Why Ownership Matters More Than Ever
In the PESO Model (Paid, Earned, Shared, Owned), owned media includes the communication channels a brand fully controls. This includes social platforms, websites, and email lists. As emphasized in the Spin Sucks PESO Model podcast, owned media is the foundation of a successful communication strategy because it allows for message control, long-term audience building, and independence from external gatekeepers.
Taylor Swift’s PR strategy for The Eras Tour movie is a standout example of how owned media can drive an entire campaign.
Swift’s Direct-to-Fan Approach
Rather than relying on traditional studio marketing or a high-budget paid campaign, Taylor Swift used her own platforms, primarily Instagram, to announce The Eras Tour film. This choice aligns with the PRLab explanation of the PESO Model, which argues that owned media offers unmatched autonomy and stability (Rodsevich, 2024). Her direct communication with fans allowed her to control the timing, tone, and narrative of the announcement.
When analyzing Swift’s promotional strategy, My Marketing Doctor, notes that she effectively uses “brand variations”, the eras of her career, to craft messaging that is adaptable and fan-centered (Marketing Doctor, 2023). By using owned media to break the news, she connected directly to her loyal fanbase with a message that felt personal and authentic. No paid advertising was used because her own platforms already operate at a massive scale.
Turning a Single Post Into a Global Event
Swift’s announcement instantly transformed into a shared-media phenomenon. Fans created reactions, countdowns, outfit inspiration videos, and theater experience clips across TikTok, X, and Instagram. This is exactly what PRLab identifies as the ripple effect of strong owned media: it fuels a wave of shared content that multiplies organic reach (Rodsevich, 2024).
My Marketing Doctor also emphasizes that Swift’s branding encourages participation. Each “era” invites fans to build their own stories around her content (Marketing Doctor, 2023). That is why the movie announcement spread so quickly across social platforms: it fit seamlessly into a fan culture already primed to share.
This shared-media explosion then led to tons of earned media. The Spin Sucks podcast notes that earned media grows naturally from compelling owned content, and Swift’s unique approach, self-announcing a self-produced film, generated industry analyses, commentary, and PR discussions. It evoked lots conversation from reporters due to how she highlighted her own independence, her direct partnership with AMC, and the broader implications for artists bypassing traditional marketing systems (Dietrich, 2021).
A Strategy Anchored in Ownership
- The Eras Tour movie became the highest-grossing concert film in history, demonstrating the broad impact of Swift’s strategy.
- The film’s success reflects how Swift used owned media to directly activate her audience.
- Her announcement sparked massive fan-driven shared media across platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and X.
- The organic fan excitement generated extensive earned media, prompting journalists and industry experts to cover her unconventional approach.
- The campaign illustrates a core PESO principle: strong owned media naturally fuels shared and earned media.
- Swift’s strategy reduced the need for traditional paid promotion, and still produced record-breaking results.
Lessons for PR Practitioners
Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour movie campaign proves that owned media is crucial for the brand to cultivate an engaged audience and a clear narrative. By controlling her channels, she maintained message authenticity, avoided costly paid advertising, and jumpstarted widespread shared and earned media.
For PR professionals, the key idea is clear: the stronger your owned media is, the more powerfully you can shape your message, and in turn, your success.
References
Depositphotos. (n.d.). Taylor Swift [Stock image gallery]. Depositphotos. Retrieved November 20, 2025, from https://depositphotos.com/photos/taylor-swift.html?qview=382772976
Dietrich, G. (2021). Spin Sucks #130: A PESO model primer for 2021 [Audio podcast episode]. In The Spin Sucks Podcast. FIR Podcast Network. https://www.firpodcastnetwork.com/spin-sucks-130-a-peso-model-primer-for-2021/
Marketing Doctor. (2023). The Variations Era: Advertising lessons from Taylor Swift. My Marketing Doctor. https://www.mymarketingdoctor.com/the-variations-era-advertising-lessons-from-taylor-swift
Rodsevich, M. (2024). The PESO model in PR: Paid, earned, shared and owned media. PRLab. https://prlab.co/blog/the-peso-model-in-pr-paid-earned-shared-owned-media/