Taylor Swift commands a legion of devotees, but among the thousands decked out in cowboy boots, friendship bracelets and glitter at her Canadian performances, one was not like the others.

Millions of people attended the Eras Tour. Avery Parisienmight be the only 15-year-old who got there by protesting a major bank and its investments in fossil fuels.

B次元官网网址淚 had no idea that, like, banks even supported things like that,B次元官网网址� the Ontario teen said. B次元官网网址淚t was just insane to learn about.B次元官网网址�

ParisienB次元官网网址檚 education in RBCB次元官网网址檚 investments trace back to an unusual ticket giveaway contest that sought to leverage the power of Swifties, the portmanteau for the superstarB次元官网网址檚 fan base.

While Eras Tour tickets have been used as a magnet for companies and even charities to attract new customers and donors, a campaign called Unite the Swifties took it a step further.

The campaign encouraged people who wanted free tickets to engage in escalating actions against RBC, one of the worldB次元官网网址檚 largest bank financiers of fossil-fuel companies B次元官网网址� and the B次元官网网址淥fficial Ticket Access PartnerB次元官网网址� for SwiftB次元官网网址檚 tour stops in Toronto and Vancouver.

Borrowing from SwiftB次元官网网址檚 lyrics and esthetic, the campaign organized by three Canadian advocacy groups urged fans to ask the superstar to drop RBC as a partner.

To enter the ticket sweepstakes, contestants only needed to sign up with their contact information. But from there, they could earn more entries with each escalating action they took, from signing a petition to organizing a protest.

Parisien was one of three contestants to win a pair of tickets. She brought her mom, Kara Parisien, who joined Avery in each campaign action.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 something that will stick with me for the rest of my life,B次元官网网址� the teenager said. B次元官网网址淚t was such a cool journey to be able to go through.B次元官网网址�

The campaign organized by Decolonial Solidarity, Change Course and Stand.Earth has drawn a mix of intrigue, skepticism and praise from organizers and academics who study Canadian social movements. Observers says it offers an example of how advocacy groups are testing out novel tactics to bring in new recruits in the fight against global warming.

B次元官网网址淚 definitely have not seen anything like that,B次元官网网址� said Emily Huddart, a sociology professor at the University of British Columbia who studies civic engagement in environmentalism.

The campaign gets at deeper questions about political activism, said Huddart. Can incentivized activism outlive the incentive? And is it really a good idea for campaigns to try motivating action with gamified sweepstakes?

While she appreciated the campaignB次元官网网址檚 ingenuity, Huddart said it gave her pause to see market-based tactics applied to political activism.

But people often get politically active for reasons more nuanced than strict altruism or self-interest, she said, adding youth engagement in protest was, by some measures,at historically low levels.

And activists have to compete for peopleB次元官网网址檚 attention on hyper-individualized social-media feeds imbued with advertisements, she said.

B次元官网网址淚 canB次元官网网址檛 really believe myself when I saw this, but maybe there is something worthwhile in using this sort of enticement,B次元官网网址� she said.

B次元官网网址淚n the context of how difficult it is to, you know, remain focused on something in an era of distraction B次元官网网址� how difficult it is to do something thatB次元官网网址檚 not related to earning money or relaxing B次元官网网址� just people making an effort is something to celebrate.B次元官网网址�

ItB次元官网网址檚 not the first example of Swifties demonstrating political force.

Fans helped catapult antitrust lawsuits and investigations targeting Ticketmaster after Eras Tour ticket sales were marred by issues. Organizers of the campaign that rewarded Parisien decided to try and leverage that same fan power in opposition to RBCB次元官网网址檚 fossil-fuel financing.

From 2016 to 2023, RBC committed $256 billion to fossil fuel businesses, a report in May found, putting it in the top 10 banks worldwide and ahead of any other Canadian bank.

In particular, organizers of the Unite the Swifties campaign underlined RBCB次元官网网址檚 investments in TC EnergyB次元官网网址檚 Coastal GasLink project, a 670-kilometre natural gas pipeline in British Columbia that runs through WetB次元官网网址檚uwetB次元官网网址檈n Nation territory. They said they aimed to highlight connections between climate change, financing and Indigenous rights.

Opposition among hereditary chiefs prompted protest and rail blockades in 2020, though the elected council of the WetB次元官网网址檚uwetB次元官网网址檈n First Nation had agreed to the project. It was mechanically completed in November of last year.

In response to the Unite the Swifties campaignB次元官网网址檚 tactics and claims, an RBC spokesperson said the bank believes it can help its clients B次元官网网址渟ucceed in the long-term, including through the transition to a low-carbon economy.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 really unfortunate that a very small group of activists are attempting to co-opt one of the most exciting events of 2024 in an attempt to advance their own agenda and disrupt the experience for thousands of fans,B次元官网网址� spokesperson Andrew Block said in a written statement.

Campaign organizers counter with a similar charge: that RBCB次元官网网址檚 partnership with SwiftB次元官网网址檚 tour is a way to use music sponsorships to inoculate their image against criticism of their business practices. ItB次元官网网址檚 a phenomenon they deride as B次元官网网址渁rt washing.B次元官网网址�

Bella Lyne, one of the organizers who helped devise the campaign, said many fans might have initially been drawn in by the promise of Swift tickets.

But as contestants learned more about how climate change is affected by large-scale investments in fossil fuels, some chose to stay involved B次元官网网址渂ecause of their desire to be a powerful force for change,B次元官网网址� Lyne said.

B次元官网网址淚 think we recognized the compatibility between B次元官网网址� the message Taylor Swift puts out there around young people being empowered and I think young women, in particular, speaking up and speaking their mind,B次元官网网址� said Lyne, a national co-ordinator with Decolonial Solidarity.

That was the case for Avery Parisien.

During her 15 years on the planet, she has come to feel strongly about protecting it, she said. She started an B次元官网网址渆co clubB次元官网网址� at school in Grade 7, and is prone to falling down what she describes as YouTube B次元官网网址渞abbit holesB次元官网网址� about climate change.

But when it came to getting involved, it was hard to know where or how to make an impact, especially in her small city east of Ottawa, she said. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e never had anything thatB次元官网网址檚 like, brought me in.B次元官网网址�

The Unite the Swifties campaign predominantly used Instagram and TikTok to spread the word. It suggested entrants engage in campaign actions both online and off, with offline actions in their communities giving them the best shot to win tickets.

After registering for the contest, earning her one entry, Parisien signed an online petition to demand RBC defund from fossil fuels B次元官网网址� getting a second B次元官网网址� and she sent an email to the bankB次元官网网址檚 CEO to secure five more.

After that, she joined five training modules, worth 50 entries each, about topics such as the role of art in social movements and Indigenous resistance to RBC-backed pipelines.

But she really improved her odds when she handed out flyers in the community with her mom, for 500 entries, and made a PowerPoint presentation about RBCB次元官网网址檚 investments and shared it with a friend for another 1,000.

In all, organizers say nearly 9,000 people entered the contest and generated more than 100,000 entries by taking additional actions to put pressure on RBC. A survey of entrants found that a little over half of respondents said they had never participated in a climate action.

Lyne said organizers are still sorting through the campaign results to gauge its success, but there were some promising signs. The campaign says 166 people took part in at least one of the training modules and 32 of those people moved on to taking action in their community.

Ali茅norRougeot, a key Canadian organizer of the Greta Thunberg-inspired 2019 youth climate strikes, said the campaign offers a lesson about how to make activism more relatable, accessible and even joyful by tapping into pop culture.

She suggested the approach can be complementary to other acts of protest, such as marches.

B次元官网网址淚t really speaks to a different audience, a new one, maybe an audience that doesnB次元官网网址檛 see themselves in traditional environmentalism or traditional political action,B次元官网网址� said Rougeot, 25, who now works at Canadian advocacy group Environmental Defence.

Parisien was part of that new audience. She said it inspired confidence and helped dispel some of her insecurities about being taken seriously as a young woman.

B次元官网网址淣o matter, like, who you are, you have a voice,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淎nd, like, you should use it. And you can use it.B次元官网网址�