The Swift Effect is real.
—Kevin Krim, CEO, EDO
EDO reports that a Pfizer creative featuring Travis Kelce, which also aired Sunday, was already 27% more effective at driving engagement for Pfizer than Pfizer ads not featuring Travis Kelce. But after Swift attended the Chiefs and Bears game, viewers who saw the creative were 32% more likely to engage with Pfizer online.
Meanwhile, ad effectiveness for Campbell’s ads featuring Kelce was up 4% after vs. before Swift attended the game.
“The Swift Effect is real. Taylor Swift’s high-profile appearances at recent Chiefs games have been a boon for network ratings and for advertisers—bringing an entirely new audience to the NFL,” Kevin Krim, CEO of EDO, told Adweek in a statement. “Brands that have featured Chiefs star Travis Kelce in ads, such as Pfizer and Campbell’s, are also reaping the benefits of this newfound relationship.”
Besides ad engagement, Kelce jersey sales are up 400% since the Swift news broke, and the NFL star has added more than 1 million followers on Instagram. According to Business Insider, Kelce could double his current sponsorship deal intake from around $5 million to $10 million.
And the effects are still ongoing.
Social Style
Measurement and analytics company Comscore told Adweek the Traylor (Travis+Taylor) relationship has transformed social metrics for the NFL.
According to Comscore, posts in the last 30 days that mentioned both Taylor Swift and the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs or football in general generated 34.9 million actions and 687 million video views across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X (formerly Twitter). Additionally, the NFL has been the top page for overall engagement on posts mentioning Taylor Swift, with 12.2 million actions and 92.6 million video views across those social platforms.
Over 10% of engagement on all posts mentioning Taylor Swift have been on the NFL’s owned pages.
The ‘Swift Effect’ Forever and Always
Though it’s unknown if Swift is attending Kelce’s next game in Minnesota, which is being broadcast on CBS, a source familiar with the network’s ad sales told Adweek that “Taylor Swift has added even further to the previously very high interest in the NFL.”
And even if Kelce and Swift’s relationship fizzles out, experts told Adweek the sports marketing Love Story will continue.