The latest ‘New Heights’ episode opens with a tampon ad. Is it the ‘Taylor Swift effect’ or something else?
Some suspect the 'New Heights' podcast's Tampax ad has to do with co-host Travis Kelce’s high-profile relationship.
A top sports podcast’s latest episode opened with an ad for Tampax and listeners are taking notice.
The audio version of Wednesday’s episode of Travis and Jason Kelce’s New Heights kicks off with a 30-second ad geared toward listeners who may be new to using tampons. Some suspect it has to do with co-host Travis Kelce’s high-profile relationship. Others say it’s a sign of the times.
“The truth is, if you’ve never used a tampon, it can seem a little scary,” the ad begins. “It might take a few tries to get it right but when inserted right, tampons shouldn’t hurt.”
The ad is a part of New Heights’ audio episodes on Spotify and Apple Music. It does not appear to be a targeted ad that only reaches some demographics but rather is integrated into the episode. Notably, (and thankfully,) it’s not narrated by either of the Kelce brothers.
It’s not the first time Tampax has placed an ad with New Heights. On X, formerly Twitter, there are a few scattered mentions of the tampon company’s ads on the podcast as early as October, weeks after Taylor Swift first attended a Kansas City Chiefs game. Still, this appears to be the first time an episode has opened with a Tampax ad.
It’s possible the ad choice has to do with New Heights’ recent surge in female listeners. According to data from Edison Podcast Metrics, the podcast’s listening base was 32% women before Travis Kelce and Swift went public. Now, it’s 50% women.
“Not only has the high-profile romance between Kelce and Swift helped grow the show’s weekly reach,” the report said. “But it has also significantly changed the gender breakdown of the show’s listeners.”
The NFL has also reported similar spikes in women’s viewership since Swift became a Chiefs fan.
Users on X suggest it’s the “Taylor Swift effect” at work.
» READ MORE: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s relationship is real — and really great branding
“Taylor Swift’s effect on this football season has taken on many forms,” one tweet said. “But if you had told me a year ago that Tampax would pay for an ad in the first minute of the New Heights podcast, I would have thought you were crazy.”
“They know we’re here,” another user wrote in response to the ad at the top of the new episode.
Following Swift’s appearance at the Chiefs-Jets game, Nielsen Fast National Figures data showed a 53% increase in female Sunday Night Football viewers ages 12-17, a 24% increase in women 18-24, and a 34% increase in female viewers older than 35.
Swifties are turning to anything Kelce-adjacent with fervor.
Sales of Travis Kelce’s jersey were up by 400% according to Fanatics, following the couple’s first public appearance. Fans have also been tuning into New Heights in hopes of new details on the relationship.
P&G Brands, the parent company of Tampax, did not respond to a request for comment.