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Travis Kelce and manager Aaron Eanes had a plan for 2023 to bring on a bunch of brand partners, showcase his abilities as a pitchman, and prove that brands were better off having him on their team.
Taylor Swift, a third Super Bowl title for his Kansas City Chiefs, and an ever-expanding audience for his New Heights podcast co-hosted by his recently retired NFL veteran brother Jason weren’t even in Kelce and Eanes’ playbook at the time.
“You’re kind of always reevaluating what’s going on with a brand, with your clients, and everything,” said Eanes, who serves as president of A&A Management group and, along with his brother André, have known Kelce since he was at the University of Cincinnati more than a decade ago. “Especially when, in Travis’s case, there’s been so many different evolutions.”
The plan for 2023 worked, evolutions and all. According to television data and analytics firm EDO, Kelce’s ads for Campbell’s, DirecTV, and Pfizer in 2023 were 15%, 24%, and 27% more effective, respectively, than those brands’ ads without him. After his relationship with Swift went public, Kelce’s ads with Pfizer and Experian were 9% and 13% more effective when they were featured during a game in which Swift made an appearance.
While the Taylor Swift Effect took most of the credit, EDO noted that Kelce helped hold fans’ attention during Swift-attended Chiefs games that were 13% more effective for advertisers despite audiences that were 16% less engaged.
“She’s a phenomenon that transcends everything, but Kelce has done an amazing job of turning that into standalone stardom,” said Kevin Krim, CEO of EDO.
Since winning his third Super Bowl title with the Chiefs in February, Kelce has hosted Saturday Night Live, overseen a 20-episode run of Amazon Prime Video’s Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?, and, after just its second season, sold his podcast’s ad-sales, merchandising, and domestic and international distribution rights to Amazon-owned Wondery for a reported $100 million.
“The Kelce brothers are football superstars that have transcended the sport to become global icons. New Heights sits at the intersection of sports and entertainment,” said Angie More, Wondery’s head of ad revenue. “It’s more than a podcast—it’s a cultural phenomenon.”
