Only in their wildest dreams could NFL executives have imagined a better scenario for this year’s Super Bowl.
The league has a built-in audience draw and revenue generator named Taylor Swift, who will be in attendance Sunday to root on boyfriend Travis Kelce and his Kansas City Chiefs. The world’s biggest pop star can easily fill any blank space – and then some – caused by a lack of bad blood between the Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers or advertisements that don’t exude enough style.
And the NFL didn’t have to spend a dime or lift a finger to make it happen. John Allgood and Timothy DeSchriver, who teach and study sports marketing at the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, see a number of ways that Swift can move the needle economically for a league that seemingly needs no extra publicity.
- The female audience is already growing for the NFL, but Allgood said that Swift delivers “a fresher audience” as witnessed by record viewership for the Chiefs-Ravens AFC Championship Game. “There are people tuning in just to see her in a suite for five seconds,” Allgood said.
- Gamblers wagering on Taylor Swift “prop bets” will keep tuning in even if it’s a blowout, DeSchriver noted.
- DeSchriver pointed to new advertiser interest from makers of beauty products, potentially to reach the new audience.
- The NFL will get its cut from products as well, Allgood said, thanks to an NFL licensing deal with a clothing designer after Swift wore one of her puffer coats and the continued rise in sales of Kelce jerseys.
DeSchriver and Allgood, who can also discuss ticket pricing in the playoffs, and are available for interviews. Contact UD’s media relations team to set one up.
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