Our MD, Fiona Proudler can’t hide it. Her excitement at having tickets for the Eras tour is off the charts. She is not ashamed of it either. She is a proper Swiftie.
And there are millions of them. Fans. Nay, super fans. And what blew all at ORB away recently was seeing the impact she has had on a subject close to our heart. Merchandise sales.
Since hooking up with her boyfriend Travis Kelce (who, unless you live under a rock, everyone knows is the star of Superbowl winning team, the Kansas City Chiefs), the sales of his personal merchandise range have shot up by over 400% (at last look).
In fact, her star power is so gigantic that the commercial impact she has had on the NFL – already the most watched sports league in the USA – has been phenomenal. According to Forbes, Swift has generated an equivalent brand value of over $330m for the Kansas City Chiefs (imagine).
Everything she touches (or is associated with) creates a giant ker-ching effect (there’s even a course you can study in the States called Swiftonomics).
But the story we liked most was about a simple boutique in Kansas City who had posted a TikTok, that went viral (which showed Taylor’s order being packaged up) featuring a vintage black and red Chiefs sweatshirt, available from their store.
Taylor wore the $250 sweatshirt (as well as a beanie the store owner’s girlfriend has made) and within 12 hours, 400-500 people were on the boutique’s website ordering the same one. It didn’t stop there. Footfall to the store was off the charts – fans in their droves turning up to “dress like Taylor”. The owner said it changed their lives and they were trying to take full advantage. Or as Taylor might say, they didn’t see it coming – even in their wildest dreams.
It doesn’t surprise us – this ripple effect, the power of celebrity but, equally, the love for certain brands and the merchandise - as we get to see it on a daily basis. Last week we had a Mum send what can only be described as a begging letter to see if we could replace their beloved Still Game pint glass (one of thousands we sold on behalf of the iconic show at the Hydro tour a few years ago). She said her son was broken hearted it had smashed. Thankfully we had a few tucked away in our show cupboard.
In short, merchandise matters to brand fans. Or to quote Taylor, it never goes out of style.
And there are millions of them. Fans. Nay, super fans. And what blew all at ORB away recently was seeing the impact she has had on a subject close to our heart. Merchandise sales.
Since hooking up with her boyfriend Travis Kelce (who, unless you live under a rock, everyone knows is the star of Superbowl winning team, the Kansas City Chiefs), the sales of his personal merchandise range have shot up by over 400% (at last look).
In fact, her star power is so gigantic that the commercial impact she has had on the NFL – already the most watched sports league in the USA – has been phenomenal. According to Forbes, Swift has generated an equivalent brand value of over $330m for the Kansas City Chiefs (imagine).
Everything she touches (or is associated with) creates a giant ker-ching effect (there’s even a course you can study in the States called Swiftonomics).
But the story we liked most was about a simple boutique in Kansas City who had posted a TikTok, that went viral (which showed Taylor’s order being packaged up) featuring a vintage black and red Chiefs sweatshirt, available from their store.
Taylor wore the $250 sweatshirt (as well as a beanie the store owner’s girlfriend has made) and within 12 hours, 400-500 people were on the boutique’s website ordering the same one. It didn’t stop there. Footfall to the store was off the charts – fans in their droves turning up to “dress like Taylor”. The owner said it changed their lives and they were trying to take full advantage. Or as Taylor might say, they didn’t see it coming – even in their wildest dreams.
It doesn’t surprise us – this ripple effect, the power of celebrity but, equally, the love for certain brands and the merchandise - as we get to see it on a daily basis. Last week we had a Mum send what can only be described as a begging letter to see if we could replace their beloved Still Game pint glass (one of thousands we sold on behalf of the iconic show at the Hydro tour a few years ago). She said her son was broken hearted it had smashed. Thankfully we had a few tucked away in our show cupboard.
In short, merchandise matters to brand fans. Or to quote Taylor, it never goes out of style.