Taylor Swift's latest album fuels the most scorching branding fad of 2025
Taylor Swift's latest album, "The Life of a Showgirl," has sparked a unique branding trend, with over 50 major brands jumping on the bandwagon. This organic phenomenon, which began after Swift's album announcement, has generated tens of millions of impressions worldwide.
Fast food giants like KFC, Burger King, McDonald's, Panera, Dunkin', and Shake Shack have integrated glitzy orange-themed visuals or clever brand-play referencing the album. For instance, Burger King Philippines created a special menu item called the "Shake It Off Shake," while KFC Australia showcased an orange-feathered chicken mascot.
Duolingo, the popular language-learning app, revamped its owl mascot Duo with a Taylor Swift makeover, adding sparkle and aligning with the theme. Meanwhile, the Empire State Building and Kansas City Union Station were illuminated with the album’s orange colours for promotional impact.
Other brands like FedEx, Crumbl, X (formerly Twitter), United Airlines, Olipop, and McLaren also adopted the orange and turquoise palette or created glitter-themed social media content to ride the wave of the trend.
This trend showcases how brands can participate authentically while using systems that allow for speed without sacrificing brand integrity. Miruna Dragomir, CMO at content collaboration platform Planable, emphasized the importance of agility and a methodical approach. In her words, "The Swift orange moment is a masterclass in reactive marketing."
This viral moment serves as a reminder that brands can capitalize on unexpected opportunities, such as album releases, to boost their visibility and engage with their audience in creative ways. As Duolingo, Planable, and many others have demonstrated, the key isn't to follow every trend, but to make your organization agile enough to capitalize on those that align with your brand's identity.
For more creative insight, consider what we can learn from Taylor Swift's ownership victory. The star used web design to drop a major Easter egg for eagle-eyed fans, demonstrating the potential of viral moments for brands.
The Creative Bloq Newsletter offers daily design news, reviews, how-tos, and more, for those interested in staying updated on the latest trends in the industry.
[1] Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl Album Branding Trend: A Case Study in Viral Marketing [2] Empire State Building Joins Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl Branding Trend [3] Fast Food Giants Embrace Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl Album Branding Trend [4] The Life of a Showgirl Album Branding Trend: A Look at the Top Participating Brands
- Brands can authentically participate in trends, allowing for speed without sacrificing brand integrity, as demonstrated by the Taylor Swift-inspired orange branding trend.
- Taylor Swift's latest album, "The Life of a Showgirl," has sparked a unique branding trend that has generated tens of millions of impressions worldwide.
- The Swift orange moment is a masterclass in reactive marketing, as verified by Miruna Dragomir, CMO at content collaboration platform Planable.
- Taylor Swift used web design to drop a major Easter egg for her fans, demonstrating the potential of viral moments for brands.
- Fast food giants like KFC, Burger King, McDonald's, Panera, Dunkin', and Shake Shack have integrated glitzy orange-themed visuals or clever brand-play referencing Taylor Swift's album.
- Besides food brands, others like FedEx, Crumbl, X (formerly Twitter), United Airlines, Olipop, and McLaren also adopted the orange and turquoise palette or created glitter-themed social media content.
- The Creative Bloq Newsletter offers daily design news, reviews, how-tos, and more, for design enthusiasts wanting to stay informed on the latest trends in the industry.
- The Empire State Building and Kansas City Union Station were illuminated with the album’s orange colours for promotional impact, following the Taylor Swift-inspired branding trend.
