From Onyx Nights to Opalite Skies - How Swift Engagement Transforms Organisations

Taylor Swift is a masterclass in marketing … and transformation.

Taylor Swift’s Opalite isn’t just another hit single - it’s a metaphor for transformation. From “sleepless in the onyx night” to “opalite skies,” she captures what it means to move from confusion to clarity, from reaction to intent.

That arc mirrors what happens when an organisation, especially a university, finds its engagement rhythm.

No two universities are the same. They’re living systems with distinct brands, voices, and ambitions.

Yet too often, I’ve seen teams ask for “the engagement strategy that worked somewhere else,” as though connection could be copied and pasted.

During my time leading engagement in the university sector, people often asked for my strategy, or wanted to replicate what success looked like from the outside, the polished storytelling, the right tone, the timely post that gets traction.

But those things are the output, the tactics, not the engine. They worked because they were designed for a specific culture, purpose, and audience.

Trying to duplicate them is like borrowing someone else’s tour setlist - you might know the lyrics, but it won’t sound like your song.

Mimicry only gets you so far. As Taylor sings, it’s like “eating out of the trash” - returning to what once worked instead of creating something new.

The real artistry comes when your engagement is tailored, impact-led, and genuinely anticipated by your stakeholders. When connection feels natural but is quietly powered by discipline and design, that’s where transformation lives.

Taylor Swift and her marketing team have turned that precision into an art form. The Eras Tour, the new album drop, the IP win, even the perfectly timed engagement to Travis, they may look effortless, but they’re choreographed with intention. That’s “Swift engagement”: a seamless mix of storytelling, timing, and mastery.

That’s also what separates ordinary organisational engagement from something unforgettable. Engagement that fits your narrative. Built from the inside out, not borrowed from the outside in. Because when your strategy aligns with your people, your purpose, and your timing, you don’t have to chase attention - you earn it.

Just like Taylor’s journey from onyx nights to opalite skies, when the plan, the performance, and the purpose align, my goodness does it shine.

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