It’s Nice To Have A Friend: Human Brand Parasocial Relationship Building and Marketing Implications from the Taylor Swift Brand
Open Access
Author:
Sliver, Caroline
Area of Honors:
Marketing
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Jennifer Chang Coupland, Thesis Supervisor Jennifer Chang Coupland, Thesis Honors Advisor Johanna H Slot, Faculty Reader
Keywords:
Taylor Swift marketing brand strategy parasocial relationships parasocial parasociality PSR brand strategy Taylor Swift PSI-Process Scale human brands human brand qualitative data qualitative content analysis musician
Abstract:
The objective of this analysis is to explore the intersection of human brands and parasocial relationships, or PSR, through the lens of Taylor Swift. Although many fans engage in parasocial relationships with their favorite artists, the purpose of this thesis is to understand how and why Swift’s fans, or Swifties, create comparatively personal and meaningful connections
with the artist. In order to do this, I used the PSI-Process Scale, a model measuring parasocial relationships, to demonstrate the existence of PSR with Swift through qualitative analysis of observations social media data and news articles. I found that Swift and her fans share a best
friend consumer-brand dynamic, which connects to additional factors that further the depth,
nature, and intensity of PSR: authenticity, relatability, and familiarity; linguistics, voice, and
tone; lyrics; live performances; and friendship bracelets. Finally, I used content analysis to
understand the role of touchpoints in PSR with human brands, including the aspect of
oversaturation, and the impact of brand transgressions on PSR.
