Redscout’s Ashley Shaffer on why more brands should make women’s sports their business

Ad Age is marking Pride Month 2024 with our Honoring Creative Excellence package, for which we asked members of the LGBTQ+ creative community to write about pivotal projects or turning points in their careers. (Read the introduction and all the essays here.) Today, guest editor Kate Higgins turns the spotlight to Ashley Shaffer, CMO of Redscout, who writes about why supporting women athletes—and their passionate fans—just makes sense for brands. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs “A professional women’s soccer team is coming to LA,” I told my wife in the summer of 2020. As a women’s sports fan, this felt like something I had been waiting for my entire life. But it also had new meaning. In the early months of the pandemic, I was hurtling toward my late thirties with a wife and new baby, along with the unreasonably early bedtime that accompanies this life stage. What struck me was how desperately I needed queer spaces to fill the gay-bar-shaped hole in my life. If you’re living in the same corner of the internet as I am, you already know that the women’s sports movement is here. Everyone’s watching women’s sports and wearing the t-shirt. The first stadium purpose-built for women’s sports opened this year in Kansas City. Last year, 92,000 people showed up to watch a women’s college volleyball game in Nebraska. And for the first time ever, the Women’s March Madness Final crushed the men’s game. For a sports-loving queer woman, there’s never been a better time to be a fan. As a brand marketer, I think a lot about how this vibrant, growing fanbase wants desperately to hear from brands that also love these sports and support these athletes as much as they do. From firsthand experience, the vibes at women’s sporting events are unmatched. Celebrities and the upper echelon of queer royalty sit side-by-side in their plush courtside seats. Nonbinary players, babies and heterosexual families don’t just sit side-by-side—they all root for the same goal. The tens of thousands of fans in the stands share a collective passion for pay equity, celebrate diverse identities and revel in the celebration of queer excellence on display—a rare and powerful feeling in 2024. Last year, a dozen friends and I made the pilgrimage of a lifetime to the Women’s World Cup in New Zealand. Among the 43,000 passionate international fans, we never once felt the twinge of hearing a homophobic slur. Despite these truths, there exist a record number of anti-trans and anti-drag bills targeting LGBTQ+ rights and an increasingly intolerant U.S. Supreme Court. Women’s sports stand in stark contrast. The activism these athletes and fans engage in year after year puts them ahead of the curve in sports and culture at large. According to a recent study, 89% of women’s sports fans are more likely to take action in support of social issues than the general population. As a brand builder at Redscout, I can’t help but notice brands on the cutting edge of investing in women’s sports, such as Ally Financial, Google, Nike and Visa. Women’s sports fans are 54% more likely to consider a purchase from a brand sponsor compared with men’s sports. Stephanie Marciano, head of sports and entertainment marketing at Ally, reported that the brand’s value grew by more than 30% last year—crediting women’s sports as a “business driver.” It’s the summer of 2024, and the opportunity to witness elite athletes perform with a roaring crowd behind them is within reach. All-ages women’s sports bars are popping up nationwide, and a good old-fashioned NWSL, WNBA, WTA or Olympics watch party can be just the thing to fill the queer-camraderie-shaped hole in your life. As the world gathers to watch the summer Olympics next month, I’ll be watching for brands that have made investing in female athletes and sport their business. We’re at a pivotal moment that demands investment to match the surge of influence these athletes have in our culture. Yesterday’s price won’t be tomorrow’s price, so let’s get moving. Sign up for Ad Age newsletters From influencer marketing to agencies, get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox Click here

Redscout’s Ashley Shaffer on why more brands should make women’s sports their business

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