Do you sense it in the air, in the water, in the sounds of the birds? The world has changed: We’ve just entered a Taylor Swift album cycle. For the next few months, ahead of the release of her new record Reputation on November 10, we will be seeing more Taylor than we know what to do with. True to form, Swift is intent on maintaining her cultural ubiquity: Reputation will get a long roll-out, rather than going the surprise-drop route of auteurs like Beyoncé or Kendrick Lamar. To help with that goal, she’s already announced a string of big corporate partnerships to make sure you hear “Look What You Made Me Do” (and other presumed singles) everywhere you go, forever.
UPS
Swift has teamed up with UPS “to deliver a new experience for customers,” as a press release puts it. That experience is… the album. Cut through all the jargon, and basically it seems like UPS is going to ensure that every copy of Reputation ends up where it should, on time, lest they disappoint her customers. Most notably, the trademark UPS trucks will be emblazoned with the cover for Reputation, so you know what’s about to arrive at your doorstep when it rolls through the neighborhood.
Excited to be the Official Delivery Partner of Taylor Swift’s new album! Look for #TaylorSwiftDelivery trucks: https://t.co/1hg8OX1xWu pic.twitter.com/ThNrhIEet7
— UPS (@UPS) August 25, 2017
Also, if you preorder the album through UPS, you might win concert tickets, memorabilia, and other stuff. Here’s a video promoting the contest, starring Swift:
You could win an exclusive #TaylorSwiftDelivery by pre-ordering* Taylor’s new album #reputation from UPS. https://t.co/OpvEIOQYMa pic.twitter.com/mvHjzXbn5T
— UPS (@UPS) August 25, 2017
Look what you made her do… (Send you a nice package, with a bow on it, and then smile at you to make sure you know it’s from here.)
ABC
Beside Taylor Swift, you know what else is back this fall? Primetime ABC dramas such as Scandal, Grey’s Anatomy, and How to Get Away With Murder. Here’s a brand new teaser for those shows, set to Swift’s new single.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbVhoCr0Rao
College football
College football is also back, too. Alabama (ranked No. 1) and Florida State (ranked No. 3) face off a week from tomorrow, and a new ad for the game is scored to—guess what—”Look What You Made Me Do.” How does noir-ish, Lorde-esque pop square away with Nick Saban’s grim visage, prepared to reign havoc on yet another football season? Who knows, but it’s here.
Target
Taylor Swift and Target go back—she did store-specific commercials for Speak Now, Red, and 1989, to go along with bonus content for copies of the album found only at the retailer. From a press release: “Target is teaming up with Taylor again for an exclusive edition of the album, offering two unique and collectible magazines created by Taylor herself.” The magazines seem akin to Frank Ocean’s Boys Don’t Cry publication: They’ll have photos of Taylor, handwritten lyrics, personal poetry, and other stuff. Here’s what the magazines look like.
