Super Bowl ratings revealed as ‘Taylor Effect’ aids biggest ever audience
On February 11th, the 58th Super Bowl took place with Kansas City Chiefs vs San Francisco 49ers. It became the most-watched Super Bowl of all time, but not for the reasons some of us would have thought.
The Super Bowl received 123.4 million viewers across multiple networks and was the second most-watched program of all time, not quite overtaking the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969. Some may believe the game or the halftime show was the reason it was the most watched Super Bowl, with the Chiefs stealing the win in the last seconds or the Usher’s spectacular halftime show. But the real reason that this Super Bowl was ‘bejewelled’ with record-breaking numbers is because of one of the world’s best-selling musicians, Miss Taylor Swift.
Her fans, ‘Swifties’, all across the world have been keeping up to date with the NFL this past season since her romance with Chiefs star Travis Kelce blossomed. Taylor has been seen many times supporting her boyfriend at his games, so it was no surprise that Swifties would be tuning in to the Super Bowl in hopes that Taylor would once again be cheering on the Chiefs.
According to Variety, ‘20% of Super Bowl 2024 viewers said they were rooting for the Chiefs because of ‘Kelce and Swift’s relationship.’ NFL fans might not want to admit it, but Taylor’s appearance at the Super Bowl might have caused one of the biggest television viewings in history. We’ve already seen her improve the economies of places where she’s taken her Eras Tour. What’s next for her?
Written by: Tilly Rowsell
Related: What Marketers Need To Know about the Taylor Swift Effect
Introduction of the Apple Vision Pro headset launches safety concerns
This month, we also saw the Apple Vision Pro headset became available to purchase in the US. The headset is unlike any other VR equipment that we have seen rising in popularity over previous years. This launch from Apple blends 3D digital content with the ‘real’ outside world, making it available to use as a home theatre, your own personal desktop (that doesn’t involve carrying around your MacBook) and your GPS when driving.
We saw many people testing the headset out in public. On the train. Walking down the street. And even some users have been seen utilizing assisted driving features when behind the wheel! The US transportation secretary had to release a statement reminding drivers of car safety and paying attention to the road at all times. Apple has also backed up this message by reminding users the headset should never be used whilst driving.
The Vision Pro currently retails for $3,499 and, for users fortunate to have access to the equipment, they have already called it “an animator’s dream” and “the future of television.” For others, it imagines a future they are “not sure we should want.” Now, the rest of the world awaits the launch of the product in their country and the many other features (and concerns) that come with it.
Written by: Ellie-Mae Turner-Wood
X Makes Its Vertical Video Feed Ads Available to All Advertisers
X has announced that it is expanding its ad formats to include vertical video. These will be displayed within the new video feed section of X.
Now, you would assume X isn’t the most popular content for video content, but according to X, 100 million users now engage with vertical video in the app every day. Based on recent testing, vertical video ads are the most engaging ad format that they have released. X announced that as of the 1st February, all US-based advertisers are able to launch vertical video ad campaigns. It will be making it’s way to other regions very soon.
Written by: Tilly Rowsell
X launches option to feature ads next to a ‘curated list’ of creators
More news from X Ads, as the platform is to allow advertisers to avoid having their ads run alongside undesirable or controversial content. There is now an option for companies to run ads next to certain content creators. This option follows an incident which saw several brands removing ads from the platform after inappropriate content.”
In a blog, the company wrote that the new feature gives “advertisers more control to be able to use the self-serve X Ads Manager to run pre-roll video ads against the video content of their chosen creator(s) in both the home timeline and profile.” The update for ad management will also extend to give advertisers the option to serve ads only on a chosen content creator’s profile, “completely eliminating the likelihood of their ads appearing next to unwanted to controversial posts.” Will the update lead to advertisers returning to X? With $20 million being paid out to creators in 2023, time will only tell.
Written by: Ellie-Mae Turner-Wood
That’s a wrap on This Month in Social! For weekly updates on the latest trends and stories, follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
