HWS News
31 January 2025 • Alums Taylor Swift Strategy
Harvard Business Review senior editor Kevin Evers ’04 analyzes business acumen behind megastar’s career that led to her pop icon status.
In the world of music and business, few figures command the level of attention and admiration that Taylor Swift does. As an artist, she has redefined the industry, but as a businesswoman, she has demonstrated an unparalleled mastery of strategy, innovation and brand loyalty. A new book authored by Hobart and William Smith graduate Kevin Evers ’04 dissects the strategic brilliance behind her meteoric rise.
There’s Nothing Like This: The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift, to be released on April 8, delves into the key business decisions that have propelled Swift from a teenage country singer performing in malls to a multi-billion-dollar global phenomenon. Evers, a senior editor at Harvard Business Review, analyzes how Swift has leveraged creativity, digital innovation and fan engagement to maintain her dominance in a fast-changing industry.
In his book, Evers breaks down Swift’s rise through several central points:
- Authentic Vision: Swift’s personal songwriting, which tapped into untouched market potential, contributed to her rise, akin to Marvel’s cultural dominance in the 1960s.
- Fan-First Approach: Revolutionizing artist-fan relationships, Swift treats her fans with the same care and engagement a startup founder shows their customers.
- Creative Resilience: Turning public setbacks into creative fuel, Swift’s ability to channel conflict into artistic triumph redefines overcoming adversity.
- Artistic Independence: Her bold move to re-record her catalog to reclaim ownership of her music was a turning point in the industry.
- Musical Shapeshifting: Swift’s ability to reinvent herself—from country prodigy to pop powerhouse and indie-folk storyteller—expanded her fan base and engaged her audience.
- Digital Innovation: Swift has masterfully leveraged technology, from surprise album drops to innovative social engagement.
“I didn’t want to simplify her success into some kind of formula or checklist,” says Evers in a recent People Magazine article. “I wanted to follow her journey — era by era — and unpack the key decisions she made at those pivotal moments that shaped her incredible rise.”
At the Harvard Business Review since 2010, Evers has written articles on topics including the brain science of “cool,” Hollywood blockbusters, the art of persuasion, the unpredictability of success and the art of being a late bloomer.
At HWS, Evers majored in English and later earned an MFA in film studies from Boston University.
