Social media trends: It’s Taylor’s world, we’re just marketing in it

Each week, Marketing Brew recaps what people are talking about on social media, the trends that took over our feeds, and how marketers are responding.

Swift thinking: Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce appear to be an item after the singer appeared at his game on Sunday. Brands wasted no time jumping in on the discourse that followed:

• The NFL, which saw a significant boost in viewership among younger women on Sunday, changed its bio to “NFL (Taylor’s Version)” on X and “Taylor was here” on TikTok, where it’s also been posting videos around her appearance.
• Hidden Valley Ranch jumped in multiple times on a joke stemming from a Swift fan account, which posted a photo of the singer at the game eating chicken tenders with ketchup and “seemingly ranch!” So did Van Leeuwen, which made ranch-flavored ice cream earlier this year.
• Heinz also got in on the joke, as did Arby’s and the Empire State Building.
• New Balance sent out an email blast promoting its 550 sneakers in red and white, which Swift wore to the game.
• Pfizer is running its Covid shot ads featuring Travis Kelce all over TikTok. Could be a coincidence, could be a timely increase in paid social spend.

Oppor-tube-ity strikes (sorry): TikTok trend-starter Sabrina Bahsoon, known as “Tube Girl” for creating videos that show her dancing on the London Tube, is working with brands like Boss and MAC cosmetics. Big lesson for those of us who are afraid to film ourselves on public transit.

Grab your beret: Duolingo is hiring a marketer to broaden its French audience, a role that’s been compared to Emily in Paris.

SEO genius: Naming your restaurant Restaurant Near Me is one way to ensure people find it.