As Taylor Swift touches down in Indianapolis this evening to kick off the final leg of her U.S. Eras Tour, Nov. 1-3, at Lucas Oil Stadium, e.l.f. Cosmetics will be there to help welcome the pop star and her fans to “The Racing Capital of the World” through a cross-collaboration with Purdue University that merges academia, beauty and motorsports.
The brand will activate with the university’s Purdue Brand Studio agency at Circle Centre Mall, Saturday and Sunday (a 10-minute walk from Lucas Oil Stadium), offering a makerspace with a friendship bracelet-making station featuring hidden messages, a social media photo background activation, sampling, and tote bag printing. The “In Our STEM Era” activation will also immerse Swifties in the university’s accredited motorsports engineering program (the only such one in the country) as well as its other STEM-related undergraduate programming.
The activation builds off e.l.f. Cosmetics’ “Lip Oil Change” activation at the Indy 500 in May, where e.l.f. became the first-ever beauty brand to serve as a primary sponsor of a car in the history of the Indianapolis 500. And on-site at Circe Centre Mall, fans will be able to get up close and personal with driver Katherine Legge’s vehicle.
Overall, Indianapolis is expecting 200,000 visitors in town for the concert this weekend, with short-term rental bookings up 207 percent from last weekend. It’s these kinds of statistics and business opportunities that have driven city and state organizations, as well as private event producers, to capitalize on this pinnacle of Eras Tour buzz.
Let’s shake a look at other campaigns that have cropped up in this month.
(Photo: Courtesy of Purdue University)
A FRIENDSHIP BRACELET STATEMENT
On top of the oversized friendship bracelet installation that adorned the Caesars Superdome during the Oct. 25-27 Eras Tour stops (which prompted a special shoutout from Taylor herself during the concerts), the city of New Orleans travel association, New Orleans & Company, mobilized a sweepstakes offering two Swifties the chance to score free accommodations at Hotel Saint Vincent (where the artist has stayed before), an $800 travel stipend, and a host of gift cards and packages, in addition to complimentary transportation.
All across the city, businesses hosted themed lunches and dinners, and added specialty offerings, like cocktails, to their menus, according to the association, which also published Taylor’s Version Guide to the city’s happenings.
(Update: Caesar’s Superdome has “traded its friendship bracelets” with Lucas Oil Stadium. See @caesarssuperdome Reels.)
ERAS TOUR TRAIN PARTIES
Florida’s Brightline system ran a Taylor-Swift themed train from Orlando International Airport Terminal to Miami during the Eras Tour concerts in the city earlier this month. Each car was themed around a different Taylor era, complete with signage and clings, décor, activations, and music pumping from the speakers. Little Words Project was on-hand for bracelet-making. There was also a Glitter Bar service for the Fazit freckles (that Taylor famously wore to a recent NFL game), temporary tattoo stations, sunglass customization stations, and snacks.
Said one fan: “I was originally planning on driving down to Miami from my house in central Florida, which would have taken over three hours. The ease of having my own car, getting to leave when I wanted to after the concert, and not worrying about catching my return trip at 1 a.m. would have been nice, but Brightline’s Sing-Along Train was like traveling Swiftie first class.”
UP NEXT: ‘TAYLGATING’ IN TORONTO
After wrapping up in the U.S., Taylor Swift heads to Toronto for two weekends, Nov. 14-16, and 21-23, where a pair of local event producers from BIG HQ and Canfield Consulting are creating the “Toronto’s Version: Taylgate ’24,” a fan experience at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre near the concert venue. The ticketed event takes place every day there is a concert, from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m., and is boasting the “largest bracelet building area in the city” featuring more than 5 million beads, along with activities and entertainment. Daily capacity: 12,000 fans.
Elsewhere in the city, Fujifilm is reportedly creating a photo experience featuring the iconic “heart hands,” while the international music duo Choir! Choir! Choir! will lead a singalong in the city. “We’ve seen the excitement generated in each city on this tour, and it’s our turn now,” Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik told reporters in a press conference.
(Image: The Official Taylgate Event Map, created by local artist Alysha Dawn)
Featured photo credit: Taylor Swift/Instagram
