Taylor Swift is once again the topic of conversation everywhere. Her new album The Life of a Showgirl set a record for most streamed album on Spotify in a single day. It was also #1 on Apple Music and sold 2.7 million copies in its first day of release. If that wasn’t enough, Swift’s Release Party of a Showgirl finished #1 at the box office.
The Swift effect is happening outside the United States too. I’m writing this column from London where the new album played inside the Broadway Shopping Center, at a restaurant that Dylan Barrett and I ate at, on BBC radio, inside multiple rooms inside of our hotel and in our first two Uber rides. The drivers of those two cars were middle aged non-white men.
Whether you’re a fan of Taylor Swift’s music or not, she’s the biggest artist on the planet today. The release of her records has become Christmas-like for fans and music brands.
When special moments like this occur, radio is at its best. Look at how music radio stations met the moment last week. Creativity was on full display, and talent were invested in the content and creating connections through her life and songs. Some brands even adopted new identities to capitalize on the excitement. Listeners became part of the experience through on-air feedback, contesting, and in-person release parties. It was a perfect reminder of what success looks like when the worlds of content, audience and advertising are linked through a special event.
Why does all of this matter? And who should be paying attention most?
The advertising industry!
How many times do radio professionals hear the same tired feedback: ‘radio is old, it’s not cool, it doesn’t work, only old people listen to it.’ The narrative written by the business world and competitive mediums always paints the radio industry in a negative light.
But guess who doesn’t buy it? The biggest megastar on Earth.
Taylor Swift understands the power of radio. She knows how valuable it is selling her music and elevating her persona. Given her status, she doesn’t have to do press tours for this record. Yet she’s spending a ton of time doing radio interviews. She also recorded a bunch of commentaries about the new songs, exclusively for radio. iHeart, Audacy, Hubbard, SiriusXM, and others have all built programming around it.
If radio is important enough to Taylor Swift to attract worldwide interest and sell albums, songs, tickets, and more, why isn’t it a top priority for other businesses?
Taylor Swift is as sharp a business woman as she is an artist. If she felt podcast appearances or newspaper interviews would have a bigger impact selling her albums, she’d change her strategy. That’s what smart business people do. She hasn’t done that because she knows radio works. If it’s not broke, why mess with it?
Buyer bias gets in the way too often. If the goal is to help a business increase their customers and dollars, directing them to what works should be all that matter. Radio isn’t perfect, it has things it can do better, but if media buyers, and local and national businesses need an example of the medium in action creating impact, just look at what transpired the past few days.
Fans can download an artist’s song on Spotify or Apple or watch a video on YouTube. Those platforms can’t create a connection though between the songs. They can’t pack a theater full of fans to celebrate an artist’s new masterpiece. They don’t move people to buy merchandise to support the artist.
That’s what radio does unlike any other platform. It creates community connection and a cool factor around people and events. That energy, excitement, and bond between host and listener moved millions last week to reach into their wallets to buy music and head to the theater. The beneficiary this time was Taylor Swift.
I hope that resonates with a few of our advertising friends. If radio can produce millions of album and movie theater sales for the top artist in the world, what can it do for your clients?
A client’s message running when streaming an album on Spotify feels like an interruption. The same is true when ads run before or during a music video or podcast. On radio, it’s woven into the imaging, live content, and the online presentation. It feels natural, and benefits the advertiser.
Many like to sing the praises of digital, streaming and television. I love those platforms too. They’re all great places to find content and market products. This isn’t about tearing them down. It’s about recognizing the impact radio can have when trusted to rise to the occasion.
Taylor Swift understands the business benefit of working with radio. She embraces it, and knows how helpful it has been in helping her grow her empire. For those running businesses or making advertising decisions on behalf of clients, what’s your excuse?
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