Caroline Bryant
The Southern Editor
The marketing scheme behind Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce is outright genius. Ticket sales for Chiefs games have skyrocketed. Jersey sales for Kelce have increased by over 400%. Marketers have found a new way to profit from their target audience: Gen Z.
It has been useful for marketing Swift to NFL viewers who might not be die-hard fans. When the middle-aged dad sees Swift on their television screen, they might Google her. When they do, they discover her music, her dating history, and not so coincidentally, the upcoming movie she’s been promoting.
But it takes a genius to appreciate the workings of the genius.
Football fans are upset. Camera crews ignore touchdown celebrations to pan over to Swift cheering in the booth. Game commentators are integrating Swift song puns into their scripts.
They’re also mad at Swifites who don’t know football for claiming she’s making Kelce famous, despite being one of the best tight-ends in the league.
Because the NFL is revolving the game around Swift, Swifities have followed. Tickets to Chiefs games are selling out quicker than before. Real stans are missing out on games due to a crazed fangirl paying hundreds of dollars to get a glimpse of Swift.
While many celebrities attend sporting events, it’s not like fans have surrounded Crypto.com Arena to watch dedicated fan Kendall Jenner sit courtside at an L.A. Lakers game.
And though Traylor brought immediate results, it’s already overdone. While the relationship’s relevance could have been dragged out, people are tired of seeing and hearing about it, even after only being known to the public for a short period of time.
The official NFL TikTok account posted four videos about Taylor Swift in one day. Many comments on these videos were negative, stating they didn’t care about Taylor Swift. Most of these comments were written by men.
Kelce even told the NFL they were “overdoing it” with the coverage.
There are other conspiracies surrounding the overdone coverage, as well.
According to Sports Illustrated, some fans believe the NFL is rigging games to guarantee that the Chiefs win. The more games they win, the more coverage surrounding the Chiefs and Swift, the more profit. Who can say no to more money?
This conspiracy surged after the Jets lost to the Chiefs 23-20 after a questionable call from the referee. Many fans state that the game’s end may have differed without the flag.
Others believe Swift attended the Jets game to bury Google searches about her and her private jet.
Evidence stated by ABC 27 Harrisburg, Pa., a broadcasting channel near Swift’s hometown aids this case: the Yard marketing group named Swift No. 1 on the list of Celebs with the Worst Private Jet CO2 Emissions. The award-winning, eco-conscious group stated that Swift’s “total flight emissions for the year come in at 8,293.54 tonnes or 1,184.8 times more than the average person’s total annual emissions.”
When this news broke, the internet went wild. Negative PR posed on Swift for weeks. While it is uncertain that Swift went to the Jets game to reverse the damage, it isn’t working. The internet has become so fascinated by the conspiracy that when you Google “Taylor Swift and the Jets,” results on the conspiracy are more popular than coverage surrounding Swift at the game.
Yet regardless of what the relationship may be or what it may be for, some people are loving it. This is a common trend for most of her boyfriends (excluding John Mayer and Matty Healy).
“I find the whole Taylor and Travis situation to be a positive thing,” junior Kaela Hester said. “Taylor kept her relationship with Joe extremely private for years. It’s nice to see her not having to hide anymore. Even if it is a PR stunt, they both seem happy and that’s what matters.”
This comment alludes to something that tends to reign true: no matter if the cons outweigh the pros, the Swifities always find a way to win.
