PR or True Love? Let’s Talk Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce
Shawn and Camila? Taylor and Travis? Timothee and Kylie? It is often hard for an audience to distinguish whether a relationship between two celebrities is genuine or all for publicity. PR stunt relationships are the oldest trick in the book when it comes to a quick way to gain publicity. Celebrities do PR stunts for several reasons. Promoting something, staying relevant, attempting to cover a scandal, or sometimes simply seeking attention are all reasons for a PR stunt. It is important to note that some stars think any form of publicity (positive or negative) is good publicity.
In Her NFL Era
You may be asking yourself, why do these celebrities even need publicity? Aren’t they already famous enough? The thing is, PR is essential for every business or person, no matter how big or small.
I am sure we have all heard of a certain relationship that has gained a lot of buzz online recently… you know…the one between the mega-successful pop star and the two-time Super Bowl champion.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are no strangers to the public eye. Their relationship seemingly blossomed overnight leading to a lot of speculation over whether or not it’s real or perfectly planned. While we may not ever know the full answer, we can all agree that every party involved is benefitting from this power duo. Some may say Taylor Swift is a PR mastermind and very calculated in her business moves. It seems as if nothing she does is a coincidence, and we know she has to be very careful about who she is seen and photographed with.
Does the biggest pop star in the world really need to pull a PR stunt? Yes! There are a couple of theories as to what Swift would be getting out of this relationship PR-wise. Last year, Taylor Swift was named the biggest celebrity CO2 polluter due to her 170 private jet flights. Her travel due to her Eras Tour this year contributes to this theory as well. Previously if you had searched “Taylor Swift jet,” you would be met with thousands of articles regarding her unfortunate contribution to climate change. Now if you search the same thing, hundreds of articles about her being at the New York Jets game appear. Calculated stunt or a perfectly timed coincidence? Either way, this change in the search engine results pages (SERPs) didn’t hurt her!
Image by GOTHAM/GC IMAGES sourced from, People
“Dating The Boy on the Football Team”
Regardless of the veracity or intentions, it is clear that #Tayvis has garnered quite the publicity whether intentionally or not. The relationship is undoubtedly mutually beneficial. Dating the world’s sweetheart comes with its perks. After Swift was seen at his game, the tight-end for the Kansas City Chiefs, Travis Kelce’s jersey sales quickly spiked to over 400%. He also gained 1.3 million followers across his social media platforms and his podcast "New Heights" soared to No. 1 on Apple. While Travis Kelce is already well known in the Football world, these increases in followers, views, and publicity have significantly helped his personal brand awareness worldwide.
But who else is benefiting from this relationship? While Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are feeling the hype, the NFL is certainly the big winner of this romance. The relationship has created the perfect mixture between two drastically different demographics resulting in the two fanbases coming together in a generally positive way. The NFL has been feeling the Taylor Swift effect.
The Chiefs vs. Jets game averaged 27 million viewers, making it the second-highest-watched game of the regular season.
Viewership among teen girls is up 53% and up 35% amongst females.
Is The NFL “Ready for it…”
I would’ve loved to be a fly on the wall when the NFL’s social media team saw Taylor Swift in the stands. It is clear they know how culturally significant her presence is at these games. Their social media accounts quickly became flooded with pictures of Swift, quotes, and song lyrics. They even changed their Tiktok bio to “Taylor was here.”
Images sourced from the New York Post and Taylahschild on Instagram
As a Taylor Swift fan (or “Swiftie”), I love it. But, from a PR standpoint, it is important to recognize the risks of oversaturation. Oversaturation on social media, or content overload, can quickly lead to the loss of followers, viewers, or interactions. Since Taylor Swift-related content isn’t necessarily geared toward the NFL’s main target audience, many think that the NFL is “overdoing it” to the point that some football fans are getting angry and annoyed. This oversaturation is quickly leading more and more people to believe that the relationship is simply too good to be true and for the sole purpose of publicity.
In my opinion, as long as Taylor and Travis are together, the NFL should capitalize on it. A quick look at the numbers shows that the NFL is clearly benefiting from the relationship.
The NFL garnered 8.66 million engagements across their platforms on posts featuring the pop star.
There has been a 175% jump in Kansas City Chiefs ticket sales since Taylor Swift was seen at the Chiefs vs Bears game.
Is it a “Love Story?”
High-profile relationships, like that of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, attract major media attention which is a useful boost to their careers. Both celebrities have gained a record amount of attention and media coverage from their relationship. Resulting in new fans, followers, and great publicity. Whether it is a PR stunt or not, there is a very fine line in how well is it performed. Sometimes PR stunts that are poorly executed l do more harm than good. But at the end of the day, “celebrity romance is a product that sells.” While some celebrity relationships may be genuinely based on love, the entertainment industry is known for its strategic use of personal lives for promotional purposes. Why not be in love, but also get some publicity from it? The entertaining bottom line is that celebrity relationships will continue to occur and we may never know whether it is PR or true love.
Piper is a Junior pursuing a degree in Advertising and Public Relations with a minor in Studio Art. This is her first year in GrandPR where she serves as the Media Coordinator as well as an Account Associate. Piper also runs the GVSU Alumni social media accounts and is the GVPRSSA Promotions Committee Chair. After graduation, Piper hopes to further her career in social media and eventually work as a publicist in the sports or entertainment industry.
