Taylor Swift Effect? Super Bowl to See Three Health and Beauty Brand Ads

A trio of health and beauty brands are buying pricy commercial time for CBS Sports’ coverage of Super Bowl LVIII. Two of them are new to the Big Game, the third is returning from a long hiatus, and more brands could still enter the mix by Feb. 11, since some advertisers like to keep their plans a surprise. (Notably: There were zero national-in game ads for health and beauty brands last year.) And while those additions can’t be tied directly to Taylor Swift’s relationship with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, or to her influence on the NFL and its female viewership, each of the ad spots targets female consumers or prominently features women: 

• L’Oreal’s NYX Professional Makeup will make its Super Bowl debut with a new 30-second commercial celebrating the “power of women” in the “traditionally male-dominated” football industry, according to Campaign.
• e.l.f. Cosmetics will air its first national Super Bowl commercial and is planning a star-studded spot featuring singer Meghan Trainor, actor Gina Torres, and others, according to Adweek.
• And Dove will advertise in the Big Game for the first time in 18 years. The new #KeepHerConfident commercial will promote body confidence in girls “to keep them playing the sports they love,” according to the personal care brand.

Some industry experts believe the connection to Swift is undeniable. “It has become one Swift world,” global trend spotter Marian Salzman tells Front Office Sports. “Honestly I think she is the best bridge [advertisers] have to women of all ages–and the men who shop with them.”

It’s difficult to pinpoint whether advertisers bought their commercial time before or after the romance became public in October (or the Chiefs’s winning the AFC Championship Game). But it stands to reason that Swift has had some influence in spurring advertisers to fork over an estimated $7 million for 30 seconds. (Although CBS has said its Super Bowl commercial inventory has been virtually sold out since November, savvy networks always keep a couple spots available to sell at a premium.)

Marketing consultant Ernest Lupinacci, a former creative director on Nike and ESPN campaigns, believes some beauty advertisers simply gambled early on Kelce’s Chiefs reaching their fourth Super Bowl in the last five seasons. “My theory,” he says, “is that some smart people said, ‘You know what? Let’s buy some ad time. It’s a big enough audience anyway. And if Kansas City makes it in there, we are golden.’ ”

Super Bowl Sunday is the one day where it’s a guarantee that viewers will be watching the commercials, and the game annually generates the biggest TV audience of the year: Last February, a record 115.1 million viewers tuned in for Fox Sports’ telecast of Super Bowl LVII. Throw in the Swifties, and this year’s number could set a new benchmark.