Image shared by Olivia Rodrigo via Instagram
On September 13, 2023, Olivia Rodrigo announced her GUTS World Tour following the release of her second album, GUTS. This came as no surprise to fans thanks to the hints given the previous day.
Several arenas posted the arena illuminated with purple lights on September 12, 2023, via Instagram. Most arenas followed a format similar to the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, and posted their purple building with the caption “tomORrow,” while the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, California took a different approach. The Kia Forum posted a montage of clips decorated with Olivia Rodrigo references with that same caption the other arenas used, accompanied by one of the singles, “bad idea right?” from Rodrigo’s newest album. These posts confirmed fans’ suspicion of a tour announcement before Rodrigo directly announced it on her social media accounts.
Rodrigo followed a marketing strategy popularized by Taylor Swift, which includes “easter eggs” that allow fans to uncover future projects without the artist directly announcing them. This strategy encourages interactions between fans and artists, as well as between fans and other fans as they attempt to solve the puzzles. It is a way for artists to communicate with their fans in a special and coded manner. While the average person would probably be able to uncover the Olivia Rodrigo GUTS tour announcement, most easter eggs are only things those most dedicated would notice and understand. Swift showcased this in her recent music video for “Bejeweled,” which included 22 easter eggs according to Entertainment Weekly. The most notable information from the music video was the re-recording of Speak Now. Through a variety of clues, including instrumental versions of songs from the album at the beginning and end of the music video, visuals of dragons associated with the song “Long Live” from the album, and the purple third-floor elevator button, Swifties were able to conclude that Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) was going to be announced, which it was about six months after the music video was released.
This tour announcement was not the first time Olivia Rodrigo used easter eggs to hint at upcoming projects. On June 5, 2023, Teen Vogue released an article speculating about the potential easter eggs in Rodrigo’s Instagram post, newsletter, and Spotify visuals. A calendar with a heart on the date, June 30, could be seen in her post, along with visuals on Spotify showing “drivers license” expiring on June 30. On June 30, 2023, the first single on Rodrigo’s sophomore album Guts, titled “vampire,” was released.
The easter egg marketing strategy is not only a great way to connect with fans, but a fun way to get people involved in projects. It builds excitement and gets people talking about anticipated announcements without the formality of saying “Something is coming.” Olivia Rodrigo is just one artist who has employed this method and I anticipate we will see more celebrities follow in the footsteps of Swift and Rodrigo.