NFL star Travis Kelce’s romance with musician Taylor Swift could be a win for brand partners in terms of endorsements and deals.
What Happened: A new Morning Consult poll shows that awareness and favorability for the Kansas City Chiefs tight end have increased over the last year. This is due — in part — to his association with Swift.
“63% of adults were aware of who Kelce was, compared to 38% in August 2022. And 34% said they had a very or somewhat favorable opinion of Kelce, compared to 24% in August 2022,” said the survey.
The gains of 25 points and 10 points could be a positive for media companies like Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA), which broadcasted the Sunday Night Football game between the Chiefs and the New York Jets on Oct. 1.
Swift’s appearance at the event helped draw an average of 27 million viewers, with a peak of 29 million viewers. It was the most watched Sunday broadcast since Super Bowl LVII.
Other Winners: Sportsbooks and media companies are among the potential winners in the increased attention for the Chiefs and Kelce.
Brands that Kelce endorses may also benefit.
“$21.2 million has been spent on ads starring Kelce for the 2023 NFL seaso,” said a report from iSpot.tv, shared by Sportico. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is also popular for TV ads with $34.8 million spent on commercials with him.
Together, the ads with Kelce and Mahomes represent $53.1 million in spending by companies, or around 6.4% of all NFL commercial spending to date for the 2023 season.
Among the companies that feature Kelce in ads are:
- Experian
- State Farm Insurance
- Pfizer (NYSE: PFE)
- Campbell Soup Company (NYSE: CPB)
- Lowe’s Companies (NYSE: LOW)
- DirecTV, a majority owned unit of AT&T Inc (NYSE: T)
One of the biggest winners could be Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE: BUD), whose Bud Light brand has faced backlash and boycotts in 2023. Kelce is among the NFL players being used by Bud Light in advertisements in a large spend geared towards NFL fans.
While Kelce was already popular with brands and the Chiefs were a favorite to win back-to-back Super Bowls in the 2023 season, there is no doubt that a relationship with Swift and increased attention doesn’t stand to benefit the NFL player and potentially the brands he works with.
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Edited by Judy J. Rotich and Newsdesk Manager
