Kelce’s Jersey Sales Surge 200%, Swift’s ‘So High School’ Streams Up 400%

Topline

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement has caused a spike in sales and social media engagement for both celebrities, as sales of Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs jerseys surged 200% the day after the couple’s announcement, sports merchandise retailer Fanatics confirmed to Forbes.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announced their engagement Tuesday. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)

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Key Facts

Kelce’s 200% spike in jersey sales in the day following his engagement to Swift made Tuesday his best-selling day since the Super Bowl, Fanatics confirmed to Forbes, which includes jerseys sold across the Fanatics, NFL and Chiefs websites.

Swift’s music surged on Spotify following the engagement announcement, particularly the song she used in her Instagram post—“So High School,” a cut from “The Tortured Poets Department”—which surged 400% in streams, Spotify told Forbes, and re-entered the Spotify daily chart at No. 68.

Swift returned to No. 1 on the Spotify daily artists chart on the day of her engagement, and some of her other songs, including “Fortnight,” “Lover” and “Style,” re-entered the chart.

In the 24 hours following Swift and Kelce’s engagement post on Instagram, Kelce earned 770,000 new followers, while Swift added 1.2 million followers, social media analytics company SEO Sherpa told Forbes, citing data from Social Blade.

Swift and Kelce’s engagement post racked up 33 million likes as of Thursday morning, and Meta said the post has been reposted by users more than 1 million times, more than any other post on the app ever.

How Have Brands Tried To Capitalize On Taylor Swift’s Engagement?

Plenty of brands rushed to put their own marketing spin on the engagement in apparent attempts to earn their own sales boosts by appealing to Swifties. Some brands, including Doordash and soda brand Olipop, offered customers 13% off, referencing Swift’s lucky number. The Pennsylvania Democratic Party also tried to fundraise off of Swift’s engagement, urging supporters to donate $13 (Swift is from Pennsylvania and has supported Democratic candidates for office in recent years). The Sims recreated Swift and Kelce’s engagement pictures, while Krispy Kreme offered free donuts and Buffalo Wild Wings offered to cater the wedding.

Key Background

Swift and Kelce announced their engagement in an Instagram post on Tuesday, two years after the pair began dating. “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,” Swift wrote, posting multiple pictures of their engagement in a flower garden. Swift also posted a picture of her engagement ring, which an expert told Forbes could be 13 carats and may cost as much as $650,000. The couple announced their engagement two weeks after Swift appeared on “New Heights,” the podcast hosted by Kelce and his brother Jason, where she announced her upcoming album, “The Life of a Showgirl.” Swift and Kelce’s relationship garnered significant attention once Swift was spotted at multiple Chiefs games in 2023. The relationship caused a spike in engagement with the NFL and the Chiefs, with billionaire Chiefs owner Clark Hunt crediting Swift for boosting the team’s female fanbase.

Forbes Valuation

Swift is worth $1.6 billion, according to Forbes estimates, making her the wealthiest woman in music. She became a billionaire in 2023 while on her $2 billion-grossing Eras Tour, and she is the first person to make the billionaire ranks based on the value of her music catalog and concert tours.