When Taylor Swift introduced her engagement to Travis Kelce this week, followers obtained greater than only a ring reveal. Inside 24 hours, the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs star unveilled a brand new collaboration with American Eagle, full with the camo suits andearthy tones that outline Kelce’s private model.
The collaboration notably encompasses a numerous lineup of younger athletes and creators modeling the items; a notable shift away from the Sydney Sweeney “good denims” controversy that has dominated American Eagle discourse of late, Reid Litman, a Gen-Z advertising and marketing knowledgeable, informed Fortune.
The timing has led to widespread hypothesis on social media platforms like Reddit and Tiktok: did the pair swift-ly transfer into model engineering their engagement?
Litman thinks sure.
“To announce a model partnership in the identical sentence as the wedding — I feel it’s simply so on model,” he stated. “I jokingly wrote earlier, ‘in illness and in wealth.’”
Market-moving marriage
Swift and Kelce’s relationship has been a cultural and financial juggernaut, with analysts pegging their mixed model worth at $1.6 billion. Signet Jewelers — the place Kelce purchased Swift’s $550,000 diamond — had their inventory tick up 6% off the again of the reveal, and American Eagle inventory can be up almost 9% after this collaboration announcement. The Ralph Lauren striped sundress Swift donned in her put up additionally offered out 20 minutes after the announcement.
“Their relationship has constantly moved markets,” Litman stated. “Having the Taylor Swift halo on the Travis Kelce deal will definitely be seen as a optimistic. I’d be shocked if the market didn’t react favorably.”
For American Eagle, the guess is evident: if Swift can introduce the NFL to thousands and thousands of younger ladies, Kelce may be capable to return the favor by pulling her fandom into retail, Litman added.
Some critics might even see the rollout as too completely timed. However in immediately’s advertising-heavy market, the road between genuine and engineered might not matter, Litman stated.
“Actually, I’ve form of stopped asking the query: is it genuine?” the strategist stated. “In a world the place we all know there’s an underlying business element to all the pieces, it virtually doesn’t matter. What issues is that if her followers and his followers are excited and having fun with the second.”
