (a newspaper journalist union) puts the level of staff cuts at Gannett – USA Today’s parent at 47%.  You’ll excuse some of these career journalists being hacked off by the moves to hire reporters for Tay-Tay and Queen Bey.

We can’t be too far from a major college or university starting a curriculum to study the Swiftie phenomenon.  Surely, Taylor and the “Eras” tour will be the topic of numerous Masters’ theses and Ph.D. dissertations.  Imagine going to see her in concert as part of a research or pulling an all-nighter to study for your Taylor midterm exam.

Taylor, Travis, and the NFL – By now, whether you’re a fan or foe of the Kansas City Chiefs, NFL Football, or Taylor herself, you’ve seen her cheering new boyfriend, Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce, in luxury suites all over America.

During one game, network cameras reportedly honed in on Tay-Tay 17 times.  Even Kelce commented, “Damn, that’s crazy.  That’s like once a drive.”

But why should he care?  The attention isn’t just fueling his TV endorsement career (now and forever), but is adding to the NFL’s coffers.  For years, the league has struggled to attract more women to the game, with only marginal impact.

Now, many observers believe thanks to those millions of Swifties, the NFL may be well on its way to accomplishing its goal.  Of course, that assumes she and Kelce remain an item.  And you never know – she could jump to another player in the league, thus intensifying the inferno and the attention.

But the main thing is that Taylor + Travis is delivering robust ratings for NFL games – among women.  Even in games where she’s not in a suite and he’s not on a field, more women are watching.

Case in point:  Yahoo! Sports reports the Cowboys-Niners game this past Sunday night attracted the top NFL viewers among females aged 12-24 according to sportsmediawatch.com – 685,000 to be exact.  The site claims women had already been gravitating to pro football, but Swift’s presence is accelerating the trend.

Luminate’s numbers reinforce the Swift impact, while providing other insights.  For starters, Luminate’s Artist & Genre Tracker Insights in the U.S. (as of July 2023) reveal some eye-opening data nuggets about Taylor Swift, this moment with Travis Kelce, and its reverberations on both fans and football agnostics:

• Male “fanship” of Taylor Swift experienced a slight jump over the summer.  (Interestingly, female “fanship” dipped a bit.)
• Tay-Tay’s female fans are more apt than average to be engaged in sports.
• Among them, nearly four in ten (38%) female Taylor Swift fans watched, listened to, or attended a sporting event in the last 90 days (as of July 2023).  That makes them 15% more likely to have engaged in sports than all females.
• Male Taylor Swift fans are about one-third (32%) more apt to have watched, listened to, or attended a sporting event in the past three months, compared to the general population.
• And this: nearly nine in ten (89%) “sports engagers” (defined as those who have watched, listened to, or attended a sporting event in the past three months) are aware of Taylor Swift.

It’s no surprise the NFL is more than happy to fuel this unique moment where one of the stars of the league (and the Super Bowl) is seeing the world’s biggest pop star.  No amount of “NFL Ladies Nights” can compete with that.

Taylor boosts radio – And perhaps one of the best examples of glomming onto Taylor Swift’s media rocket ship took place in the Twin Cities.  Hubbard’s myTalk 107.1 (a predominately female station) had the carpe diem moment of the year.

With Kelce’s Chiefs coming to town to face the hometown Vikings last Sunday night, the station was ready with the right billboard at the right time:

How did this incredibly timely promotion come together?  Great clusters have organic success.  That is, there’s a winning climate in the building where there’s an expectation their stations will step up  with great promotion.

I checked in with market manager Dan Seeman and he confirmed it was one of those hallway moments (that only occurs when there’s staff in the building BTW).  From there, the programming and marketing team at myTalk went to work, designed the board, and quickly cut a deal with Clear Channel Outdoor for their digital board network across the Twin Cities, including a site near U.S. Bank Stadium.

The Hubbard team went to work on social media, making sure the campaign was showing up everywhere, using email and DMs to every contact the group had in the sports media world.

Then “Beat Taylor’s Boyfriend” showed up when sports analyst/reporter Adam  Schefter tweeted it out.

Billboards spotted around Minneapolis before today’s Chiefs-Vikings game: pic.twitter.com/HpC5V6oKPl

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 8, 2023

Dan Seeman and Amy Daniels attribute the success of this campaign to a “seize the moment culture” that is part of every brand in the cluster.

How many levels does this bit of marketing brilliance work on?

For women, cumers as well as those who live in the area, it engages them with the hottest of hot current moments in the market.

Male fans of the Vikings might just discover – or at least be aware of – a local radio station they may not know about.

It sure got the attention of the media, not just locally but from all over the U.S. and around the world.  Seth Resler sent the story to me from an article in the New York Post.  I also saw it in Sports Illustrated, the Kansas City Star, the Daily Mail, the Mirror, ABC News, and many others.  That’s what they call “earned media”…to the 10th power.

By the way, the Vikings found a way to lose to Kelce’s Chiefs.  But the game’s winner was clearly Hubbard’s myTalk 107.1.

“The Taylor Effect” is emblematic of the greater theme – that even media outlets that are struggling to stand out in an environment overcrowded with options can win the day by taking advantage of a major pop culture moment.

Seizing the moment, glomming onto celebrity and currency, and getting up some courage are all part of what’s required to elevate your brand’s presence and top-of-mind awareness.

Of course, even if you came up with that idea, how many of you could march into your owner or market manager’s office, and convince her to find some money so your station could throw up a board or two?  Could you persuade her that the idea is so big and potentially, you can’t just do it (for free, of course) on social media?

I thought so.  And that’s a big part of the problem, too.

Come to think of it, you might want to save or print out this blog.  Maybe it will come in handy when you try to seize that moment.

Carpe diem.

Thanks to Luminate’s Jimmy Harney and Haley Jones.  Visit them here. 

Thanks also to Dan Seeman, Amy Daniels, Greg Strassell, and the MyTalk 107.1 team.  

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Fred Jacobs

President & Founder at Jacobs Media

Fred Jacobs founded Jacobs Media in 1983, and quickly became known for the creation of the Classic Rock radio format.

Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.

In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.

Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.

Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.

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