Of the millions of people who tried to get tickets to Taylor Swift’s Eras concerts in Vancouver this December, only 160,000 or so will be going to the shows. That leaves a lot of Swifties with unmet needs – and many of them are locals. They, and the thousands of fans who will be coming to town for the December 6-8 shows, will be looking for ways to amplify, commemorate, or have an alternate Taylor Swift experience.

So how can savvy local businesses cater to – and start a conversation with – this huge wave of fans with money to spend? Sure, there are rooms and parking spaces to be rented, but beyond that, what events, products, experiences, and community can a creative business offer in the months leading up to the event?

A recent article in BC Business suggests that opportunities exist for everyone from clothing and beauty product retailers, to food and drink establishments, to seamstresses and drag performers. It’s a matter of creating an offer that Swifties will see as part of the experience.

Even if Taylor Swift’s audience isn’t your audience, the upcoming event offers a fun framework for talking about an exercise every business owner should go through from time to time: how to do more with what you have through connection, innovation, and collaboration.

Idea #1

Connect with new audiences and communities

Creating and connecting with your brand’s community, or target market, has always been part of smart marketing plans and – as the next generation of consumers looks increasingly to community trends and feedback for their purchasing recommendations – it becomes more important than ever. According to a recent article by Junction Consulting, Gen Z might not even see your ads or visit your website until they’re ready to make a purchase.

When was the last time you thought about your brand’s community? Who might you be overlooking, who’s being underserved, and who can you start a conversation with? This isn’t about expanding your brand communication in a scattershot way, it’s about getting specific and looking for niche groups that might be a fit for your business or organization. Niche audiences, although fewer in numbers, tend to develop stronger relationships with their favourite brands and be repeat buyers.

Bars and pubs are good examples of businesses that have found ways to broaden their customer base by creating events for niche audiences, such as Paint Nights, drag brunches, and lectures on topics like the future of Bitcoin. They also reach out by sponsoring good causes – like Barnside Brewing did when they hosted a puppy adoption event, or Four Winds Brewing does with their annual 5km run for charity. As always, it’s about knowing what your audiences – old and new – want.

The Swift connection:

Could you introduce your brand to new audiences by tapping into the excitement of the Eras tour on social? It’s a wide market – Taylor Swift fans cross generations. According to a March 2023 survey by Statistica, 45% of Swift’s US fans are millennials, 25% are baby boomers, and 21% are Gen X. The average US concert-goer spends $1,300 USD per show on expenses such as tickets, travel, outfits and costumes, merchandise, and food and drink. How can you become part of it?

As always, before you start to brainstorm, learn a little bit about your target market, what they might be looking for, and whether it’s a fit for your business. For example, Beyoncé is also a female superstar, and her US fans spend even more than Swifties, (an average of $1,800 USD per show), but her fan demographics are different.

Idea #2

Innovate within your current offer or expand it

Could you do more with the resources you have? For example, in 2023 – without investing heavily in new equipment or processes – Barnside Brewing developed Road Pop sparkling hop water to diversify their offerings and meet the growing demand for non-alcoholic drinks, and in 2023 they hosted the highly successful Barnside Harvest Festival, a three-day music festival that’s become an annual event.

The owner of Matt Concrete was an artisan working as a decorative finisher. He saw a need for thin, high-quality, hand-finished panels that mimicked the look of architectural concrete, and that could be installed where traditional concrete installations could not. He met that need with Matt Panels.

Gardening, kitchen supply, craft, and home supply stores have long been aware of the value of offering classes to drive sales in the short-term, and create a long-term, loyal community – because loyal communities will spend to support their favourite brands and businesses.

The Swift innovation:

Can you create a product or experience that Swifties would flock to? They, and other supporters of women-led entertainment are an economic force to be reckoned with. In 2023, their spending on Beyoncé, Barbenheimer, and Swift pumped an estimated 8.5 billion into the US economy (with the Barbie movie creating most of that economic boost within the movie duo). Michaels Stores along Taylor Swift’s tour stops, for example, experienced a 300% jump in sales of beads and jewelry as fans rushed to craft friendship bracelets to exchange at concerts.

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Collaborate with people in other markets

Collaborations allow you to share resources between businesses, expand your reach to new audiences, cross-promote, and experiment. The Good Sauna, for example, offers a pop-up hot sauna and cold plunge combo with a private hangout area for your group – and this winter and spring they’ve taken over part of the patio at Container Brewing. Participants can book a cycle of hot and cold, and relax around the fire with a craft beer in between rounds. It’s a collaboration that works for both parties… and The Good Sauna doesn’t stop there. A link on their website connects to Feel Good Everyday Fitness, which lists community hot and cold therapy sessions within their class schedules.

The Swift collaboration:

Look around your community – who could you partner with to expand your reach and create a bit of excitement around your business? Is there a friendship bracelet-making station coming soon to your location?

Curiosity and creativity create opportunity

Tapping into the excitement of major events like the Eras tour is just one way to create new business opportunities and raise awareness for your brand, but the real magic is having a curious and creative approach that helps you identify, explore, and create opportunities year-round. It’s all about keeping your mind and eyes open, and doing more with what you’ve got.

At Indalma Creative, we’ve always got our eyes open for opportunities for our clients – as creatives, it’s how we think. Even writing this article sparked all kinds of ideas within our team that we could apply in our own community. If you’ve got an idea you’d like to explore and are looking for a thought partner, give us a shout. There’s nothing we like better than helping businesses turn small opportunities into big ones!

3 Ways to Create New Opportunities for Your Business. Thanks, Taylor Swift.

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