After attending a Kansas City Chiefs game, Taylor Swift fueled rumors that she and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce are dating, propelling Kelce's star into the stratosphere. His jersey sales spiked 400%, his podcast with his brother rose to #1 on the Apple charts, and the Chiefs sold more tickets in a single day since the start of the season.
“This goes beyond marketing,” says Yakov Bart, associate professor of marketing. He says that she has clearly cultivated an immense amount of trust with her fans, as exemplified by her less viral but equally impactful call for her fans to register to vote earlier in September.