The Taylor Swift effect

Plus, how Shrek's Swamp helped Airbnb win attention [View this email in your browser]( The Taylor Swift effect Taylor Swift has put Travis Kelce on the map — at least according to [TikTok wives and girlfriends](. Obviously that’s a prank for viral purposes, but it’s also sort of not untrue? After rumors that Swift and Kelce were dating, the Super-Bowl-winning Tight End’s [shirt sales skyrocketed]( and his [Instagram following grew by 300,000]( off the back of the news. We saw it reflected in earned media coverage and social posts too, and it’s fun to compare and contrast the impact the new couple has had on each individual involved. In the last week, Kelce has been written about almost 12,000 times, with 1.5 million engagements on those articles — that’s an increase of 240% and 387% compared to the previous week. Compare that to Taylor Swift. She has also seen an increase in coverage and engagement in the last week, but it’s nowhere near as dramatic as Kelce’s. The number of articles written about her has increased 66% and engagement to those articles is up 69%. Put simply, Swift has deviated much less from her baseline level of interest than Kelce, for whom interest on the web has soared. And what’s true for web coverage is equally true for social. While Swift’s engagement (right graphic below) increased more on native social posts compared to web, Kelce’s (on the left) also saw even more dramatic increases in the order of 500%. So while it’s obviously not strictly possible to put a Super Bowl winner on the map, it does say something about expanding audiences, and the discovery potential of a whole new group of fans. Kelce is definitely seeing a new wave of interest from groups outside of his normal demographic, and it’s fascinating to see the numbers behind that evolve in real time, both on social and in the real world. Shrek’s Swamp or Barbie’s Dreamhouse? Airbnb goers might prefer a night with an ogre For years Airbnb has been giving movie and TV show fans the opportunity to experience the worlds they see on screen in a very real way. In 2021 the brand made the iconic house from the 90’s film Home Alone available to rent for one night, and just last year a Game of Thrones inspired Airbnb also hit the market. There are several others worth checking out, but this year there are two limited time activations that have clearly stolen the public’s attention — Shrek and Barbie. While these two characters hardly have anything in common, the unique nature of both of their homes is incredibly appealing to fans who have dreamt of setting foot in a murky-watered swamp house or a hot pink mansion. We’re not here to judge anyone’s fantasies, but we can discuss which one seems to be making a bigger impression, and it turns out that more people might want to go to Shrek’s sleepover. Airbnb has utilized its Instagram and TikTok accounts to promote these listings, first with the Barbie Dreamhouse at the end of June. The Instagram post announcing Barbie’s rental saw over 123k engagements, and yesterday’s announcement of Shrek’s swamp, set to open for booking in October, has received nearly 81k. That was just 24 hours ago however, and on TikTok, the beloved swamp has earned 2.8M views to Barbie’s 469k, and has also totaled 364.5k engagements to Barbie’s 29k. This is a continuation a fun owned strategy that Airbnb finds success with time after time, and it also subtly alludes to the always anticipated holiday of Halloween, as Shrek enthusiasts can request to book the rental starting October 13th, which of course falls on a Friday this year. Coincidence? We think not! INSIGHTS ON DEMAND Find out more about our three new features [Read article →]( FREE LIVE WEBINAR "Using predictive insight to inform your comms strategy" [Register →]( REDDIT TO PAY PEOPLE FOR TOP POSTS Reddit has unveiled plans to pay its top contributors cash for popular posts [Read article →]( TOP CRISES IN THE UK We looked at the biggest crises to emerge in the UK this year [Read report]( → [Website icon]( [Twitter icon]( [LinkedIn icon]( Copyright (C) 2023 NewsWhip. All rights reserved. You're receiving this email because you opted in for the NewsWhip blog newsletter and updates. Our mailing address is: NewsWhip 42 Pearse Street Dublin, D02 YX88 Ireland Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe](