Taylor Swift has finished the European leg of The Eras Tour, having played her eighth and final night at Wembley Stadium in London. 92,000 fans attended the show each night, but many Swifties were unable to buy tickets thanks to high demand, extortionate resale prices and requiring access codes to checkout. Yet, getting tickets appeared relatively easy for one group of people: Influencers. Numerous creators attended the shows with brands such as ASOS, John Lewis and Debenhams, much to the dismay of fans.
On X (formerly Twitter), Swifties were quick to call out creators such as Freya Tidy, who was a guest of ASOS and posed for photos during champagne problems – one of the most heart-wrenching songs from the setlist that always earns endless applause. Lifestyle influencer Evie Clark was also criticised for using the caption “I wanna be a Swiftie now”, alluding that she isn’t a genuine fan. Clark has since changed her caption to emojis following the backlash.
Brands inviting influencers to concerts has been a growing trend since the end of the pandemic. It’s a smart strategy to host a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and cement strong relationships with creators. In the past year, brands such as Shark Beauty and Garnier have taken talent to The Girls Aloud Show and Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS World Tour.
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The influencer posts from these events typically drive high engagement. When Miriam Mullins attended The Eras Tour in Dublin with Sol de Janeiro, her Instagram had a 14% engagement rate and more than 23,000 likes. All of the comments on Mullins’ post were positive, wishing her the best time or complimenting her outfit.
As Tidy and Clark can testify, not every influencer’s audience is so happy for them. Brands must be mindful of continually gifting creators access to exclusive events, lavish trips and luxury products. Customers cannot relate and it creates envy and fatigue, not aspiration.
Fans are particularly annoyed at the influencers who attended the last night of the European leg of The Eras Tour with brands because the evening was filled with surprises, including special guests Florence Welch and Jack Antonoff. Adding to the irritation is the fact Swift recently cancelled her tour dates in Vienna due to a planned terrorist attack. The events have not been rearranged, which means the 150,000 people who had tickets (many of whom flew or travelled to Vienna just for the concert) will still miss out.
Abi (Flossy Swift) expressed her annoyance and said on X: “I just find it frustrating that huge companies can book a lot of seats and bring influencers when there are fans that would love those free tickets so much more. I get that will never change, it’s just a real shame especially when people post stuff like this.” It’s worth noting that most companies book corporate suites rather than seats for major concerts.
If brands want to continue taking influencers to concerts, especially ones as anticipated as The Eras Tour, they must ensure their guests are genuine fans. For example, CeraVe and Matrix invited Chlo Davie, a fashion influencer and Swiftie who was not able see the show in Vienna. Her post about the experience has positive comments and a 5.9% engagement rate.
Brands should consider filling their corporate suites with loyal customers as well influencers. Take Stripe & Stare – it took its employees to The Eras Tour and Matrix also hosted a competition for a Swiftie to join their VIP Box at Wembley. Community events are gaining popularity. Beauty brand REFY took customers on a girls’ trip to Mallorca in July. In January, Topicals hosted a competition for three customers to join its influencer press event in the French Alps as part of its #FlyMeOutTopicals campaign.
Should brands continue to host influencer events? Of course – but why not invite loyal fans to a gifting suite, concert or Christmas party? Give back to your community and those who regularly support your business. It’s an open goal of a strategy and brands should embrace it.
By Caroline Edwards, news and features writer for CORQ. Picture credit: Taylor Swift via YouTube.
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