Last year, American Express marked its 175th anniversary with an intimate Brooklyn concert featuring Gracie Abrams. A year later, the company is taking the same idea of bringing card members closer to the artists they love, but stretching it across cities, tour dates, and even globally.
Harry Styles is the newest example of that strategy.
Amex has attached itself to nearly every part of Styles’ “Together, Together” tour and his album, “Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.” From album release events and exclusive merch to presale tickets for the tour and a global sweepstakes, the partnership is broad in both content and scale. The album pop-ups alone span 16 cities. In New York, the East Village pop-up will run alongside Styles’ 30-show Madison Square Garden residency through November 1.
The scale may be new, but the strategy isn’t.
Access that feels real
For several years, Amex has been building a music portfolio around artists attractive to Gen Z and younger millennials, including Olivia Rodrigo, Gracie Abrams, Billie Eilish, Kacey Musgraves, and Tate McRae. The format changes depending on the fandom, whether that be an intimate performance, a tour-bus activation, or an album pop-up, but the offer stays consistent: Amex gives fans ways to get closer to an artist they love.
The mission statement makes access feel less like a vague brand promise and more like an actual product.
“I believe in the power of fandom to connect Amex to our members,” said Bess Spaeth, executive vice president of global brand management and experiences at American Express. “We understand what they are most passionate about, whether that is music, sports, travel or dining, and we work hard to make those experiences more meaningful for them.”
For Amex, access is how that idea becomes tangible. It can mean getting a ticket before the general public, buying merchandise made for card members, or stepping inside an experience built around the release of a new album.
“We unlock access for members that only Amex can provide at the moments we know our members are most passionate about,” Spaeth said. “We meet fans where they are and create moments that feel more special.”
Styles gives Amex a useful canvas because his fan base is global, deeply engaged in pop culture, and likely even more committed after following him from his One Direction days until now. According to Amex, 92% of music fans want to feel a deeper connection to their favorite artist.
Fans don’t just want the concert; they want the merch, the feeling of getting something exclusive, and the chance to be there early.
Amex can naturally fit into those spaces, but the partnership still has to feel like it belongs. That means working closely with the artist’s team instead of simply placing a logo on an experience.
“It starts with shared goals and close collaboration,” Spaeth said. “We spend time understanding the artist’s creative vision, their audience, and what makes the fandom distinctive, then identify where Amex can naturally add value to make the experiences that matter most even more memorable.”
The company said more than 70% of onsite engagement at its music-artist activations comes from Gen Z and millennials. Additional research conducted by Morning Consult among 2,002 U.S. adults with household incomes of at least $50,000 found that 62% consider their music preferences an important part of their identity, while 58% said music gives them a sense of belonging. More than half said presale access would make them more likely to attend a concert or sporting event.
Those numbers explain why Amex treats fandom as more than a marketing sector. It’s a way to connect with how people see themselves and relate to others. If the company can make those moments easier to reach or more memorable, the card becomes tied to something more emotional than a transaction.
There is still an obvious tension in selling access. It can sound like another perk reserved for people who already have it.
To answer this, Amex has tried to widen the entry points through public pop-ups, different card member benefits, and a sweepstakes to see Styles on tour, which gave eligible fans across 26 countries a chance to win tickets and a trip to experience the tour with a loved one.
A long-term strategy
The goal of the strategy, Spaeth said, is to give members different ways to participate because not everyone experiences fandom the same way.
“Every artist and fandom is different, but the standard is the same for all. The experience should feel authentic to the artist, unlock benefits for our card members, and make the fan journey more memorable,” Spaeth said.
For Amex, the long-term strategy is less about collecting celebrity partnerships and more about becoming a presence in different fan communities. Styles may be the most prominent example right now, but he won’t be the last.
The brand says it wants to keep discovering artists across cultures and countries who are making waves, especially with Gen Z and younger millennials.
The only thing that remains the same is that the card is still the product. The experiences, however, unlock what makes it meaningful to fans.
