Swiftie Season: The Impact of Taylor Swift

There’s no way to avoid it - Taylor Swift is everywhere. Whether it’s her multi-billion dollar tour (and subsequent film), her latest GRAMMY win (and new album announcement) or her highly-publicized relationship with Kansas City Chiefs Tight End Travis Kelce, the Swiftie Era is in full force.?

Love her or hate her, you can’t deny the impact she’s had on the marketing landscape - especially surrounding the NFL. From the increase in merchandise sales, viewership and even podcast subscriptions, Taylor has made her mark in the National Football League.?

The Merch

After the first Chiefs game Taylor attended, sales of Kelce’s #87 jersey spiked 400% on Fanatics. Heading into Super Bowl weekend, it’s not just Travis’s jersey that’s made the top ten list - brother and former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce is listed at #4.

Why stop at sports memorabilia? Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey launched a new lipstick in Taylor’s signature red. Why Fireball, you ask? Well, during the 2023 Championship Parade, Kelce took a shot of Fireball thrown from a fan, making the rounds on the interwebs.?

The Game

Dad’s, Brad’s and Chad’s aside, Taylor’s attendance has spiked viewership of the NFL this season. The AFC Championship Game between the Chiefs and Buffalo Bills was the most watched divisional playoff in history, with 50M viewers. NBC’s streaming service, Peacock, saw a record 3M new subscribers ahead of the exclusive broadcast for the Chiefs first round playoff game against the Miami Dolphins.?

The demographics of those watching the game has changed as well, with more women tuning in this season than ever before. Both Gen-Z (24%) and Millennials (20%) are more interested in the game thanks to Taylor and Travis’s love story.?

The Show

Jason and Travis launched the New Heights Podcast in September 2022 as an opportunity for the brothers to chat all things football during the NFL Season. With the Chiefs and Eagles fandom behind them, the show quickly reached 250K subscribers on YouTube. However, the show was taken to New Heights (get it?) when Travis started to pursue Taylor. As the brothers have included Swift updates in recent episodes, the popularity has continued to grow. Currently, the show sits at #1 on Apple Podcasts, with 2M subscribers on YouTube.?

The Future

It’s confirmed - Taylor Swift’s private jet has found parking and will be flying from Toyko to Las Vegas in order to cheer on Travis at Super Bowl LVIII. You can place your bets on how many times the camera will pan to her booth, whether or not she’ll cry, and more with Prop bets (in states in which sports betting is legal, of course). Regardless of whether or not the Chiefs take home the championship, I have no doubt Travis will be taking home the greatest prize of all - the love, respect and support of music’s biggest superstar.