How Brands Won Big on Taylor Swift’s Engagement Day
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement wasn’t just a cultural moment, it was a marketing earthquake. On August 26, 2025, the couple announced their news on Instagram with the line: “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.”
The internet promptly melted. Their post hit 14 million likes in the first hour (Yahoo), racked up over 1 million reposts in six hours (New York Post), and ultimately crossed the 29+ million like mark at the time of publishing this blog post (Instagram). The velocity was apparently so fast it briefly caused Instagram outages, with Meta confirming that it shattered platform records (PetaPixel).
This wasn’t just an engagement announcement. It started the countdown to America’s Royal Wedding. Taylor and Travis are two massive cultural forces in sports and music, and every milestone leading up to their wedding will be filled with news, exciting moments, ushering in new trends and product sales for the companies lucky enough to be featured. Even for companies not officially affiliated with Taylor and Travis’ wedding, I see brands creating their own luck in a similar fashion to the British Royal Wedding of Will and Kate – think limited edition products, merchandise, promotions, freebies, and more.
As the co-author of The Laws of Brand Storytelling and The Power of Visual Storytelling for Social Media, I’ve spent years studying how brands can authentically join cultural conversations. Here’s my curated list of the 13 best brand posts from the Swift-Kelce engagement and what every marketer can learn from them.
The 13 Best Brand Posts
1. LEGO
“The greatest love story ever built.”
Simple. Playful. Perfectly on brand. LEGO translated Swift and Kelce’s story into minifigure form, showing how visual storytelling can be instantly recognizable and shareable.
2. KitKat
“To love stories that never break.”
The engagement ring visual plus the “break” pun? Chef’s kiss. This is how you weave your brand promise into a cultural moment.
3. Insomnia Cookies
“Shooting our shot to do catering for the wedding of the century.”
A cookie cake engagement pitch that feels both bold and funny. This is the power of leaning into your role in a cultural celebration. Regardless, they need themed cookie cakes in the run up to the wedding!
4. Aldi
“We’ve hosted a wedding before and we’d do it again.”
Throwback meets topical humor. Aldi tapped into its history of in-store weddings and cleverly tied it to the Swift-Kelce news. I’m having trouble embedding this one, but you can view it here or in the screen grab below: https://www.instagram.com/p/DN1Be-c3lEs.
5. M.A.C. Cosmetics
“Ruby Woo is ready to say ‘I Do.’”
Taylor’s signature red lipstick turned into a brand moment. This is textbook real-time marketing: fast, relevant, and tied to a product the audience instantly connects to her.
6. Michael’s Stores
“brb celebrating THE engagement era.”
The team filmed themselves running through aisles grabbing engagement party supplies. This kind of lo-fi, in-the-moment content wins because it feels human and reactive, not over-produced.
7. Nordstrom
“Urgent meeting in the jewellery hall.”
Minimal, elegant, and true to Nordstrom’s brand voice. Proof that not every response needs overt humor, sometimes subtlety is the move.
8. Olipop
“He OLIPOP-ed the question.”
This wasn’t just a visual. Olipop built in a 13% discount promotion (Taylor’s favorite number), on top of their 15% subscription deal. A real-time post that also drives sales? That’s smart marketing.
9. Starbucks
“Are we supposed to keep talking about PSL like nothing’s happened?”
Here’s the brilliance: Starbucks had just launched the return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL), which normally dominates its marketing calendar. Instead of sticking to plan, the team pivoted, jumping into the Swift-Kelce engagement conversation with a witty nod to both.
10. Sonic
“It’s a love story, baby, SHE SAID YES.”
The brand staged a proposal with an onion ring. Silly? Absolutely. But visual humor wins attention in crowded feeds.
11. Reese’s
“Say yes to cookies and cups.”
Plenty of brands did ring visuals, but Reese’s nailed it with the peanut butter cup as the diamond. It’s distinctive, brand-driven, and deliciously fun.
12. Southwest Airlines
“Our Pilots’ Priorities: 1. Safety 2. Swift updates.”
When a pilot announces the engagement mid-flight, you don’t just let it pass. You turn it into branded content. Authentic, real-world, and highly shareable.
13. Lidl GB
“XXL Week (Taylor’s Rock Version).”
The XXL wafer bar next to Taylor’s massive ring. Bold, funny, and easy to understand at a glance — a visual gag that landed.
What These Posts Teach Us About Real-Time Marketing
These 13 standouts aren’t just funny or timely — they work because they balance speed, creativity, and authenticity. Let’s break it down:
- Stay true to your voice. LEGO builds. M.A.C. paints. Starbucks sips. None of them forced a connection; they leaned into what they’re known for.
- Use visuals wisely. From onion rings to minifigures, the posts that popped were instantly recognizable and made for sharing.
- Go beyond awareness. Olipop turned engagement buzz into an offer that drives subscriptions. Real-time content doesn’t have to be a one-off.
- Humanize the brand. Michael’s sprint through the aisles and Southwest’s in-flight announcement worked because they felt human, not corporate.
- Know when to pivot. Starbucks had just rolled out PSL, a huge seasonal moment. Most brands stick to their planned announcements, but great real-time marketing means knowing when to shift gears and jump into cultural conversation.
- Move fast, but with intention. A witty post an hour late still wins. A tone-deaf one in five minutes backfires.
Tips for Brands Looking to Capitalize on Big Moments
- Have evergreen assets ready. Create visuals for weddings, celebrations, and cultural “what if” scenarios so you can respond quickly.
- Build a meme-ready library. Rings, cakes, confetti, champagne — these tropes show up again and again.
- Balance speed with brand fit. If the moment doesn’t connect authentically, sit it out. Silence beats cringe.
- Think real world, not just digital. Store activations, live experiences, or customer moments (like Southwest) can fuel unique content.
- Don’t just chase attention — drive action. Whether it’s discounts (Olipop) or product tie-ins (M.A.C.), the best responses tie back to brand goals.
Final Word
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement may have been personal, but it turned into a public masterclass in real-time marketing. For brands, the playbook is clear: be ready, be authentic, and when the cultural moment arrives, say yes.
Jessica Gioglio is the co-author of The Laws of Brand Storytelling and The Power of Visual Storytelling. Professionally, Jessica has led innovative marketing and public relations programs for Dunkin’, TripAdvisor, Sprinklr, and more. Today, Jessica is a keynote speaker (book her here) and founder of With Savvy Media & Marketing, a strategic branding, storytelling, and content strategy consultancy.