For two nights in July, the City of Santa Clara was renamed “Swiftie Clara” for its new honorary mayor, pop superstar Taylor Swift. It was the latest in a long line of cities to capitalize on the stunning success of Swift’s international Eras Tour.
“It’s a match made in heaven,” SCU associate professor of marketing Kumar Sarangee proclaimed in a CBS News Bay Area segment. Taylor Swift is “an innovative leader, she’s a smart businesswoman, she’s a philanthropist, she’s an activist, and she does at a young age a lot of things very well. And that’s what Santa Clara stands for.”
Much of the credit for building that brand, Sarangee notes, goes to Swift’s “rabidly loyal fan base.” So-called Swifties span generations from Boomers to Zoomers and are willing to spend—a lot!—to prepare for, travel to, tailgate at, and buy merch at her concerts.
According to the survey company QuestionPro, Swift’s tour could generate upwards of $4.6 billion in economic activity in North America. In late August, Beyoncé brought her record-breaking Renaissance World Tour to Levi’s Stadium (and was also named honorary mayor of Santa Clara). Renaissance is expected to generate $4.5 billion in spending, internationally.
It’s no wonder, contemplating those incredible sums and realizing Barbie became the first female-directed movie to break $1 billion at the box office, that NPR dubbed this #BillionGirlSummer.