What “Taylor’s Up To Now”: Branding Media, Constructing the Self, and Selling Taylor Swift’s Star Persona

Abstract

Taylor Swift’s self-branding and persona construction are deeply intertwined with her co-branding partnerships, which transform advertising into extensions of her autobiographical storytelling. Through Easter eggs, home videos, photographs, diary excerpts, and musical references, Swift mobilizes self-curated autobiography to strengthen fan engagement and reinforce her star image. Examining advertisements across multiple eras—including AT&T’s “Taylor’s Up To Now,” Capital One’s “All Eras” and “I Think I’ll Go with a Cardigan,” and Diet Coke’s “Stay Extraordinary” and “Kittens”—this article demonstrates how Swift consistently performs and reshapes her celebrity identity through brand collaborations that blur the boundaries between promotion, fandom, and self-narration.