When is "Being Extra" Too Much?

As a self-proclaimed Swiftie, I can give so many examples of how Taylor Swift, as talented as she is in singing, performing, and writing, her true talent is marketing. That is a blog, and honestly a thesis for another day. However, today’s latest news in her collaboration with Toy Story 5 is a current topic and a great conversation starter: when is branding "extraness" too much?

Spoiler alert, never.

Context: Today, Taylor Swift dropped the news that she will have a song featured in the highly anticipated Toy Story 5. The song is titled “I Knew It, I Knew You” and there is also a piano version and acoustic version. I have a feeling this song will hit audiences the same way Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” did, leaving people in tears as they hear it alongside the movie.

This drop was not a surprise to the Swifties who have caught on to all of her Easter eggs within the last few months.

1. In April, Taylor Swift’s website featured a countdown with clouds that suddenly disappeared within seconds.

2. In her Opalite music video, there were clouds behind a floral gate. This is next-level Swiftie insider information. If you know, you know. If not, just trust that this was a reference.

3. Taylor Swift, for the month of May, has been out and about with a few clothing nods to Toy Story.

4. A billboard popped up this week with 13 clouds and a TS. 13 is notoriously Taylor’s favorite number and TS could be for Taylor Swift or Toy Story.

5. Today, she featured another countdown on her website, this time featuring Jessie from Toy Story.

   
   

Okay, now that is out of the way. Some individuals are saying, “All of this for one song?” Some theories were that she was going to have a larger involvement in the music, like Phil Collins with Tarzan or Lin-Manuel Miranda with Moana. A project as large as that would certainly justify all of this teasing months in advance, but with just one song, is all of this clue dropping and visuals too much?

Absolutely not.

In the world of marketing, it is very difficult to ever be “too much.” Every brand is different. High-luxury brands do not do much and let prestige and exclusivity speak for them. However, as the world becomes more accessible at our fingertips, marketing is becoming more about quantity of encounters.

Consumers can achieve any product, any service, and nearly any knowledge source at the click of a button. Why are they going to choose you? Most likely, by the point of engagement, they have already been exposed to your brand 5–10 times, and by the point of purchase, perhaps 10–20 times.

This means trying new things and having eggs in various marketing baskets.

The average customer is not sitting around waiting for your next Facebook post. They are scrolling past hundreds of businesses every day. If you show up once, you are forgotten. If you show up consistently, in different formats, on different platforms, and with a little personality-you become familiar.

That is exactly what Taylor Swift has mastered. The song announcement today was not really about today. It was about the months of conversation leading up to today. Every cloud, countdown, outfit, and billboard gave fans another reason to talk. The marketing became part of the experience.

And that is where many businesses get stuck. They think marketing starts when they have something to sell. In reality, marketing starts long before the sale. It starts with curiosity, moves to recognition and thrives when it gives consumers a reason to pay attention. Are you ready to discuss how you can enhance your marketing initiatives? Contact us!

So no, there is no such thing as being too extra.

Anyone who tells you otherwise is probably a hater, and as Taylor Swift said, “Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate... I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake.”

Shake it off.