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Harnessing the Swiftie Effect: Elevate Your Brand Storytelling

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As of December 2023, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is reported to be the highest-grossing tour ever and is the first to crack $1 billion, with an estimated $1.04 billion in total ticket gross. One of the myriad reasons Taylor Swift is so successful is her ability to touch people with story. Her writing is vulnerable, honest, and universal in its storytelling. Brands can learn from Taylor by learning how to weave storytelling into their marketing. Here are six communications lessons that businesses can learn from Taylor Swift’s songwriting and apply to their marketing strategies to enhance efficacy.

1. Authenticity Connects

Swift’s songwriting resonates because it comes from a place of genuine emotion and experience. Her willingness to share personal stories, whether they are of heartbreak, joy, or self-discovery, invites her audience to connect on a deeper level. Business Lesson: Brands should strive for authenticity in their communications. Share your brand’s journey, the challenges you’ve overcome, and what you stand for. Authentic storytelling can forge a stronger bond with your audience.

2. Know Your Audience

Swift has an uncanny ability to speak directly to the hearts of her listeners. Each song is a communications masterpiece. She understands her audience’s hopes, fears, and dreams. This deep understanding enables her to write songs that feel personal to millions. Business Lesson: Thoroughly understanding your target audience is crucial. Conduct market research to know their needs, wants, and pain points. Tailored messaging that resonates with your audience’s experiences will likely be more effective.

3. Evolve With Your Audience

Over the years, Swift has transitioned across several music genres, from country to pop to indie folk, demonstrating her versatility and willingness to grow with her audience. Business Lesson: The market is constantly changing, and so are your customers’ needs and preferences. Brands must be adaptable, willing to listen to their audience, and evolve their offerings and messaging to stay relevant.

4. Engage Through Multiple Channels

Swift uses a variety of platforms to engage with her fans, from social media to surprise album drops, and interactive music videos. She creates a multi-channel experience that keeps fans engaged and invested in her storytelling. Business Lesson: Utilize multiple platforms to engage with your audience. Whether it’s through social media, blogs, email newsletters, or events, diversifying your communication channels can help reach your audience wherever they are.

5. Create a Community

Swift has mastered the art of community building, creating a loyal fan base that feels connected not just to her, but to each other. Business Lesson: Creating a sense of community around your brand can turn customers into brand advocates. Encourage user-generated content, create online forums or groups, and engage in conversations that build a shared sense of identity and belonging.

6. Consistency Is Key

While Swift has evolved musically, her core narrative of storytelling through song has remained constant. This consistency helps fans know what to expect from her, even as she experiments with new sounds and genres. Business Lesson: Consistency in brand messaging and values reassures customers and builds trust over time. While it’s important to adapt and innovate, maintaining a consistent core message is crucial.

Final Thoughts for Brands

Taylor Swift’s unparalleled success as a songwriter and performer offers valuable communications lessons for businesses in any industry. By embracing authenticity, understanding and evolving with your audience, leveraging multiple communication channels, fostering community, and maintaining consistency, brands can create more meaningful, lasting connections with their customers. Mindfull Marketing + PR believes in the power of storytelling, and we see Swift’s approach as a beacon for brands aiming to engage their audience in a profound and impactful way. We take these lessons to heart and craft marketing strategies that resonate, inspire, and endure for our clients.

Mastering Digital Identity: Christine Perkett’s Revolutionary Approach to Personal Branding on In The Now Podcast

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Host David Reske interviews Mindfull Marketing + PR’s Founder and CEO on the value of personal branding

In today’s digital landscape, personal branding is no longer optional; it’s essential. Our Founder, Christine Perkett, a renowned PR and branding expert, shares her wisdom on this topic in an insightful episode of the “In the Now Podcast.” Perkett highlights the significance of personal branding, likening it to a “walking resume” in our interconnected world. Her approach emphasizes the seamless blend of personal and professional lives online, empowering individuals to shape their own narratives.

What sets Perkett’s perspective apart is her focus on authenticity and evolution. Drawing inspiration from Martha Stewart’s brand journey, she illustrates how personal brands can pivot and grow over time. This adaptability is key, especially for those new to the field. Perkett advises identifying core values and tailoring content across various platforms, clearly distinguishing genuine personal branding from the pay-to-play world of profit-driven influencers.

This episode is more than just a guide; it’s a reflection of the expertise and approach that our agency embodies. As you listen to her insights, consider the impact such expertise could have on your personal or corporate brand. Mindfull Marketing + PR, with its deep understanding of branding dynamics and over 25 years in business, is ideally positioned to help you navigate the complexities of the digital age.

👉 Watch the episode now and discover how the rules of personal branding are evolving and how they can benefit your career at any stage.

Christine climbing Angel’s Landing in Zion Park, Utah


Should Adidas Continue to Brand Yeezys?

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In a recent Q&A with the media during a quarterly earnings call, according to Business Insider, a reporter asked Adidas Chief Financial Officer Harm Ohlmeyer “If there was any reputational risk to the company if it continued to release Yeezy products despite no longer having the backing of the artist. ” Adidas plans to rebrand the Yeezy shoes and continue to sell them after it cut ties with Ye, the original designer, as it owns all design rights.

Ohlmeyer wasn’t ready to answer this question, only to reply, “We are working through all the options.”

Our analysis is that the partnership, which has been in place since 2013, is long-standing enough to enable Adidas to continue to sell the brand without further harm to its reputation. That’s not to say the shoes might not sell as well as they have in the last nine years. But we cannot underestimate the value and popularity of the Adidas brand itself prior to the now-terminated partnership.

Ye, aka the former Kanye West, is a critically acclaimed musician. Still, he has been divisive enough – most recently through antisemitic statements – that fans of the shoes and brand may appreciate the opportunity to be “freed” from the connection to him and still enjoy wearing the shoes. Smart messaging and careful branding could be an opportunity for Adidas.

Our analysis: Adidas is a long-standing brand and business that no doubt has rock-solid contracts in place, with appropriate legal protection. They and the sneaker – once rebranded – may even become a new symbol of inclusion and unity for those who oppose Ye’s actions. Although Darcey Jupp, an apparel analyst at GlobalData, said the opposite in an interview with CNN, we believe rebranding and continuing to sell the sneakers could be a smart move for Adidas from an ethical standpoint and a business viewpoint. We’ll be curious to see how they rebrand and message around the product line, and we will be watching.

Branding Lessons From Political Slogans

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What does a “Great America” mean to you? 

A generic political slogan like Trump’s “Make America Great Again” can be so appealing because you get to define it for yourself, vs. a politician telling you very specifically what to think. It opens up possibilities for everyone. Trump fan or not, like many celebrities and artists, he’s a great marketer.

Take, for example some of these less generic presidential campaign slogans. They don’t leave a lot of room for interpretation:

  • “Who but Hoover?” – Herbert Hoover
  • “Forward with Roosevelt” – Franklin Roosevelt
  • “I like Ike” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
  • “Win with Warren” – Elizabeth Warren

It may be surprising that Trump did not use his name in his slogan like many candidates. Meanwhile, his 2020 presidential campaign slogans used to-date are not as open but do play on the successes he’s had: 

  • “Keep America Great”
  • “Promises Made, Promises Kept” 

What can your brand learn from examining these political slogans? We extract several lessons to keep in mind when branding your next marketing campaign:

  • Identify your target audience – are you trying to appeal to a niche, or open up and appeal to a wider population?
  • What can you learn from your existing fan base to shape your next slogan or tagline? Ask your customers what they like best about your product or service and use this feedback to shape words and images that appeal to them.
  • Know the pain points and use a little FUD – Trump played upon pain well, appealing especially to voters across the US who felt like their place in the world was being threatened. He played upon this fear and made them feel like he understood them better than any other candidate.
  • Keep it simple – Trump uses very simple language and leaves a lot up to interpretation. When your audience can easily understand what you’re saying, their brand recall will be stronger.
  • Puff your chest – there is no doubt that Trump is a positioner. He is practically the epitome of “fake it ‘til you make it,” given his reported financial background and history. No matter. He says what he wants people to hear and believe, and for him, it works. Now, in the “real world” we have to be more careful – false claims and failed promises will come back to bite you. But take a look at what you’ve done for customers, what declarations you’ve fulfilled, and use them in your campaigns and tag lines. Better yet, let your customers do the talking for you by having a campaign slogan or tagline contest. Often, our customers open our eyes and have the best, most practical viewpoints of what our products or services really do for – or mean to – them.

Marketing inspiration is all around us. Today’s political climate is no exception and can offer a lot of lessons – and raise some questions – about how to best connect with your audience. Examine them in the light of what you need to accomplish and you may breathe some fresh air into your messaging.

PerkettPR Rebrands as Mindfull Marketing + PR

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New brand name, look and feel reflect the award-winning agency’s expanded integrated marketing services

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – BOSTON –  October 17, 2018 – PerkettPR, an award-winning provider of results-based public relations and strategic marketing communications, today announced that on its twentieth anniversary, it has rebranded to Mindfull Marketing + PR. The agency unveiled a new logo, name and website that further demonstrate the scope of integrated marketing services that it provides to clients around the world in technology, business, healthcare, consumer and higher education. Christine Perkett remains CEO.

 

Founded in 1998 by Perkett, Mindfull Marketing + PR provides exclusively senior-level strategic counsel and preeminent execution of public relations and marketing programs that clearly and consistently deliver return on investment. Its selective client roster has spanned the globe – from Australia to Norway, London to San Francisco and more. Clients have included WebEx, Constant Contact, Juniper Networks, St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Clavis Insight, Northeastern University, Octo Telematics, Life is Good, Quiet Revolution and many more.

 

“Brands need a team that understands that the way to engage their consumer is constantly evolving,” said Rebecca Tarantino, marketer and two-time former client of PerkettPR. “Christine and her team shine in the most complex go to market environments, having the unique ability to devise marketing strategies that cut through the clutter to engage and convert at every level. I think the move to rebrand to Mindfull Marketing + PR is another example of this insight – demonstrating the agency’s integrated capabilities across the marketing ecosystem.”

 

The agency has been recognized with numerous industry awards including multiple Bell Ringers from the Publicity Club of New England including Best TV Placement, National Commentary, Response to Breaking News, Consumer Campaign and more, a “Golden Image” nod from Forrester Research, “Best PR Executive” from the American Business Awards, Best of the Best” PR firm by PR Sourcecode, and was a finalist in the prestigious Techcrunch Crunchie’s the only year it honored tech PR firms. Mindfull Marketing’s full scope of services include branding services, content marketing, digital media and advertising, SEO, writing services, PR, sales support, social media, training, events and fractional CMO services.

 

“When I founded the company, our focus was almost exclusively on tech PR but quickly expanded as our solid reputation grew and the market needs changed,” said Christine Perkett, CEO of Mindfull Marketing + PR. “Over the last 10 years, our talented team has been delivering a wider scope of action-oriented content and integrated campaigns that companies require in today’s digital world. The rebrand better communicates our ability to grab the attention of highly distracted and divided audiences – helping businesses and institutions to thrive in a competitive market and delivering a marketing blueprint for success.”

 

For more information on the thought behind the name change, read Christine’s blog about the announcement.

 

Boston-based Atomik Design worked with Mindfull Marketing + PR on the logo and website.

 

About Mindfull Marketing + PR

Mindfull Marketing + PR is an award-winning integrated marketing and PR agency that manages brand reputations and promotes and grows businesses. Offering superior service from a team of senior-level professionals that execute both strategy and tactics, we apply expertise across a wide range of marketing and communications disciplines to deliver efficient, consistent and ground breaking marketing communications campaigns.

 

With the foresight to rapidly adapt and stay ahead of an ever-evolving market, we help clients achieve their business goals. Formerly PerkettPR, Mindfull Marketing + PR has been nationally recognized for exceptional client results, business leadership and innovative human resources initiatives for over 20 years. For more information, visit www.mindfullmarketing.com

 

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PerkettPR’s “Influencers Who Inspire” Series Continues with Jason Falls

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This week’s “Influencer Who Inspires” is Jason Falls of Social Media Explorer.  We admire Jason for his honest approach to social media and we are avid readers of his very popular site, Social Media Explorer.  Jason, who resides in Louisville, KY,  is an author, keynote speaker and CEO of Social Media Explorer.  He continues to be a name that surfaces at or near the top of conversations and lists of thought leaders and top thinkers in the emerging world of social media marketing.

 

How would you describe what you do for a living?

I do one primary thing in about three different ways. SME Digital, my agency, helps companies develop digital and social marketing strategies, execute them and measure/optimize results to drive business (unit sales, revenue or costs). My information products add the other two components: Explore Events helps anyone who wants to attend a two-day, intensive digital marketing strategy event and The Conversation Report analyzes online conversations and reports insights around specific industries (or clients for custom reports) to help businesses make smarter decisions about their social marketing.  In a nutshell, – Agency – Events – Research – is what I do.

 

You recently tweeted to PR folks about how they approach you and that you are “one of them” – what prompted that and how do you handle being on both sides of the PR equation?

It was likely prompted by me being critical of public relations professionals, then having them attack me for it. Those that are easily put on the defensive about the PR craft tend to point fingers at me and infer that I don’t know PR, that I’m just a “social media consultant.” But I spent 20 years as a PR and journalism professional before social media marketing ever happened. So I was probably saying, “I am one. Thus, I’m qualified to point the finger a bit.” The way I handle it is by just trying to coach and teach and perhaps lead by example. ‘Lots of public relations professionals still assume that “spray and pray” and spamming people works best. I only hope to educate them that there might be a better way to approach outreach. Quality outreach is far better than quantity, and you can sleep at night knowing you’re not a spammer.

 

What’s next in PR now that social media is a given?

I think PR is the new journalism. With all the noise out there in the media world and declining numbers in usage and revenues in traditional mediums, public relations professionals (and current journalists who will become them) have the opportunity to become the media. Those that do so in compelling ways will have better public relations programs because they’ll become a direct conduit to their publics.

 

What’s the best social media campaign you’ve seen (besides your own) in 2012?

H&R Block’s Stache Act is by far the most compelling. To have a stoic, conservative brand like H&R Block get behind a silly tax incentive for mustached Americans and stage a Million Mustache March on Washington, etc., just gave the brand personality and showed that they could reach beyond the tried and true “Let us do your taxes” messaging, in order to reach a new audience.

That, and Charmin‘s Twitter account. Holy cripes, they’re funny.

 

How did you initially get your “feet wet” in social media?

I spent 8-10 years blogging and exploring social networks and forums for personal entertainment. My old humor blog actually gained a bit of traction when I moved it to MySpace in about 2003. I learned how to build an audience, promote my content and connect influencers to what I was doing. Then in 2006, I started from scratch with an arsenal of experience in the business segment rather than the one focused on telling dirty jokes and made up tales of drunken debauchery. Heh.

 

Can you tell us a bit about your book “No Bullshit Social Media” and why someone would want to purchase it?

Aside from the crafty title, the book’s real appeal is that it’s a blueprint for social media strategy. We walk you through the seven reasons (goals) your business might implement social media tactics and coach you through the process of developing a sound, strategic approach to using social that will drive measurable results.

 

As the Founder and CEO of Social Media Explorer, your approach with SME Digital involves Full Frontal ROI methodolgy, can you explain how this is unique to the industry?

The Full Frontal ROI methodology, which was developed by my partner, Nichole Kelly, essentially places social media marketing squarely in the crosshairs of business strategy. Everything we do is focused on real business metrics — unit sales, revenues and costs — rather than soft metrics. Sure, we can help you drive more fans and followers, but we know we’re ultimately judged on your bottom line and how social media and digital marketing contribute to it. So that’s what we focus on. It’s unique to the industry because most other social media agencies or digital marketing shops focus on the fluff metrics and Kumbaya of social media. We know it’s about business or it’s a hobby. And how many business owners out there consider what they spend time and money on to be a hobby?

 

What is next for you for the remainder of the year heading into 2013?

Two more Explore events (Orange County, Calif., this week; Portland (Ore.) in November), another The Conversation Report, this one on the restaurant industry, and continuing to help our clients kick ass. And I fully expect 2013 will be much of the same. That’s what we do.

 

Keeping up with the Kardashian Brand

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Kardashian. Even if you don’t want to, you know the name. You may watch the slew of reality television shows associated with the name (Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Kourtney & Kim Kardashian Take New York, Khloe & Lamar). Or perhaps you shop at Dash (the Kardashian boutique) or Sears (the Kardashian Kollection clothing line). Or maybe you’ve read and weighed in about Kim Kardashian’s scandalous divorce with basketball pro Kris Humphries. Was it real? Was it fake? Was it all for money? Regardless, the name is everywhere (perfumes, weight loss supplements, jewelry, fitness videos, credit cards, cosmetics, Barbie dolls, etc). Hate it or love it, talent or no talent— no matter what you may think of the brand itself, it does have a powerful recognition — worth an estimated $65 million.

While a public divorce and paternity scandal (it’s rumored that the late Robert Kardashian isn’t the birth father of Khloe Kardashian) has kept the Kardashian name in the news, another PR and branding crisis may be looming. In recent news, the NY Post reported that the Kardashian brand is tarnishing — and fast. According to the article, “Ratings for the family’s reality show have plummeted, sales of magazines with Kim Kardashian’s mug go unsold, and her products are unmarketable, insiders say.” In fact the article continues to share some startling statistics that may just prove that the Kardashian brand is in trouble.

These include:

· E!’s Kardashian TV franchise — “Keeping up with the Kardashians” — suffered a 14 percent dip in Nielsen ratings, from 3.5 million viewers per episode last season to 3 million this season.

· Circulation at Us Weekly, In Touch, Life & Style and OK! dropped about 18 percent when a Kardashian was on the cover in December, publishers said.

· Skechers ditched Kim as the face of the company in 2011 — they’ve replaced her with a French bulldog.

In fact, 500,000 consumers have signed an online petition to boycott companies that partner with Kim Kardashian at BoycottKim.com. The site claims Kardashian has “made a mockery of American culture.” And while I can’t disagree, I also can’t stop watching.

This begs the question—what can be done to help save the seemingly toxic Kardashian brand? The answer may lay within the successful mastermind behind the brand, Kardashian mother, Kris Jenner. Kris manages all of her daughters’ careers and is president of her own production company, Jenner Communications. She’s proven that she’s a marketing and branding genius. From controlling the news to making sure consumers are left wanting more, Jenner has positively and continually exposed the Kardashian brand.

It will be interesting to see if the Kardashian brand is sustainable— where will it be in three years? What creative marketing tactics will be used to salvage the brand? Will the Kardashian brand find news way to connect with its audience, fans, and customers? What do you think? Are you ready for the Kardashian brand to retire? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

“New Marketing” and “Social PR” are Simple. Talk With Me.

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I constantly see chatter, blogs, articles and tweets out there about “New marketing” and “How PR works – or if it’s even necessary” now that social media is so mainstream, easy and accessible. Oy, I am so tired of the misconceptions that social media has somehow replaced these important roles in business. But I’m even more tired of everyone over-thinking this whole “new marketing” thing. Is it really that complicated? Here are a few quick “rules” to it that I think anyone can grasp:

– Social media is a tactic tied into a larger communications strategy. Key word: strategy. Have one. Actually, have more than one, because it’s important not to lose sight of the fact that there are different communications strategies across different parts of your business. Communicating with customers about a service issue is not the same as trying to sell to a prospect or get the attention of a journalist. Make social media a part of how your business communicates. But don’t tell me your “social media plan” replaces solid marketing and PR.

– Marketing has changed in that marketers (and others, like politicians) now have to talk with their audience, not just at them. One of my favorite quotes on this is from Forrester analyst Josh Bernoff in the book Groundswell: “Marketers don’t understand channels where you have to talk and listen at the same time.” That was in 2009, and I think that while many marketers are now understanding that they need to be on social channels, they still don’t know how to start actual conversations that lead to valuable interactions between their business and its audiences.

– New marketers (and PR execs) make their audiences feel important. You can only do this by building a two-way relationship. That means that you listen as much as you “talk,” even when the “conversation” gets uncomfortable (i.e., complaints about your business or products). Be prepared to handle both your brand champions and your detractors – but always let them know how important they are by talking with them. Ask questions, recognize them, make it clear in your content (Twitter updates, Facebook posts, videos, what have you) that you’ve listened to them. Need an easy example? Think Old Spice. People watched, listened, shared because they were a part of it – feeling important and recognized – even if but for a second.

– Share great content. You’ve heard this a zillion times –  but maybe it’s more important to say share interactive and meaningful content that others will want to share as well. Oh, and it should be relevant to your business, whether it’s meant to be a revenue-generator, a branding campaign or simply an awareness builder. A favorite example of mine is Life is Good Radio. It’s sticky content that ties in perfectly to their culture and company mission. If you don’t know how to build good content, get help. Seriously – without it, you are not marketing in today’s world.

– Remember, it’s not that complicated. It’s just changed. Quite simply, you can’t dance if you don’t stop leaning against the wall hoping someone will talk to you. You have to start the conversation. If you don’t know what this means, you probably shouldn’t be in marketing in the first place.

What are your best tips for “new” marketers and social PR?

Who Owns Your Brand?

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Right now we are participating in a Twebinar (think Webinar + Twitter) hosted by Chris Brogan and Radian 6 on the topic of “Who Owns the Brand?”

Do companies own their brand or do the customers own the brand? There are a lot of differing opinions on the subject. I believe companies own the brand – they just don’t have sole control over it (and really, never did – the Internet just makes this more glaring).

Companies set the stage for their brand by communicating their intentions, credibility and value. Customers help shape the brand, collaborate on its direction and share it (good or bad). Today, more than ever, the customer takes the brand a company presents and either accepts it or rejects it – spreading the word or influencing change (as Dell experienced with IdeaStorm).

A huge part of what direction your customers take the brand depends on the company keeping their brand promises. Smart companies recognize this and welcome customer influence by embracing them, conversing with them and inviting collaboration. That means listening and taking action based on customer feedback.

What do you think? Follow and join the conversation here (type in #tweb2) or visit Radian 6’s Twebinar to watch the recorded version and learn about future Twebinars.