The Big Business of Relationships

Whether you get your news from Deuxmoi or the WSJ, you’ve likely seen coverage of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. At first it was endearing, but now it’s hard to imagine there isn’t a PR team involved, and the latest headlines have us thinking long and hard about the business of relationships. While celebrities have been dating each other since the dawn of time, courtships today feel even more equal parts romantic and commercial – as if they are just another tool in the personal brand toolbox. A few relationship archetypes we have witnessed are:

Superstars collide: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce represent the merging of superstars. Or, perhaps more accurately, a planet and star (we don’t really know enough about astronomy for this analogy, if we’re being honest), and it’s not hard to see how this pairing has benefitted both of their careers. Swift’s relationships have long been under a microscope, but her recent date nights, appearances at Chiefs games, and the on-stage lyric change in “Karma” have been highly public and even further amplified the press around her already renowned Eras Tour. Watching Swift live out the “You Belong With Me” music video has electrified her fans, keeping them engaged in her artistic and personal journey. For Kelce, this relationship has simultaneously catapulted him to a different level of fame and greatly benefitted the NFL. The titular star of “Catching Kelce,” Travis is certainly not shy about sharing (and monetizing) his love on a public stage. His podcast, “New Heights,” has picked up 350k new YouTube subscribers, and if the 400% increase in his jersey sales are any indication of his ability to move product by association, we can only imagine the brand deals are rolling in. The impact of their relationship goes far beyond Travis himself… Swift single-handedly has brought a major wave of new viewership to the league (which has been quick to capitalize on the attention), increasing ticket sales significantly.

The unexpected winner: Surely if one person entering a relationship is already famous, value is mostly created for the non-famous significant other, right? Wrong. Take Taylor Fritz and Morgan Riddle, “The Most Famous Woman in Men’s Tennis.” When they met on a dating app, Fritz was already a professional athlete, and Riddle was a relative unknown. She built her following in and around men’s tennis--mission-locked on “making tennis cool again.” And she got super popular. So popular, in fact, that people were discovering her on TikTok and tuning into matches, news outlets were panning to her during tournaments, sponsorships came knocking, and articles were written about her contribution to the sport. She transcended tennis, and she brought Fritz with her. So while he made sure she had access to the elite world of men’s tennis, she made him a household name.

Professionally in love: What happens when you are famous because of your dating life? Well, Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell’s relationship is one that defines who they are as creators. Perhaps because they met through the Bachelor franchise (and lasted…), they are squarely in the business of relationships. Both relatively anonymous prior, and with no notable public endeavors aside from their dating life, Matt and Rachel are a two-for-one deal. Like other influencers, they engage in brand deals and sponsorships, and, to be sure, each has their own focus areas, but much of their content is grounded in their partnership. So much so that this summer, when there was a perceived lack of “together” social media content, the internet speculated a breakup.

Regardless of the type of relationship, it’s hard to argue that the whole isn’t greater than the sum of its parts. A partner provides additional leverage, deep alignment, and real companionship in what can be a lonely professional path. Perhaps most importantly, love stories excite and captivate the public – drawing (usually positive) attention to both parties and increasing the significance of their every move. So while it’s easy to be cynical about the monetization of love, it’s nice to think about all the romantics out there buying it (literally and metaphorically).