By Sarah BregelFeatures correspondent
Alamy
With brands like e.l.f. and Dove taking centre stage in this year's Super Bowl advertisem*nts, it's clear there's a new target market expanding the usual NFL fanbase.
With an audience of over 100m viewers a year, the Super Bowl has long been an ideal time for advertisers to make an impression. But this year, as the Kansas City Chiefs take on the San Francisco 49ers, ads could look a bit different. That's because in recent months, the US' National Football League (NFL) has captivated a new audience: Gen Z and millennial women.
Thanks to Taylor Swift's dedicated fanbase, more women and girls are watching American football. According to survey data reported by Morning Consult, nearly two-thirds of Gen Z or Millennial women now have a favourable view of the NFL. While the data shows that women's support of the NFL has been growing since 2017, it has never been higher than since Swift started reportedly dating Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce – surging 11% between July and December of last year. Marketwatch data from Apex Marketing estimates that Swift's presence has created $122m (£97m) of brand value for the NFL.
While last year, advertisers shelled out around $7m (£5.5m) for a 30-second spot during the big game, most of those spots catered to male viewers. Women have long been underrepresented when it comes to Super Bowl ads – but this year, with more women watching, marketers are keen to cash in on the female demographic.
Jed Jecelin, executive creative director for Planit, an Emmy-winning marketing and advertising agency in Baltimore, Maryland, tells the BBC that the Swiftie crowd is bringing a certain "pride and connectedness" that is "powerful and positive" to the American football world. He says that this year, the big game is an opportunity for women-centric brands to stand out among the more typical "food, car, and beverage advertisers",which often take big swings with their super bowl ads to court the game's massive audience.
It's already clear that there will be more women-focused brands aiming to do just that during commercial breaks. Advertising spots by brands like CeraVe, Dove and e.l.f., have already been confirmed. For e.l.f., the 2024 Super Bowl spot will mark their first national Super Bowl ad, while Dove is returning to the advertising line-up for the first time in nearly two decades.
This change in representation makes perfect sense, say experts. Eileen Ziesmer, a PR consultant who has representedwho has representedglobal retailer Ulta Beauty, tells the BBC she believes the Super Bowl ads this year will bring "newness in tone and variety of brands and industries represented". She explains that the new female audience who will be watching the Super Bowl this year "often represents leaders of discretionary household budgets, so [it's] a win-win for brands and viewers alike".
Zeismer expects the Taylor effect to continue long after the Super Bowl, too. Zeismer herself will be "watching for many beauty brands and other brave industry leaders" to keep showing up in new "compelling, fun ways" in the traditionally male-dominated area of American football.
And no matter the gender of those on the Super Bowl sidelines (or in the box seats) for the game itself, Jecelin says Super Bowl advertisers should have never left women out to begin with. "Even without Taylor’s involvement, the Super Bowl is an amazing opportunity for women-centric brands," he says. "A beauty brand, for example, can reach significantly higher numbers through the Super Bowl than any other programming in the US." Meaning, women are already watching the event – the "Swift effect" has simply helped advertisers take notice.
This year, with Swift's help, female-focused brands will come to play.
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