Taylor Swift got engaged.
Which, you know, because EVERYONE is talking about it.
(And that’s why I’m not actually going to talk about that today – you’re already drowning in 6,378,398 think pieces about it.)
Because before the announcement yesterday – I had a ton of other news pieces to talk about – the Gap campaign, the new Gisou launch, the Dove Cameron collab – but – instead I wanted to talk about the link between ALL of these.
Because what’s interesting about the TS engagement (from a marketer's perspective) is how brands have capitalized on it and reacted to it.
Every brand and their mom are trend-jacking on this announcement to get hype and eyes on their brand.
But every other marketing campaign this week has involved a celebrity endorsement – which has gotten me thinking about a shift in marketing.
I’m not saying celebrity endorsements are new – but I do feel like almost every marketing campaign I’ve seen in 2025 has fallen into two categories – celebrity collab, or IRL experience.
Brands are no longer relying on solving problems or sharing benefits to drive sales – everything is about creating a viral moment that people can insert themselves into.
So.
How do you use that in your own brand? 👀
1. Steal celeb hype
Not everyone can collaborate with a celeb or influencer – but you CAN use trend-jacking to use their hype for yourself.
Like every other brand in the world this week – make a post about the TS engagement.
Or, pick your favorite celebrity, and create a mock-up for them (e.g. “If I could design a landing page for my fav Beyoncé album, it would look like this...”)
2. Make everything into a moment
Name your newsletter.
Name your offers.
Collab with other brands.
Make mini campaigns for social media posts.
Anything you can do to make something feel exciting and fun and give people a VIP experience – use that.
Because honestly – that’s what TS is doing with the engagement content – she’s bringing people into her world and making them feel like they’re part of something, not just watching it.
