How Travis Scott's Community Building Strategy Pushed Him to New Heights
Last Friday, Travis Scott dropped his highly anticipated new album “Utopia” to much acclaim from fans and critics alike.
Travis is almost 10 years into his career. For most artists that means their prime is 3 years behind them, and that their day one fans are starting to tune them out.
But with 4 solo albums under his belt, each album Travis releases still feels like the very first one. That’s because he’s has done something that few artists at his level have been able to do: He’s tapped into the power of community.
Community is like fandom but it goes a bit deeper. It’s cultural. It’s binding.
Communities don’t occasionally check for you. They are composed of the types of fans that turn into Stans, and as a result they keep you in the game for decades.
The Ragers (Travis Scott’s fanbase) are saying Utopia is one his best, so let’s talk about Travis and how he’s cultivated such a strong following.
I. Community Through Experience
Whether digital or experiential, Travis is all about building unique experiences. Think about what he did with the release of his third album…
Astroworld
"They tore down AstroWorld to build more apartment space. That's what it's going to sound like, like taking an amusement park away from kids. We want it back. We want the building back. That's why I'm doing it. It took the fun out of the city." - Travis Scott, GQ Magazine
For those who aren’t sure where the name comes from, Astroworld was actually the name of a (closed) Six Flags location in Houston that Travis used to visit when he was a kid.
Since its revival via the album and live experience, Travis has turned Astroworld into one of the biggest music festivals in the U.S.
At its height it had over 50,000 attendees and grossed over $65 million (although it has suspended operations because of a incident that happened 2021).
II. Community Through Collaboration
Collabs are important because they give us another way to express our fandom. It extends the reach of both brands, and it creates excitement amongst consumers.
No matter how you look at it, It’s a win-win for all parties involved.
A huge part of Travis ability to cultivate a strong community that loves him outside of music is his penchant for choosing the right collaborators in the right verticals.
For example, the overlap between Hip-Hop and sneakers is incredibly strong, and Travis has tapped into that in a way that other artists haven’t. Which brings us to his partnership with…
NIKE.
Travis has a relationship with Nike that’s almost as strong as any athlete’s.
Hell, he even got Michael Jordan to appear on a promo video for his new album “Utopia” — his shoes gotta be making BREAD.
But, let’s focus in on this a bit…
There’s a reason why his Cactus Jack Air Jordans sell out every time.
It’s not just his unique twist on the class AJ1 silhouette. It’s really about the world that he’s built around the products themselves.
However, more important than the products are what they represent: They’re another touchpoint for fans to rally around.
The partnership is so strong because Ragers now have access to a tangible cultural artifact (as Dr. Marcus Collins would say) that can identify them as a die-hard fans to anyone else who is familiar with the customs and values associated with Travis Scott.
Again, it’s a feeling a brand can’t buy, and one that can only be accomplishing by having a strong dedicated following THAT’S INVESTED IN YOUR SUCCESS.
It’s the reason Travis’ partnership with Nike has extended beyond the crowd favorites to retro sneakers like the beloved Nike Attack.
It’s also the reason he can do extended commercials to tease the release (see below)
The McDonald’s Meal & Merch
You know we had to talk about McDonald’s.
At a time where many people were shying away from McDonald’s, they were able to make a pivot by leaning in celeb culture to give the a resurgence.
The McDonald’s team didn’t just need a famous spokesperson. They needed someone who had cultural cache, a cult-like following, and a brand strong enough to extend into other verticals like merch:
In short, they needed Travis Scott.
Annnnd. Needless to say, the partnership was a huge success.
According to Mickie D’s the Travis Scott Meal led to the 4.6% increase in sales during Q3 and it’s really not surprising.
Travis Scott x Fortnite
If you’re a marketer, I’m sure you remember the Travis Scott Fortnite concert.
It broke the internet, and every industry publication had the activation on its end-of-year list, and rightfully so. When we talk about partnership and collaboration, this is yet another best-in-class example of how to do it.
The Metaverse was just emerging, and everybody was like “What the f*ck do I do with this?” But, Travis and his team were already ahead of the curve.
“With Travis it’s never just about one vertical. We had a super compelling product and commerce plan for direct to consumer with collaborations lined up to launch as soon as the first show ended in ‘Fortnite. - David Stromberg, Cactus Jack GM, Variety Magazine
The Cactus Jack team knew where the future was heading, and they made the right move by doing a virtual concert with a game that was absolutely captivating Gen Z.
III. Community Through Content
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention what Travis does with in the world of content.
Every piece of art that Travis releases is accompanied by some form of content whether longfrom or short. It could be a minidoc or a trailer, and all the same it helps enrapture fans in the universe of all things Travis.
Here are a few that stand out:
Look Mom I Can Fly
In 2019, Travis released a documentary that helped chronicle his life while working on his 3rd album Astroworld.
It gave fans an insider look into his process, family life, and the inspirations that led to the creation of the album. Again, it was another touch point & helped reaffirm why one should be a Travis Scott fan.
Album Trailer(s)
On top of the Netflix film, Travis even dropped a trailer for the Astroworld album itself that previewed the song “Stargazing.”
Jackboys
In anticipation of the Cactus Jack Records compilation album “Jackboys” Travis & co. put together a short-film that helped build anticipation for the album and in the process amassed over 7.4 million views.
Circus Maximus
For Utopia, Travis teased a trailer entitled Circus Maximus that would premier in movie theatres on 7/27 — its aim was to serve as a preview to the album and the performances he had lined up across the globe in celebration of his new album (the first of which was set to take place in Egypt, but it was cancelled).
IV. Community through Collection
This last section is probably the most important because of how fragmented today’s media space is.
It can be hard to stay in touch with your fans and it requires a platform agnostic approach.
Why?
You know why. You’ve heard it forever, and it’s true. Facebook could one day crumble and you lose your entire group. TikTok could get banned and you’re following goes down the drain along with your sales funnel.
The only way to withstand the headwinds that come with building a community is through
DATA COLLECTION
With most of Travis Scott’s recent releases, from shoes to music, his team has made a concerted effort to collect emails and phone numbers at every turn.
You’re entering a Cactus Jack raffle for the Air Force One’s? No problem, we’ll text you if you win.
The cleverness of this that I’ve yet to see other artists on his level do is that Travis then uses this data to speak directly to the consumer at every part of the campaign release.
You get a text that the album is on the way.
You get a text when the album drops.
You get a text alerting you to the album bundle.
It’s smart.
More brands and artists should do it this way. And, it’s less intrusive because the value prop is so strong (i.e. you love Travis Scott’s music, or you’re a motivated reseller looking to make a profit) that you don’t mind getting an occasional text about new products from him.
That leads to the other part of this…
Bundle Deals
Travis has made great use of bundle deals throughout his career. Since the release of Astroworld he’s bundled his albums together with merch and in the process it led to influx of album streams, merch sales, and a higher position on Billboard’s Hot 100.
Utopia is a perfect example of how he’s leveraging bundles.
A highly anticipated album typically have upwards of 250k-300k sales during its first week. However, because of the Utopia bundles, first week sales numbers for Travis are projected be in the neighborhood of 375k to 400k
WHAT NOW?
Ya never know what the future has in store, but if Travis keeps on this current trajectory he’ll be cemented with some of the best artists of our generation.
The Utopia album rollout is still going strong (I just got a text about a bundle) — I may not opt in for a bundle just yet, but it’ll still be dope to see how this album ages.
Afterall, we probably won’t get another one for a few years. Salute, because that means he cares about quality, and of course, his fans.
Peace.