The NFL’s “Mastermind” Decision to Lean into the Taylor Swift Effect

The Moment That Rocked the NFL

Taylor Swift shocked Swifties and NFL fans alike by attending a Kansas City Chiefs/Chicago Bears game in September 2023 to watch her boyfriend Travis Kelce, the renowned Chiefs tight end, on the field. The September 24th game was the most watched telecast of the week across networks and ranked first among women across age demographics. Swift’s appearance the following week at the Chiefs/New York Jets game increased viewership of over 2 million female viewers. Since then, Swift has become a regular in the bleachers (or in the box), attending 12 out of 18 Chiefs games.

The Taylor Swift Effect Taps into a Growing NFL Audience: Women

The budding #Trayvis phenomenon happened at the right time for the NFL. Whether offering events geared toward women during Super Bowl week or marketing merchandise tailored to women, the NFL has gradually courted female fans over the years. For example, in 2012, celebrities like Serena Williams, Melania Trump, and Condoleezza Rice were featured in an NFL apparel ad campaign called “It’s My Team.” The NFL has also partnered with women’s clothing retailers such as Victoria’s Secret to ensure women’s clothing never goes out of style.

The NFL has also looked inwards, not just “outerwear” to appeal to women. The league has made an effort to internally restructure their organization and make more opportunities for women in their workplace.

All of which is to say that the Taylor Swift/NFL phenomenon is not an aberration but an opportunity to capitalize on an audience that was growing already.

How Taylor Swift Has Moved the Needle with Women

It’s no hoax that Swift’s attendance has had a positive impact on female viewership. With Swift's assistance, the NFL attained its highest regular-season female viewership since it started collecting that data in 2000. The NFL’s viewership experienced a 53% spike among teenage girls, a 24% increase among women aged 18-24, and a 34% rise among women aged 35 and above. In total, Swift's presence led to an estimated rise of over 2 million female viewers.

All eyes on the pop star is nothing new to Swift, and the NFL has welcomed the surge in attention the pop star is attracting for the organization.

The NFL has wisely capitalized on her popularity by creating snackable content where young women are likely to find it: social media. From changing their TikTok bio to “9/24/23. Taylor was here.” to posting clips of Swift embracing Kelce after a win, the NFL is thoughtfully using social media to target this desired demographic. And, moments shared of Swift have the most views across the NFL’s TikTok account, like this video posted that has garnered 11.9 million views in less than a week.

The Economic Impact of Taylor Swift on the NFL Overall

Everything Swift touches, a gold rush follows. Following her first appearance at the Chiefs game in September, StubHub saw a 175% increase in Chiefs vs. Jets ticket sales. Since then, Chiefs ticket sales have outsold the previous year’s sales.

Kelce’s jersey sales increased a whopping 400% after Swift’s first appearance at the game. Following that, fans have made and sold Swift/Kelce merch on platforms like Etsy and TikTok shop. On January 13^th, Swift stepped out in an upcycled Kansas City Chiefs jacket, designed by Kristin Juszczyk. The cozy jacket sparked a conversation among female fans on social media of what type of apparel they want the NFL to release for them to support their favorite teams. The NFL is taking notes by signing a deal with Juszczyk to support their logo use on her designs. In just four months, Swift generated $331.5 million in equivalent brand value for the Chiefs and the NFL. Long story short, Swift is an economic asset to the NFL. And she has certainly increased visibility for Travis Kelce as the following Google Trends data shows:

Travis Kelce in the past 12 months via Google Trends

Onward to the Super Bowl

You might be asking, “Is it over yet?” But the answer is no. The upcoming Super Bowl is turning into another spectacle to see Swift support her boyfriend. The average ticket price for the Super Bowl is $10,752, 70% higher than last year. The conversation over Usher’s halftime performance is being overshadowed by Swift’s possible appearance at the game. Journalists analyzing the pop star’s travel schedule from her February 10th Eras Tour date in Tokyo to the February 11th Superbowl in Las Vegas have made waves over headlines and has created another level of hype around the game. And no doubt conversations about the Super Bowl will spike in the aftermath of Swift announcing the release of her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, at the Grammy Awards on February 4. Game on!

Lessons for Brands

1. Include women in your marketing. The NFL is smart to court women as an audience. Women control over $31.8 trillion in worldwide spending.
2. Choose carefully. It would be ridiculous for the NFL to ignore the Taylor Swift phenomenon. She's the perfect celebrity for the NFL -- popular, safe, and important to their growing demographic. But not every celebrity is right for every brand. This one is working out well not just because she's Taylor Swift, but because she's perfect for the family-friendly NFL.
3. Fire on all cylinders. Pick the right lane. Leaning into social media where Swift’s fans hang out is the right decision to increase engagement and visibility. The NFL has created real-time marketing told out of those cut-away televised shots of Swift watching games, oftentimes wearing Chiefs apparel.
4. Be authentic. The relationship with Taylor Swift and the NFL marketing to women mirrors the NFL’s own increase in hiring women as employees and executives.
5. Monitor measurable behaviors. There have been complaints from some NFL fans about the league giving too much attention to Taylor Swift, but actions speak louder than words. She boosts ratings and engagement. The numbers speak for themselves: people are responding by watching games she attends.
6. Look to the future. This is more of a challenge than a lesson learned, but the NFL must certainly be asking how they can capitalize on the momentum and court younger women now that the league has their attention. From digital campaigns to marketing to special events to empower young women, the opportunities are wide open. Your move, NFL!

At IDX, we help businesses build stronger brands online by capitalizing on the cultural power of digital to build relationships with your most important audiences. Learn more about our strategy services.