Taylor Swift Just Proved Her Marketing Genius Once Again–And Brands from Starbucks to Sour Patch Kids Want Her Stardust

Last Friday, Taylor Swift’s “new” album Red (Taylor’s Version) set a Spotify record for most streams by a female artist (90.8 million) in a single day — even though the original version of Taylor Swift’s Red album was released in 2012. (Inc.colleague Justin Bariso recaps Swift’s decision nicely.)

Click here to read the story at inc.com.

Discussion Questions:

1. What is fandom?
2. How does Taylor Swift benefit from fandom?
3. In your opinion, how much of Taylor Swift’s success might be the result of good marketing over the years?
4. How do you think some artists are able to generate such a loyal following among fans while others are not?
5. Why is Taylor Swift re-releasing the album Red?
6. What is publicity?
7. According to this story, what brands are interesting in aligning with Taylor Swift?
8. How have they tried to align the brand with her?
9. Why might they be interested in becoming part of the conversation surrounding the re-release of Red?