Women Athletes Get in the Game and Win!
- Who are Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, and why should you care?
- What does Visa have to do with women’s soccer?
- Who is more believable – male or female athletes?
The talent featured on the TV commercials shown during the Paris Summer Olympics or the WNBA games tell a powerful story about a new reality in brand marketing. In a very short time, a fundamental influencer shift has occurred.
Seemingly out of nowhere, women athletes have become powerful spokespeople for a wide range of goods and services. Needless to say, the brand marketers and the creatives at their ad agencies who were savvy enough to realize this change early on are high fiving in the conference room!
What This Means for You — Because we love our sports heroes, athletes have always been great pitchmen. However, the new normal in spot advertising, promotional events and licensed products involves brands chasing market share by using the halo effect of pitchwomen. If your brand or client wants to tap into the power of female athletes to move the sales needle, this post is for you.
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Women Athletes Are Winning…Big
Using athletes as spokesmen in advertising and promotional activities has a storied history. Even for distinctively UNHEALTHY products such as tobacco or alcohol, brands knew that the male demographic would rush to the store to buy products that some baseball or football star pitched in ads.
The classic image of MLB home run hitter Ted Williams enjoying a Viceroy cigarette in the dugout before a ball game appeared in the sports section of newspapers throughout the US. Even collectible baseball trading cards were first introduced on the packaging of cigarettes.
For about a century, brand marketers and agency creative directors knew how to reach that male demo.
One word: Sports.
Recently, that strategy has evolved somewhat. To be sure, sports still work as a promotional platform. However, women are now also on the playing field.
Want proof? According to the “Influencer,” this trend started to pick up steam in 2021.
- Women’s sports have steadily gained popularity with a significant increase in viewership across a variety of leagues and tournaments on a global scale. In 2021 alone, nearly 33m people tuned in to watch women’s sports
- In women’s soccer, The Women’s Super League (WSL) has a strong appeal of women’s sports in the UK. The showdown between England and Germany in the Women’s Euros 2022 captivated the attention of more than 17m viewers, highlighting the compelling narratives and high-caliber performances that women’s sports bring to the table. The overall tournament, with its global viewership reaching an astounding 365 million, effectively more than doubled the figures from the previous Euros.
- More recently, it was reported by the New York Times that “Brands are investing in female athletes like never before, from Skims’ recent campaign with WNBA players like recently-retired Candace Parker and rookie Cameron Brink to Caitlin Clark’s $28 million, eight year Nike deal.”
- According to Vogue, “Even the WNBA pregame tunnel is now a fashion “destination” where luxury brands can showcase their designs on players including A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart.
Driving This Trend: Women Athletes Are More Believable
Based on recent research, which was reported by Fortune, women athletes are more believable than other influencers, and the brands that use these women are getting a good return on their investment.
Fortune notes, “Parity, a platform that connects female athletes with brands, conducted a study in partnership with “SurveyMonkey.” They found people are 2.3 times more likely to purchase a product when it’s endorsed by a female athlete, compared to another kind of influencer. For people who identify as fans of women’s sports—even watching just a few times a year—that goes up to 2.8 times more likely.
“Parity CEO Leela Srinivasan hypothesizes that people’s admiration of female athletes—and their understanding of the obstacles women face to forge careers in sports—make these players effective marketers compared to both male athletes and influencers across entertainment and culture.”
The article adds that fifty-seven percent of people trust that female athletes believe in the product they promote, compared to 50% for male athletes. Eighty-eight percent see female athletes as role models. In some markets, the effect is even more pronounced. In Germany, women’s sports fans are five times more likely to purchase a product endorsed by a female athlete compared to anyone else.
“Trust and authenticity are everything in marketing,” Srinivasan says. “Combine these signals—role model status, overcoming obstacles to succeed, and trustworthiness—and it’s not surprising that women athletes have a strong influence on purchasing behavior.”
Still a Long Way to Go
Even with all this good news, female athletes still face a harsh economic reality. According to a recent report from news service Axios, “despite an influx of attention and investment in their leagues, many athletes are still struggling to make a decent living.”
However, there are plans afoot that might chip away at this challenge, too. According to this Axios story, “Under a new program, Visa will help all members of BayFC, the San Francisco Bay Area’s professional women’s soccer team, earn the maximum amount of appearance fee money available under the league’s contract with players.
“Historically, such appearances have been time-consuming, in-person affairs with not enough time or opportunities for most players to earn the maximum allowed under league rules. Visa’s deal will allow players to earn the maximum amount, should they wish, through social media appearances that can help the athletes elevate their personal brands.”
Axios adds that the National Women’s Soccer League and its players union separately announced a new collective bargaining agreement that will offer players higher pay — and more say in which teams they play for. The new deal between the league and its players will see minimum salaries rise to $48,500 in 2025, and $82,500 by 2030.
Clark vs. Reese Rivalry: Is it a Good Thing or Bad Thing?
There have always been fierce rivalries in sports, some more fierce than others. Sports Illustrated reports that “amid a watershed year for women’s basketball, the popularity and growth that the WNBA has enjoyed since the arrival of rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese hasn’t come without unintended consequences.
“Clark’s and Reese’s coinciding successes have given each player her time to shine in the national spotlight, but the dark underbelly of that exposure reveals what too often tends to be toxic discourse on the two stars across social media.
Even this small dark cloud might have a silver lining. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert recently gave her frank take on why the Clark-Reese rivalry was, in fact, a good thing for the league.
“It’s a little of that [Larry] Bird-Magic [Johnson] moment if you recall from 1979, when those two rookies came in from a big college rivalry, one white, one black,” Engelbert said. And so, we have that moment with these two.
“But the one thing I know about sports, you need rivalry. That’s what makes people watch. They want to watch games of consequence between rivals. They don’t want everybody to be nice to one another.”
How Brands Can Effectively Activate Programs with Female Athletes
The rise in popularity of female athletes for promotional activities is new “territory” for most brands. However, there are some “best practices” to consider in the effort to activate impactful, authentic programs. Jenny Penich, SVP, North America Commercial at “Influencer” ad agency suggests the following for brands.
- Concentrate on enhancing fan interactions while nurturing a D&I-forward atmosphere. The women’s game offers a wonderfully diverse representation of women with fantastic stories. Furthermore, there is an opportunity for brands to evaluate these stories and find those that authentically reflect their own brand values, while driving popularity for the sport and promoting an inclusive sports culture. But this must move beyond mere marketing tactics; it’s about intentionally making a meaningful impact and driving positive change and must be rooted in your brand’s purpose.
- Brands should think longer-term and look at the value of collaborating with a roster of female athlete influencers over a longer period of time, each distinct in their own way in terms of background, ethnicity, body type, and even age.
- You are a catalyst–act like it. Whatever you do, see it as an opportunity to dispel myths, dismantle barriers, and ultimately change the way people think about women’s athleticism—including their dedication to gender equality and empowering female athletes on a global scale.
- It’s worth noting that female, female-identifying and non-binary soccer fans are not the only ones who watch these games—as there’s a sizable male audience also, further opening up fresh opportunities for brands that have traditionally targeted a predominantly male demographic to break away from gender-based stereotypes and embrace the evolving landscape of sports fandom.
- Think long-term. Remember that your collaboration with creators can reach its full potential when you think beyond fleeting partnerships. As the sport’s popularity continues to grow and brands broaden their strategies, establishing long-term partnerships with creators allows brands to leverage their influence and expertise not only for social media campaigns, but also for other channels such as out-of-home advertising and television, significantly increasing the brand’s visibility.
- Audiences are more receptive to advertising messages during these events and are more likely to engage in cross-screen and multi-channel experiences. Audiences, particularly Gen Z, perceive creators as authentic and influential compared to other forms of media. Brands should leverage this by collaborating with these creators during peak times, such as major sporting events when people are actively present on social channels.
Fans = Customers
For those brands that have yet to consider the benefits of women’s sports and the athletes that make them so exciting, it might be time to listen a little closer. That sound you hear is the distant roar of screaming fans going nuts over some amazing athletic feat performed by a woman.
Just like the guys, these female athletes have the same mad skills and fierce determination. Oh, and by the way, their fans love ‘em.
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