Experts say the Eras Tour was successful thanks to Taylor Swift building a smart image promotion strategy and carefully investing in show elements.

On November 27, Taylor Swift ended this year’s tour in São Paulo, Brazil. On the website, the singer announced to continue the tour in February 2024, opening in Tokyo, Japan. The Eras Tour started in March and has now been held in five countries including the US, Canada, Mexico, Argentina and Brazil with more than 60 shows, averaging more than three hours per show. The tour is expected to end next December and will be held in many European and Asian countries.

Forbes said the show grosses about $14 million per night, and experts estimate the tour’s revenue could reach more than $4 billion by the end of next year. According to research company AskPro, Taylor helps the places she visits attract tourists, contributing to generating $5.7 billion for the US economy.

Taylor Swift performs in Argentina. Photo: Taylor Swift Instagram

In October, Taylor became a billionaire thanks to the success of the Eras Tour and reached $2.2 billion after shows in North America — surpassing Elton John’s record of $939 million. Singers earn about 85% of total ticket sales – a high ratio that is rare in the music industry.

The Washington Post says Taylor is both a genius businesswoman and a performing artist. Experts and many newspapers said that the Eras Tour “swept” the world thanks to investment and smart image-building strategies.

According to Variery, the Eras Tour depicts Taylor’s entire career and is the most invested in. The singer takes care of the show like a Broadway show, the stage, screen, choreography, and sound are of good quality. Every night, the singer performs about 44 songs and two songs that are not on the list to create surprises. She devoted herself to each performance, showing off her dancing skills, playing musical instruments, and expressive vocals.

Some moments of Taylor Swift at Eras Tour. Video: Taylor Swift Instagram

Elements including lighting, stage effects, props, and backgrounds are all beautiful and highlight the spirit of the 10 albums. At the beginning of the show, Taylor showed off her sweetness when singing and playing the guitar with love songs from Lover under pink lights. Next, the singer and the stage stood out in yellow tones when singing Fearless, emphasizing the strength.

When performing Evermore, Taylor sat at a moss-covered piano, surrounded by images of forests and oak trees, creating a magical atmosphere. Or by standing on a high red podium and wearing matching clothes, the singer conveys his rage in life as well as his burning passion for his profession through Red.

The Economic Times commented that the tour takes fans through many levels of emotions, paying tribute to each period of their 17 years in the profession. Audience member Grinnie Low said: “During the concert, I was transported to 10 different worlds.”

The show’s stage is in Nashville. Photo: Taylor Swift Instagram

The singer’s costumes are also designed to represent the style of each period. She wears clothes from brands such as Atelier Versace, Roberto Cavalli, Etro, Elie Saab, Nicole + Felicia, Alberta Ferretti, many of which take more than 300 hours to complete.

On stage, the singer shines with sparkling and flattering outfits. When performing sweet songs like Enchanted, she wore a flowing dress. When singing vibrant pop songs, Taylor wears a bright bodysuit. Taylor also participates in the design stages to ensure that her costumes and the dancers and stage will be in harmony.

Taylor Swift wore a dress by Nicole + Felicia, embellished with more than 200,000 sequins and crystals, sewn by hand. Photo: Taylor Swift Instagram

Besides, many experts say Taylor’s smart promotion and image-building strategy helped the tour attract attention. The singer took full advantage of social networks to promote the tour, constantly posting related photos, videos and schedules.

She also released a film to increase awareness of the tour. According to Box Office Mojo, The Eras Tour earned nearly $250 million at the box office, breaking the advance ticket booking record of the blockbuster Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). The project is many times more profitable than the production budget of 10 to 20 million USD. The singer does not have to share profits with the studio because she produces and distributes it herself through AMC Theaters.

The work helps the concert raise about 93 million USD per night. In Vietnam and many other countries, viewers sing, dance, and turn on flash lights as if they were directly participating in a concert.

The audience sings “Don’t Blame Me” at Nissan Stadium. Video: TikTok frannie_hogan

“Taylor is the leading marketing executive in music history. She is acutely aware of personal branding,” says music expert Nathan Bubbard.

The close relationship between Taylor and her fans helped the Eras Tour cause a fever. Harvard professor Alexandra Gold said the singer’s songs tap into the emotions of love, friends and relationships of listeners of many ages. Many fans grew up with those lyrics and took their children to attend their idol’s concerts.

On Psychology Today, researchers say feeling understood creates a strong connection, which in turn allows Taylor to build trust with her listeners. People don’t just watch the show, they become co-stars. Poet Stephanie Burt said: “She has great musical ability and songwriting talent. Taylor’s lyrics can be imprinted in your mind and draw many stories.”

The singer interacted with fans while performing in Mexico. Photo: Taylor Swift Instagram

Taylor confided to fans on tour: “I wrote about what I’ve been through in life and felt very moved. I thought I was the only one who felt that way until you guys sang the lyrics and I’m not alone anymore.”

Responding to the singer’s love, every music night, more than 70,000 fans scream and clap to support their idol. According to a study, the audience at the Seattle show shook the ground equivalent to a 2.3 magnitude earthquake. Many stars came to watch the show such as Emma Watson, Cara Delevingne, Selena Gomez, Julia Robert.

Taylor Swift sings “Wildest Dream”. Video: Taylor Swift Instagram

Variety likens the singer’s success to the phenomenon of Beatlemania – a period when fans went “crazy” for The Beatles. Taylor shares the same success formula as the group when he retired from the stage for 5 years to focus on creating quality products. She experimented with the indie folk and alternative rock genres, thereby attracting new listeners.

After a long period of silence, since the release of the album Midnights in October 2022, Taylor has made good use of the media coverage strategy by regularly updating social networks. Many of Taylor’s songs became popular again after she re-recorded them with Taylor’s Versions.

She keeps winning big: Breaking records and receiving seven nominations at the 2024 Grammys, winning nine MTV VMAs 2023 categories, and being the most listened to artist of the year on Apple Music and Spotify. The singer’s return stirred up the music industry and made many fans look forward to it, more than 200 fans camped in tents for 5 months to have the chance to stand in front of the singer’s concert.

Variety says the 34-year-old singer is now at his peak and will evolve, his tracks increasingly showing off his polish and intelligence. She affirmed herself as an excellent artist, in an unmatched position in the current music industry.