Topline
The relationship that launched a million memes between pop superstar Taylor Swift and NFL tight end Travis Kelce suddenly seemed under threat this week after a document alleging to be from one of Kelce’s agents circulated on social media claiming the couple is headed for a break up—but it now appears to be an elaborate prank.
Travis Kelce kisses Taylor Swift after defeating the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime during … [+]
Key Facts
A document titled “Comprehensive Media Plan for Travis Kelce’s Public Relations Following Breakup With Taylor Swift” by Full Scope PR started to go viral on Reddit before spreading to other social media sites early this week.
The several-page-long PR plan claims to be the blueprint for crafting Kelce’s public statement and the hope to “manage and mitigate the fallout from the breakup between Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift, ensuring Travis Kelce retains a positive public image, minimizes negative media portrayal, and continues to build his personal and professional brand.”
The document says Kelce’s team plans to release an official statement announcing the separation on Sept. 28, “three days post-breakup to allow initial media frenzy to settle and ensure clarity.”
The plan gives an example statement, says Kelce will do select interviews with outlets like ESPN, Vanity Fair and People Magazine, and includes talking points, like emphasizing “his respect for Taylor Swift and the mutual decision to part ways.”
Full Scope PR, however, says nobody that works for the agency had anything to do with the document and the company’s legal team is investigating who illegally used the agency’s logo and posed as a member of the firm. The original Reddit page sharing the post has since been taken down.
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Key Background
Kelce and Swift were publicly linked last September after Swift appeared at a Kansas City Chiefs game to cheer on the tight end. Kelce first suggested he was interested in Swift in July on his popular “New Heights” podcast, where he admitted he’d made a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it to give to Swift after seeing an Eras Tour performance. Fans took Swift’s September game appearance—at which she watched from a suite alongside Kelce’s mom, Donna, and left with Kelce in a convertible—as confirmation of the dating rumors. The appearance sparked a media frenzy that saw the NFL itself capitalize by making jokes online, brands launched Kelce/Swift related merch and it led to a spike in viewership for league games. Since then, Swift has attended a handful of other Chiefs games (including the Super Bowl in Las Vegas), Kelce was spotted at her overseas Eras Tour shows (including an on-stage appearance at Wembley Stadium in London) and they’ve been seen on dates around the world.
What To Watch For
If Swift will attend the first Chiefs game of the new season. The Baltimore Ravens will play at Arrowhead Stadium at 8:20 p.m. EDT Thursday for the NFL’s opening game.
Tangent
Kelce’s celebrity has skyrocketed last year thanks to high-profile brand deals with Pfizer, Experian and Campbell Soup, the release of a documentary centered on his brother, Travis, called “Kelce” and, of course, his public relationship with Swift. Kelce, who has played for the Kansas City Chiefs his entire career, has made major moves into branding and acting in the last year, in addition to scoring some big-name sponsorships. He made an unannounced cameo in the opening sketch of “Saturday Night Live” about the mania surrounding his relationship with Swift in October, and in May announced he’d landed his first-ever acting role in the FX Series “Grotesquerie.” Last month, it was announced he would star in an action-comedy from Lionsgate called “Loose Cannons” and will have a cameo in the “Happy Gilmore 2” film.
Big Number
$100 million. That’s how much the Kelce brothers’ podcast deal with Amazon’s Wondery, announced last week, is estimated to be worth.
Further Reading
