When fandoms collide
If one conversation has dominated the football season, it’s the relationship between Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and global superstar Taylor Swift. The couple has become a hot topic since they started dating last fall, and Swift’s impact has been felt throughout, from Swifties causing a spike in Kelce’s jersey sales to the NFL having a viewership boom, which has enticed more female viewers. With 45% of the NFL's fanbase under 35 now made up of women and girls, Swift’s high-profile fandom is further evolving sports viewership, increasing the entry point and interest in the sport for female audiences. As noted in Media Radar, this presents an opportunity for brands to "snag scatter market ads to capitalise on the expanded audience when Taylor is seen in the stands." Hyundai debuted a new campaign at one of the matches attended by Swift, which focused on female empowerment, highlighting how gameday is increasingly being seen as a way to connect with female buyers. Meanwhile, American Airlines is offering flights 1989 and 87 – numbers representing Swift's fifth studio album and Kelce's jersey number – for fans to fly from Kansas City to Las Vegas and back during Super Bowl weekend.
Ian Trombetta, the NFL’s senior vice president of social, influencer, and content marketing, says: “It [Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce] was a perfect storm of pop culture and sports colliding in a really positive way, with two incredibly passionate fan bases merging together and interacting in ways that they hadn’t before.” With the Super Bowl LVIII taking place on February 11th, and Swift expected to attend, there's scope for brands to de-gender sports advertising and tap into diverse audiences.
