Taylor Swift’s ‘Easter egg’ marketing for Reputation (TV) has Swifties clowning once again  

For Swifties, deciphering Taylor Swift’s cryptic clues is practically a sport. With Reputation (Taylor’s Version) rumoured to be the next re-recorded album, fans have been on high alert, analysing every Instagram caption, outfit choice, and setlist change for clues. But as theories spiral into elaborate predictions—some of which inevitably miss the mark—many wonder: is Swift orchestrating a genius marketing strategy, or are fans setting themselves up for heartbreak?

Right now, the biggest mystery surrounding Swift is Reputation (Taylor’s Version). Over the past few years, Swift has been methodically re-recording and releasing her previous albums. With Reputation being the next logical step in her re-recording process, fans have been eagerly anticipating news of its release. However, despite the growing excitement, there’s still no official word on when Reputation (Taylor’s Version) will drop, leaving Swifties in suspense as they wait for what’s next in the timeline of her musical journey. 

One of the first big clues came when Taylor Swift abruptly changed her social media profile pictures to black-and-white during The Eras Tour. Since Reputation has a dark, dramatic aesthetic, many fans immediately thought this was a hint that the re-release of Reputation was coming. Theories started popping up all over social media, with fans eagerly analyzing every detail of her posts. But as weeks went by without any official news, fans began to realize they might have jumped to conclusions.  

It turned out the black-and-white profile pictures were actually a hint for Swift’s new album, The Tortured Poet’s Department, not a Reputation surprise.

This wasn’t the first time they got their hopes up over a theory that didn’t come true, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. 

This cycle of guessing, hoping, and sometimes being completely wrong has led to a popular term in the Swiftie fandom: “clowning.” Clowning refers to fans coming up with detailed theories that seem believable but ultimately turn out to be false. While it can be disappointing when a theory doesn’t pan out, Swifties have embraced the idea and even joked about how often it happens. 

One of the most famous examples of correct prediction includes fans believing Swift would announce 1989 (Taylor’s Version) on August 9th (8/9), which actually did happen. As fans predicted this theory correctly, it led to them believing that they would be able to predict upcoming album releases, but this has not fared well as no big predictions like the August 9th theory have come true.

The latest round of Reputation speculation started when Swift suddenly announced three new Eras Tour shows in Vancouver. The fact that the new shows were scheduled for December 6-8 struck some as significant. December 8th happened to be the anniversary of her 2017 Reputation Stadium Tour film release, leading many to believe she was planning something big for the closing night of The Eras Tour. 

But the biggest clue? The fact that the final two cities on The Eras Tour were Toronto and Vancouver. When you put their first letters together, you get “TV”—which fans believe stands for “Taylor’s Version.” Many fans were convinced that Reputation (Taylor’s Version) would be revealed in Vancouver. The Vancouver Sun stated, “…as T for Toronto and V for Vancouver are an acronym for Taylor’s Versions, it makes me wonder: could one of the cities get an album announcement?” Some believed she would perform the album live for the first time, while others thought she might drop the re-recorded album on one of those nights. 

However, months after The Eras Tour has ended, Swift has stayed completely silent about Reputation (Taylor’s Version). 

A great example of clowning happened at the iHeartRadio Music Awards in 2025. Taylor was being honoured as Artist of the Year and gave a speech for the Tour of the Century award, where she expressed her gratitude for the fans and those who supported her during The Eras Tour. Fans immediately analysed the speech for hidden clues. They noticed that Swift was wearing a necklace that looked like a snake— possibly hinting towards the reputation era. The snake is a symbol associated with this era, originating from the backlash that Swift received in 2016, after being publicly called a “snake” on social media. Rather than taking it as an insult, she reclaimed the snake as a symbol of strength, resilience, and reinvention. The snake quickly became an important visual motif in the Reputation album and tour. Because of this, the snake necklace was seen by many as a deliberate nod towards the Reputation era. 

It can be hard to know if every seeming hint is really done on purpose, but Swift is definitely in on the game.  She told the Washington Post about her easter eggs during the lead upto her 10^th album, Midnights.: She said that she had “…descended into color coding, numerology, word searches, elaborate hints, and Easter eggs.”.

And she probably won’t stop anytime soon. “As long as they still find it fun and exciting,” Swift told the Post, “I’ll keep doing it.” 

At this point, it’s clear that Taylor Swift is a marketing genius. She has found a way to keep fans engaged even when she isn’t actively promoting anything. Whether or not she is purposely misleading fans or not doesn’t make a difference in terms of engagement, because the result is the same: fans stay invested, conversations keep happening, and excitement for Reputation (Taylor’s Version) only continues to grow. 

Until the album officially drops, one thing is certain—Swifties will continue to analyze, speculate, and, of course, clown.   

Cover Image; Disney