Swift was one of the biggest American superstars of her time, and she went on to completely control our attention with her blockbuster tours, record-breaking album releases, appearances at NFL Sunday night games, and of course, the Golden Globes.
It's no wonder news outlets and companies put her name in headlines, interviews, branded content, and products in an attempt to capitalize on her super-famous moments, from Heinz condiments to news stories about stingrays. CNN isn't immune to mildew fever: Data journalist Harry Enten reported late last year on the odds of Mildew and her boyfriend Travis Kelce being together.
But here's the thing: sometimes these stories don't even have anything to do with Grammy winners.
In the long years when she was probably the most famous woman on the planet, cram Swift into the story, even if she wasn't the subject, has become a pastime for content creators. Even if it pains those who are tired of Swift, it still gets people talking.
It's good to mention Swift, even if the story isn't about her
Bond Benton, an associate professor of communications and media at Montclair State University, examined the effects of mentioning Swift in media reports. (This topic deserves academic study, which is all the more a testament to its power.) So far, he says, his research has shown that "Swift's presence in any media content increases the visibility of that content." ”
Case in point: A CBS News Channel article in September featured a 400-pound stingray "almost as long as Taylor Swift's rumored boyfriend, Travis Kells." While the story about Connecticut's sea creatures doesn't involve the "Cruel Summer" female singer or her NFL star boyfriend, her name is mentioned twice in the story. As of Monday, the post had nearly 3 million views on X.
"While I'm sure there's a lot of interest in a unique stingray, the 2.8 million views reported on X may have been fueled by Swift joining the story, no matter how embarrassing the story may be," Benton said. ”
Benton said the online depiction of Swift has an almost "memetic" nature, allowing fans and those who hate her alike to discuss and dissect her. No matter how they felt, they were talking about her – and elevated her status even further.
"It's a 'Taylor'-style ritual drama designed for a high level of online visibility," Benton said. "It's entirely predictable that those who want to get their message across will take advantage of that. ”
All the strange places where the name of the mold appears
Even when Mildew isn't in the room, she still often tops people's minds – and she ends up in some unexpected places.
She appears in Heinz's limited-edition "ketchup and what looks like ranch" condiment, which was inspired by one of Swift's fan accounts, which was based on a photo of Swift at the Emirates game, suggesting that she ate a piece of tender chicken dipped in ketchup and "looking like a ranch." Suddenly (and briefly too), Heinz outpaced barbecue. (CNN has reached out to Heinz about the product.) )
Companies have long used well-known endorsers (even inadvertent, unpaid ones, like Swift) to gain consumer support. The brightest stars in history, such as Marilyn Monroe and Michael Jackson, used to sell high-shine shampoo and Pepsi respectively. Now, companies are hedging against America's sweethearts.
"Right now, no one attracts a larger audience than Swift," said Kate Blanton, a lecturer at the University of South Carolina, who is teaching a course on Swift's public image.
She's really everywhere: her "Times" stadium tour was the highest-grossing tour of all time, and the film version recently became the highest-grossing concert film of all time. She was named Time Magazine's Person of the Year in 2023. She is the most streamed artist on Spotify in 2023, and last year, she became the only living artist to have 10 albums on the US Billboard 200 list at the same time.
Benton noted that because Swift is a reliable eyeballer, the media will cover anything that concerns her. Several media outlets reported the news of Travis Kells' absence from the Ballon d'Or, despite the fact that he had his own very obvious commitment: to play against the Los Angeles Chargers on the same day.
While the tiniest details of a celebrity's life are always good to talk about, for Swift, it can be a huge marketing opportunity. After photos of one of Moldy's "best friends' nights" went viral, both Page Six and March posted detailed descriptions of what Moldy and her compatriots had for dinner, as well as glowing comments from the restaurant staff.
Some writers and creators will mention anything that has nothing to do with Swift, as long as they can manage to include her.
Even if mildew fever is irritating, it works
Swift's intensive offensive will sting consumers, who feel she is oversaturating their newsfeeds. Last fall, after she played for the Kansas City Chiefs in support of her boyfriend Travis Kelce, the National Football League (NFL) swapped the banner photo on X for a triptych of her emotional reaction. Even the head coach of an opposing team, like Bill Belichick of the Patriots, faced swift issues at the pre-game press conference.
After frequent and dazzling coverage earlier in the season, the NFL seems to have retracted its quick mention. And Kells said in October that he thought the NFL's reference to Swift was "overdone."
Benton said that even a negative reaction would draw more attention to these unpleasant reports, and he subtly referred to Mildew's recent focus on football: "Fans of the singer celebrate every media coverage as if it were a score from a sporting event. ”
Benton said it seemed a bit of a joke when the media shoehorned Swift into random news stories.
"Sure, putting Swift in a story generates more clicks, but it looks like doing so in a particularly ridiculous way would cause the content to go into the weave of 'weird Taylor Swift,' which now looks almost like a competition escalation," he said. ”
Brandon said that since Swift's millions of fans were already looking for new lace news about the star, the media was simply "capitalizing on this kind of activity."
NextWhere will we find Swift — an ad for seasonally adjusted tire pressures? in a pun caption about fossil findings? Another tweet from a young employee of a state politician who wants to expand their social reach?
Recently, Swift has been the talk of the Hollywood Reporter Actress of the Year roundtable. Host Rebecca Keegan asked "Master of Music" actress and Oscar favorite Carey Mulligan which "era" Swift would belong to.
Although Mulligan ultimately chose Folklore, she was clearly puzzled by the question, which required a lot of knowledge about Taylor Swift to understand, let alone answer.