It seems Taylor Swift has the magic touch when it comes to making hit albums, starting trends, and breaking numerous records throughout her career.
And this doesn’t just begin and end in the music world.
Her recent alleged romance with American football star Travis Kelce has seen NFL viewership increase, merchandise sales spike, and brands thinking up new products to try and capitalise on Swift’s stardom.
As well as this, her current Eras tour is boosting the American economy and is set to revive Hollywood, with the tour being released in cinemas in more than 100 countries, predominately on Friday 13th October 2023.
To celebrate this upcoming release, let’s take a look at the areas in which Taylor Swift’s influence has recently had a major impact.
NFL
As mentioned above, Swift’s mega star influence has most recently been sprinkled on the sporting world.
This came in the form of her attendance at the Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs game in late September 2023 in Kansas City. This was seemingly to support football star Travis Kelce, who may or may not be her new romance.
Either way, Fox’s broadcast of the game kept panning cameras in Swift’s direction, who was sitting with Kelce’s family.
The effect of this? The Hollywood Reporter stated that the ‘game averaged 24.32 million viewers, the most of the weekend’.
It was also ‘the highest-rated NFL game of the week for women in three different age demographics covering 12 to 49’ as reported by USA Today Sports and FOX Sports. This showed how Swift’s presence at the game was enticing new fans to watch the sport.
And if that wasn’t enough, sales for Kelce’s jersey skyrocketed, as did his Instagram following, with him gaining 300,000 new followers a day after the game, as reported in The Sporting News’ infographic below:
Sport and entertainment fans alike got more than they bargained for in the next Chiefs game (1st October 2023) when Taylor Swift brought her A-list friends to watch in the stands as well. This included Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, Hugh Jackman, Sophie Turner, and filmmaker Shawn Levy.
CNN Business reported that the game ‘averaged a staggering 27 million viewers, making it the most-watched Sunday show since the Super Bowl in February.’
It’s fair to say that the NFL has recently benefitted from ‘The Taylor Swift effect’!
A Perfect Pairing for Brands
It seems fans are not the only ones excited by this potential romance. Brands have been quick to pounce on this frenzy and capitalise on the pairing.
After a tweet from a fan account picturing Taylor Swift eating a ‘piece of chicken with ketchup and seemingly ranch!’ went viral, Heinz announced that they were creating 100 limited edition bottles of ‘Ketchup and Seemingly Ranch’ sauce.
The reason for the 100 bottles? As explained by Heinz this was due to combining 87, which is Kelce’s jersey number, and 13, Swift’s lucky number, to get the overall bottle count.
This is a great example of a brand being super swift (like what we did there ?) by seizing a trending moment and using it to their advantage. Check it out below!
Eras Tour
Of course, the main reason Taylor Swift is so loved is for her undeniable musical talent.
Swifties in America have been enjoying her Eras Tour that kicked off in March 2023, and takes fans through her vast catalogue of music.
This tour is set to break records and as reported by Time ‘is set to become the biggest tour of all time’ and ‘will likely surpass the $1 billion mark next March (2024)’, with the tour currently set to finish in November 2024.
Not only that, but the tour has also had a major impact on American economy as it is ‘projected to generate close to $5 billion in consumer spending in the United States alone’. This is because when a show hits a new town, typically fans will spend more on hotels, food, and transportation for the event, as well as outfits and merchandise.
What I also loved to see was Swift giving back to her crew. As reported by Northeastern Global News, in July 2023 Swift spent ‘$55 million on bonuses for everyone from backup dancers to sound technicians to truck drivers’. This act of generosity shows Swift’s thoughtful and humble side, despite being a mega super star, by acknowledging how much of a team effort it is to put on such a massive tour.
UK Fans
UK fans do not need to worry about missing out. It has now been revealed that on Friday 13th October 2023 the Eras Tour is coming to cinemas!
This movie is set to make more records for Taylor Swift as it has been reported by Digiday that the film is predicted to ‘rake in more than $100 million opening weekend’.
So the big question is…will you be watching?
If you want to read more about major movie and sporting events, check out Escapade’s blog posts on The Barbie Movie and The Women’s World Cup 2023!
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Sources
https://time.com/6307420/taylor-swift-eras-tour-money-economy/
https://twitter.com/tswifterastour/status/1706076507540767211
https://news.northeastern.edu/2023/08/11/taylor-swift-economy-impact/
Blog Cover Photo: puhimec/istockphoto.com
