Swifties Takeover: TelmarHelixa's 2023 Influencer Year in Review

It appears that the true Karma is neither her boyfriend nor a cat purring on her lap ‘cause it loves her, but truly is flexing like an acrobat all over each one of us. 

Between being named Time’s Person of the Year, selling out multiple stadiums, and introducing millions of otherwise disinterested new fans to the National Football League, Taylor Swift had a pretty great 2023. Some would say she was 2023. 

While looking at a complete year of review across multiple categories it became abundantly clear that Taylor Swift dominated all. So… a quick pivot and instead of analyzing top performers in each category, we took a look at Taylor’s audience from all angles to see how traditional and non-traditional brands & advertisers can take advantage of this behemoth of an opportunity. Who truly are Swifties? What are their top brands? Do Swifties actually watch the NFL now? And for those brands, like us, who can’t afford Taylor, which influencers should they look to engage with?

Swifties: You’re the Only Thing I know

Shiny Toy with a Price…

As illustrated by her appointment as Time’s Person of the Year, Taylor Swift’s influence has truly reached unimaginable heights, permeating throughout all parts of our marketing and advertising world. While Taylor is the dream scenario for any brand, the reality is her sheer celebrity will price out most advertisers out from using Taylor in their marketing campaigns. With that in mind, we utilized the Discover Influencer View to help identify some influencers that offer a more budget friendly option. 

Swifties truly have a wide range of influencers that they are fanatical about. The most popular categories are: Reality Show Influencers, Artists/Performers, and Models. From an engagement perspective, these three categories represent less than 5% of the US population influencer engagement and as a result creators within these categories, outside of the fashion industry, command a much lower sponsorship compensation. 

Look at Her, She’s Cheer Captain Now

One of the more fascinating developments of 2023 was, while some might argue it was not as organic as we are led to believe, the cross collaboration between Taylor Swift and the NFL. In case you are in fact living off, I mean way off, the grid Taylor Swift is now dating the Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce. 

As an aside, publicly we wish Taylor & Travis a lifetime of happiness together, privately we cannot wait to hear the breakup song backlash from Taylor. We digress.

Much to the dismay of NFLs most ardent followers, Taylor has become a mainstay during NFL broadcasts across Amazon, ESPN, NBC, & Fox as she has embedded herself in friends & family suite. With so much airtime being devoted to Taylor, has the relationship translated to Swifties’ engagement with the NFL? The answer is an, astonishing and a full-throated YES! 

Nearly 30% of Taylor fans are engaging with the NFL, which is 1.21x more than the average American audience. Taking it a step further, Swifties are falling. in love with the Kansas City Chiefs and Travis Kelce themselves as they are more likely to be engaging with both than the average US consumer. 

Even Kelce’s family is now more popular among Swifties. They engage with both Donna and Jason Kelce more than the average American. If advertisers can’t entice Taylor, a nice option might be the much more budget friendly Kelce family. And what is Taylor Swift without a little bit of messy relationship drama, Kelce’s old dating show is still being engaged with by Swifties as well. Overall, Swifties are going to go where Taylor is no matter what.

Swifties are Lost in [her] Current like a Pricey Wine…

Taylor’s fans are not singularly focused on entertainment and influencers, they’re also brand savvy purchasers. 

As might be expected with a largely Gen Z & Millennial Female audience, Swifties are 1.49x more likely to engage with Beauty brands and 1.25x more likely to engage with Apparel & Fashion brands. So what brands specifically are they engaging with? 

But just like Taylor, this audience has long tentacles that reach into all product categories. 

Karma is the guy on the screen coming straight home to me…

While Swifties most certainly jumped on the Era’s tour band wagon, they refuse to miss out on any of the latest trends. Taylor Swift fans are 1.29x more likely to agree they have to stay up to date with the latest trends than the average US Consumer. 

This fact was evidenced with their engagement with another major summer pop culture event, Barbenheimer. Not only do Swifties have positive affinity for both movies, they’re also 2.00x as likely to engage with the Barbie brand than the average American. Perhaps, Greta Gerwig should tap Taylor as Barbie 2’s musical composer.  

2023 truly proved to be Taylor Swift’s year, and it feels like you can find a Swiftie anywhere that you look, especially now when it comes to professional football. From those NFL broadcasts to the year’s biggest meme in Barbenheimer, Taylor Swift’s audience is everywhere and waiting to be tapped into by advertisers. With Discover, brands and marketers can instantly segment this highly coveted audience to find the best avenue to making meaningful connections. 

Contact us to find out how we can help you surface quick and meaningful insights.

From all of us here at TelmarHelixa, we wish you the happiest of Holidays and wish you a wonderful New Year! Here is to 2024 being even greater than Taylor's 2023!