Higher education leaders may be surprised to find some of the most relevant strategic lessons today coming not from another university president, enrollment expert, or corporate CEO—but from Taylor Swift.
In a presentation at the Institute for Higher Education 2026, based on his book, There’s Nothing Like This: The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift, Harvard Business Review Senior Editor Kevin Evers outlines six principles that have fueled one of the most remarkable growth stories in modern business. While the industry setting is music, the lessons apply directly to colleges and universities navigating enrollment challenges, population shifts, increasing competition, and changing student expectations.
The reality is that Taylor Swift didn’t become a global phenomenon simply because of talent. Many talented artists never reach that level. Her success is rooted in strategy, audience understanding, experience design, and an unwavering focus on transformation.
Those same principles can help institutions create stronger enrollment pipelines, deeper alumni engagement, and more distinctive market positions.
1. Seize Opportunities Others Ignore
One of Evers’ key observations is that Swift consistently identifies opportunities others overlook. She enters underserved spaces, embraces emerging platforms early, and recognizes shifts in consumer behavior ahead of her competitors.
In our industry, colleges and universities often do the opposite. Many institutions pursue the same majors, target the same students, and communicate in nearly identical ways. The result is increased competition and diminished differentiation.
Institutions growing today are often the ones finding opportunities others ignore:
- Recruiting women into STEM fields where demand continues to rise
- Creating employer-driven academic pathways
- Serving adult learners in new ways
- Building specialized programs around regional workforce needs
- Developing distinctive institutional identities rather than trying to be everything to everyone
Growth rarely comes from fighting harder in crowded spaces. It comes from finding opportunities others haven’t yet recognized.
2. Balance Familiarity with Distinctiveness
According to Evers, Swift succeeds because she continuously evolves while remaining recognizable. Fans experience something new, but never something completely disconnected from what they love.
Many colleges and universities struggle with this balance. Some become trapped by tradition and fail to evolve. Others chase trends so aggressively that they lose their identity.
The strongest institutions maintain their core values while adapting their programs, messaging, and experiences to meet the expectations of today’s students.
Students want innovation, but they also want confidence in what an institution stands for. The challenge is not choosing between tradition and innovation—it is blending both.
3. Understand the Inner Lives of Your Audience
Perhaps Swift’s greatest strategic advantage is her ability to deeply understand what her audience is feeling, fearing, aspiring toward, and experiencing. Her fans feel understood.
In our industry, we often rely heavily on demographic data while overlooking emotional data. Students don’t choose colleges based solely on rankings, majors, or tuition costs. They are asking questions such as:
- Will I belong here?
- Will I be successful?
- Will I find my people?
- Will this investment be worth it?
- Who will I become?
The institutions winning today understand both the rational and emotional dimensions of college choice.
Behavioral signals, student intent data, audience insights, and direct engagement become increasingly important because they reveal what students are thinking—not just who they are. AI is not the answer for everything.
4. Become Fan-Obsessed
Evers notes that Swift is relentlessly focused on her fans. Every decision is viewed through the lens of audience value.
Imagine if every college and university became equally obsessed with students. What would change?
Campus visits would be memorable experiences. Student services would be proactive. Alumni would feel more like students again, belonging rather than being viewed as a means to an end.
Many institutions talk about being student-centered. The best institutions operationalize it.
5. Build Extreme Positive Experiences
Swift understands that memorable experiences create advocates. Her concerts aren’t simply musical performances—they are interactive events people talk about for years. The same principle applies to higher education.
A campus tour should not feel like a real estate tour.
An admitted student event should not feel routine.
Orientation should not feel administrative.
Every major touchpoint represents an opportunity to create an experience that students remember and share.
The NFL has mastered this concept by transforming ordinary moments—such as schedule releases, draft day, and offseason activities—into major engagement events. We can do the same.
6. Sell Transformation, Not Products
The most powerful insight from Evers’ presentation may be this:
“Customers don’t just buy products; they buy the outcomes and personal growth those products enable.”
It may be the most important lesson for higher education leaders.
Students are not purchasing credit hours.
They are not buying residence halls.
They are not buying courses.
They are investing in who they hope to become.
Too often, we showcase:
- Number of Majors
- New residence halls
- Student-faculty ratio
- State-of-the-art facilities
Students care about those things, but only because of what they enable.
What students truly buy is transformation.
They buy confidence.
They buy opportunity.
They buy career outcomes.
They buy personal growth.
They buy a future version of themselves.
The institutions that communicate transformation most effectively will have a significant advantage in the years ahead.
The Future Belongs to Transformation Institutions
The evolution of the economy has moved from products to services to experiences.
Today, we are entering what many describe as the Transformation Economy, as coined by B. Joseph Pine.
In this environment, the institutions that thrive will not be those that simply deliver degrees.
They will be the institutions that create meaningful transformations.
Taylor Swift’s success offers a reminder that growth does not come from doing more of the same. It comes from understanding people deeply, creating remarkable experiences, and helping them become who they aspire to be.