The top 5 sports marketing ideas to know about right now

As the hockey season nears an end, the NHL is getting emotional and Barbie has arrived in the women’s league. Meanwhile, Gatorade has added a new cast to an iconic campaign, MLB is paying tribute to the Negro Leagues and an MLS team is debuting an upcycled mascot. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs Below, a closer look at Ad Age’s latest Top 5 sports marketing ideas. 5. Barbie takes to the ice Barbie has had hundreds of professions in her 65 years—including a hockey player doll released in 2022. Now she’s skating with the Professional Women’s Hockey League on a line of co-branded merchandise for mutual fans of the nascent pro sports league and the pop culture icon. The items, with empowering slogans like “Dream It. Do It” and “Crushin’ Limits,” are available for purchase on the league’s website. A video series presented by Barbie features PWHL players and young fans interviewing one another, shown on arena video screens and social media channels. Picture of the week. My niece at the @PWHL_Toronto playoff game, Barbie in hand. Dream big, kids. pic.twitter.com/eQsD9XT3Om— Caroline Cameron (@SNCaroline) May 11, 2024 The partnership had its origins in a LinkedIn conversation between executives at Mattel and the PWHL. “They quite literally reached out to us because they saw what we were doing and liked what we were doing and liked what we stood for,” said Amy Scheer, senior VP of business operations of PWHL. “They want to be part of the growth of women’s sports, the growth of opportunity for young girls, and building future leaders. And so they believe in what we believe.” 4. Gatorade’s colorful throwback A new group of athletes dripping in Gatorade-colored sweat herald the return of “Is it in You,” a campaign that execs at the PepsiCo-owned sports drink describe as Gatorade’s biggest ever. The work, called “It Hasn’t Changed,” from TBWA\Chiat\Day, features Caitlin Clark, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Jayson Tatum, Josh Allen and A’ja Wilson. Michael Jordan, the star of the campaign’s first iteration 25 years ago, narrates. Colorful sweat was “inspirational” to athletes of all ages, said Gatorade Chief Brand Officer Anuj Bhasin, citing research conducted by the brand. 3. NHL’s countdown to ecstasy As another NHL Stanley Cup Final starts later this week, an emotional campaign reminds us how they all end. “Final Moments,” from Highdive, is made up of footage of Stanley Cup-winning teams and players captured as the final seconds tick away in their championship-clinching games. The anticipation of lifting the Stanley Cup has some nervously chewing on their gloves and others caught in quiet contemplation. The ad crescendos as it goes on—moments of polite congratulations between teammates give way to demonstrative reactions like climbing onto the boards. It ends in unbridled joy after the buzzer, or as the slogan relates, “When you realize a dream is no longer a dream.” 2. Topps’ Rickwood calling card Kids will have a hard time clipping this one onto their bicycle spokes. An 8,000-pound, 24-foot-by-16-foot Satchel Paige baseball card has been touring the U.S. since May 23, on its way to historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, where the San Francisco Giants will play the St. Louis Cardinals in MLB’s Negro Leagues tribute game, airing on Fox June 20 at 7 pm. The game, MLB’s first in Alabama, will be played at the former home of the Birmingham Black Barons. It is meant to recognize Juneteenth, which celebrates the end of slavery in America. The big card from Fanatics and Fox Sports promotes the release of the Topps MLB at Rickwood Field Collection, a regular-sized six-card set of Negro League players with portraits by former MLB player Micah Johnson. I’m honored to have created the first-ever @Topps Negro Leagues Baseball Card Set. Being chosen as the artist to portray the Black ballplayers who paved the way for my dreams and passion for baseball is one of my proudest moments.Thank you to @Topps, @FOXSports, @Fanatics,… pic.twitter.com/3UR5YwL3CK— Micah Johnson 👨🏾🚀🚀 (@Micah_Johnson3) May 23, 2024 1. Meet the upcycled mascot First they got Messi, now they’re getting a mascot. MLS club Inter Miami later this year will debut Heron, a cheerleader that like Lionel Messi, is unlike any other in the game. Heron’s outfit—from its long pink beat to its feathers—are constructed entirely of upcycled materials. The effort comes from agency AKQA Bloom along with (re)boot, an organization that collects used materials from professional sports clubs and transforms them into new products. Artist Gary Lockwood, aka Freehand Profit, created the mascot from donated boots, uniforms, gloves and balls from Inter Miami. Creators are hoping that Heron—in addition to entertaining fans—can alert them to the ongoing waste crisis, which is particularly severe in the sports industry. MLS alone goes through 12,800 pairs of boots and 5,400 balls a year, according to (re)boot.

The top 5 sports marketing ideas to know about right now

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