(Toronto) Most companies across the country booked their advertising space for Canada’s broadcast of the Super Bowl long before anyone knew the Kansas City Chiefs were advancing to the final game, but experts say many will seek to leave their mark on the public attracted by the team’s most famous fan: Taylor Swift.
The American star has been in the spotlight at NFL games in Kansas City since she first cheered on her boyfriend Travis Kelce against the Chicago Bears in September. Many of her fans have since become rabid soccer watchers, crediting Taylor Swift with getting them interested in American soccer.
These new followers represent a lucrative opportunity for brands to expand beyond their usual targets — men aged 18 to 35 — and reach tweens, teens, Gen Z, according to marketing experts. and millennial women, who tend to make most decisions about products purchased at home.
“People claim it doubles the impact of marketing value and spending, so it’s obviously valuable,” says Cheri Bradish, a professor of sports marketing at Toronto Metropolitan University. This section of society has more discretionary income and is more inclined to buy, especially if the message speaks to them. »
When “Swiftie” rhymes with economy
Online research company QuestionPro found last summer that its audiences spent an average of $1,300 per concert on its tour Eras, which was regularly full. Taylor Swift will also be visiting Toronto in November and Vancouver in December.
Days before its city visit, craft supply chain Michaels said local stores had seen a 300 percent increase in jewelry and bead sales, which the company attributes to the fan trend to exchange friendship bracelets during his concerts.
If the pace of spending spurred by his tour continues, QuestionPro estimates that the star will have generated an estimated economic impact of $5 billion.
“It really has a huge effect and impact,” says Gah-Yee Won, marketing manager at Intuit TurboTax Canada.
The company will advertise during the Canadian telecast of the Super Bowl for the third year in a row with a message directed by Taika Waititi of the film Jojo Rabbit and featuring the star of the series Abbott ElementaryQuinta Brunson.
Planning began before Swift got involved in football, but when asked about the impact of the star’s presence, Mme Won agrees that this is an advantage.
“We are delighted to see more men, women and young people getting excited about this incredible event and we are also trying to speak to this younger audience,” she adds.
The brands are ready
Food brands PepsiCo, Hershey, Maple Leaf Foods, Coca-Cola, Molson and M&M’s are also hoping to make an impact on Super Bowl audiences. According to Bell Media, they will all broadcast advertisements on TSN, CTV and RDS on Sunday during the face-to-face between Kansas City and San Francisco.
Vehicle manufacturers Kia, Kawasaki and Toyota, banks TD and BMO, as well as L’Oréal, the Ontario government and Temu are also expected to announce their products or services during the game.
Bell had already reached a record high for Super Bowl ad sales in January. There were only a few spaces left available.
Boston Pizza, which usually airs commercials before the game, will air for the first time in a while an ad featuring former football player Luke Willson, a Canadian who played in the NFL, during the game broadcast in Canada.
“Some people turn on their TV just to watch the exciting new commercials and then the halftime show, which has always been a crapshoot, but now I think there’s actually a reason to watch the game” , says James Kawalecki, vice president of marketing at Boston Pizza, citing the presence of Taylor Swift.
Swift’s attendance at the game is still uncertain, as she is performing in Tokyo the day before Sunday’s kickoff in Las Vegas, meaning she will have to rush to get to the Super Bowl on time.
Whether she succeeded or not, Sijie Sun, an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Manitoba, said the singer offered an important lesson that should be added to advertisers’ playbooks.
“We need to be more inclusive, more open to all genders and all demographics,” he says.