Social Listening- NFL- Travis and Taylor

NFL unveils 2022 regular season schedule


    The brand I selected is one that is getting a lot of social media attention at the moment, and that is the NFL. Besides from their loyal demographic, they have recently gained a lot of attention from new and unexpected viewers, Taylor Swift fans. Fans of Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs, and Taylor Swift alike were all united when news got out about the well established tight end and singer's new relationship. I was initially interested in this article because of the nature of this unlikely pairing, but grew to be charmed from the welcoming nature of NFL fans towards their new audience.   

    The value proposition of the NFL is to unite people and inspire communities in the joy of the game of football. Right now, their marketing team is doing just that, uniting seemingly polar opposites together. The NFL is feeding into the gained attention from a fanbase they are not familiar with by engaging on their terms, using references that Swift fans everywhere would recognize, which includes a tweet from the NFL picturing Taylor in her new man's team colors, captioned "in her RED era", paying homage to the artist's well known album. They are playing into the whole Taylor Swift thing, one example of this being the NFL X account posting a video of Taylor mouthing something with the caption "10/10, LFG @taylorswift13".

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1706077496788320609

  While playing into a player's new relationship, even Travis himself thinks the NFL is overdoing it with how much they are referencing Taylor, or how often she is showed on the big screen during games. In an article from the Rolling Stone, Travis and his brother's podcast is mentioned, where Travis points out he felt the league was "overdoing it a little bit for sure...especially my situation. I think they're trying to have fun with it." Obviously the NFL is no stranger to public relationships and I think they could remove some of the heat they have put on Taylor attending the Kansas City games and bring this playful energy to other relationships as well. The original NFL fans have been getting irritated having to constantly see Taylor Swift when the camera pans rather than their usual and familiar game. 

    What makes this marketing approach so unique is the recent uproar of Travis Kelce jersey sales, with a 400% increase in sales. If I were part of this marketing team, I would encourage the sales of other Cheifs jerseys, and broaden the new viewers' experiences to something more than just one man because although the league is clearly having fun with this relationship, I think there is more to be focused on that will draw in new viewers.  Encouraging sales for other players with famous relationships would even be a good marketing strategy while still playing off this idea of the obsession with Travis and Taylor. I think while they still have the attention of this new demographic of viewers, it would be beneficial for the marketing team to keep this "fangirl" persona alive and take an interest in other player's partners. 

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/travis-kelce-just-seemingly-confirmed-203038402.html

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