Taylor Swift's upcoming album release and her love of all things orange isn't lost on her fans - or brands that are seeking a ride on what has become an enormous economic tailwind.
On Wednesday after Swift went on the “New Heights” podcast co-hosted by her boyfriend and NFL football star Travis Kelce to announce the imminent release of her 12th studio album “The Life of a Showgirl,” major companies went into marketing overdrive.
The reason? Swift's ability to generate buzz and draw dollars.
Swift’s tour appearances have become economic events. The singer’s Eras Tour two years ago was the first such tour to cross the billion-dollar mark, according to Pollstar’s 2023 year-end charts. Cities and their surrounding areas registered a sizeable economic boost after Swift appeared, with thousands of fans making the pilgrimage and spending money at hotels, restaurants and elsewhere.
Companies are no longer waiting to capitalize on Swift’s gravitational pull and orange-themed memes from big brands began rolling out almost immediately.
That is because Swift appeared onstage wearing orange numerous times towards the end of her Eras Tour and she discussed her feelings about the color on the Wednesday podcast.
Numerous corporations, from United Airlines to Olive Garden, began posting orange hued memes on their own social media accounts soon after the new album was announced. Shake Shack, FedEx, Buffalo Wild Wings, Cinnabon, Walmart and Netflix did, too.
More than a dozen NHL teams followed with posts on social media acknowledging Swift's new album, both north and south of the border.
Even X got in on the action, declaring that it had a new profile pic: a glittery orange X. The post has garnered 5.5 million views so far.
Google is using its search engine to celebrate the October release of Swift's “The Life of a Showgirl.” Users search for “Taylor Swift,” are greeted with a stream of orange digital confetti, along with a flaming orange heart and the phrase, “And, baby, that's show business for you.”
Many, it seemed, saw value in tying their brand to Swift.
Swift mentioned during the Wednesday podcast that she had Lasik eye surgery. The X account for LASIK.com wasted no time promoting the fortuitous namedrop.
“i got LASIK, i have incredible vision,” they posted, accompanied by a video of Swift giving a shout out to the procedure on the “New Heights” podcast. “TAYLOR SWIFT EVERYONE (red heart emoji). WE'VE PEEKED!!!!!!!!”
The post currently has more than 389,000 views and 15,000 likes.
FILE - Taylor Swift performs at the Paris Le Defense Arena as a part of her Eras Tour concert in Paris, May 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly, File)
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Police in Ohio's capital city said Wednesday that they have gathered enough evidence to link a man charged in the double homicide of his ex-wife and her husband in their Columbus home last month to the killings.
Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said in an Associated Press interview that authorities now believe Michael David McKee, 39, a vascular surgeon who was living in Chicago, was the person seen walking down a dark alley near Monique and Spencer Tepe's home in video footage from the night of the murders. His vehicle has also been identified traveling near the house, and a firearm found in his Illinois residence also traced to evidence at the scene, she said.
An attorney representing McKee could not be identified through court listings.
His arrest Saturday capped off nearly two weeks of speculation surrounding the mysterious killings that attracted national attention. No obvious signs of forced entry were found at the Tepes’ home. Police also said no weapon was found there, and murder-suicide was not suspected. Further, nothing was stolen, and the couple’s two young children and their dog were left unharmed in the home.
“What we can tell you is that we have evidence linking the vehicle that he was driving to the crime scene. We also have evidence of him coming and going in that particular vehicle,” Bryant told the AP. “What I can also share with you is that there were multiple firearms taken from the property of McKee, and one of those firearms did match preliminarily from a NIBIN (ballistic) hit back to this actual homicide.”
Bryant said that the department wants the public to keep the tips coming. Investigators were able to follow up on every phone call, email and private tip shared from the community to the department and some of that information allowed them to gather enough evidence to make an arrest, she said.
That work culminated in the apprehension of McKee in Rockford, Illinois, where the hospital where he worked — OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center — has said it is cooperating with the investigation. He has been charged with premeditated aggravated murder in the shooting deaths. Monique Tepe, who divorced McKee in 2017, was 39. Her husband, a dentist whose absence from work that morning prompted the first call to police, was 37.
McKee waived his right to an extradition hearing on Monday during an appearance in the 17th Judicial Circuit Court in Winnebago County, Illinois, where he remains in jail. Bryant said officials are working out details of his return to Ohio, with no exact arrival date set. His next hearing in Winnebago County is scheduled for Jan. 23.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said Wednesday that the city doesn't prioritize high-profile cases any more than others, noting that the city's closure rate on criminal cases exceeds the national average. The city also celebrated in 2025 its lowest level of homicides and violent crime since 2007, Ginther said.
“Every case matters. Ones that receive national attention, and those that don’t,” he told the AP. “Every family deserves closure and for folks to be held accountable, and the rest of the community deserves to be safe when dangerous people are taken off the street.”
Ginther said it is vital for central Ohioans to continue to grieve with the Tepes' family, which includes two young children, and loved ones, as they cope with “such an unimaginable loss.”
“I want our community to wrap our arms around this family and these children for years to come,” he said.
This undated booking photo provided by the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, shows Michael David McKee, who was charged in the killing of his ex-wife, Monique Tepe, and her husband Spencer Tepe at their Columbus, Ohio, home on Dec. 30, 2025. (Winnebago County Sheriff's Office via AP)
Spencer and Monique Tepe's home in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos)
This image taken from video shows Michael David McKee walking into the courtroom on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Rockford, Ill. (WIFR News/Pool Photo via AP)
