Brand Alignment Lessons (and Opportunities) from Taylor Swift

Unless you live under a rock, you've already heard the news that singer/songwriter/entrepreneur Taylor Swift and her NFL football boyfriend Travis Kelce are now engaged.

The two shared the news on Instagram with several photos and a cute message that "Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married," and immediately, the world went wild. The level of interest in this announcement rivals the engagement announcement of England's former Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.

According to Brianne Fleming, author of the marketing newsletter By Popular Demand, "Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are such a power couple that their influence touches countless brands and industries. From cities she's toured to stadiums she's filled — and even food brands joking about catering the wedding — everyone is looking for a way to tie themselves in. It makes sense that brands are reacting to Swift's engagement because it's an opportunity not only to promote themselves but to share in fans' excitement...These days, to know your audience is to know pop culture. If you want your audience to love you, you have to understand what they love — and a good majority of them probably love Taylor Swift."

I've said many times here on my blog that, "Brands that are able to align their products or services to an event, holiday, or trending news story that everyone is talking about have the potential to be memorable." 

So, without further ado, here's a recap of the brands that truly understand how to align themselves with trending news.

CHEESECAKE FACTORY

On Instagram, one image with comments overlayed on one of the famous photos shared by Taylor and Travis - a big hug: Taylor was "ME" and Travis was "CHEESECAKE FACTORY BROWN BREAD."

PILLSBURY

On Instagram, three images of the Pillsbury Dough Boy saying "SHE'S ENGAGED;" a sweet roll with "AND THE RING IS GORGEOUS;" and the Dough Boy holding a bouquet of hearts, footballs, and croissants with the caption, "I PRESENT THE HAPPY COUPLE WITH A CONGRATULATORY DOUGH-QUET!!!"

INVISALIGN

On Instagram, the photo caption "Baby just say yes to your most confident wedding day smile."

HERSHEYS CHOCOLATE KISSES

On Instagram, two bags of Hershey's kisses with the words "CELEBRATE." In addition, the message "Hershey's kisses in bulk will be a delight at any wedding."

SHAKESHACK

On Instagram, an onion ring was placed on a woman's ring finger. Two additional photos featured onion rings. And the message was "Look what you made us do. Coming soon..."

PANERA BREAD

On Instagram, the caption on top of a photo of bread was "She said yeast. A real life loaf story."

AUNTIE ANNE'S

On Twitter/X, the post was "CAN I BE THE FLOWER GIRL?"

MERRIAM-WEBSTER

On Twitter/X, the post was "Your English teacher's favorite book and your gym teacher's favorite book are getting married." The image was in the same flower garden as the couple but featured Webster's Sports Dictionary and Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.

ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA

On Twitter/X, the post was "Yes, we already updated their bios to engaged."

EMPIRE STATE BUILDING

On Twitter/X, the post was "Where can I apply to be the wedding venue?"

Marcus Collins, a professor at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, wasn't surprised by all the brands that chimed in, but he was not impressed. He said, "Historically, brands have benefitted from quickly reacting to what's in the zeitgeist, like Oreo's famous "you can still dunk in the dark" Tweet during the 2013 Super Bowl blackout. But those successes have led brands to jump headlong into cultural conversations even when they have nothing to do with them. It's like we're jumping on things to be opportunistic, not to contribute anything."

However, Collins said that some brands still manage to strike the right balance when responding to pop culture phenomena, including the engagement news this week. He tipped his hat to Ralph Lauren, the designer of the black-and-white striped dress that Swift wore in her engagement photos. The retailer knocked the price down about 20 percent on its website, and it sold out in under 20 minutes. He said, "The brands that will be successful will be the ones that can find relevance and context with regards to the happening and what the brand is, beyond what it does. And the brands that will continue to [work against] themselves will be the ones that are, essentially, just jumping on the trends."

While the media and fan focus was on the engagement news, Starbucks chimed in with its own clever post.

STARBUCKS

On Instagram, on top of a backdrop of fall leaves, the caption read, "Are we supposed to keep talking about PSL like nothing happened???" For those who don't know, Starbucks welcomed back its annual Pumpkin Spice Latte on the same day of the engagement news.

Unless the famous couple elopes, the big wedding will serve as another opportunity for brands to chime in. As a marketing pro, I can't wait!

Image Credit: Merriam-Webster via Twitter/X.