The top 5 sports marketing ideas to know about right now

More marketers are leaning into the rising popularity of women’s sports. This collection of the best recent sports marketing activations features a variety of campaigns that highlight women athletes from training to on-field action. Recent news: Publicis Media launches women’s sports offering See all of Ad Age’s 2025 Agency A-List winners here 5. Gatorade Star college hoopers Cooper Flagg, Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins reflect on all they give—and take—to become top athletes in “The Take” from Gatorade. That means embracing the hours of training, as well as the noise, hype, and other distractions of being in the spotlight. Alongside the ad, the brand will be releasing a limited-edition Gatorade squeeze bottle in collaboration with Watkins that embodies her mantra “Without struggle, there is no progress.” 4. MassMutual Preparation is key to success in sports—and in financial planning—three young women athletes demonstrate in “Stay Ready” from MassMutual. The spot from the agency Deep Blue stars Angel City FC soccer player Christen Press, pro tennis player Madison Keys and LSU basketball star Flau’jae Johnson, who also narrates. The athletes are shown preparing for competition—practicing plays, strategizing and training—principles also needed for financial preparedness and success. This supports MassMutual’s commitment to closing the “financial confidence gap” for women, the brand said. 3. NYX Look good, feel good—play even better is the game plan for USC’s JuJu Watkins, who in addition to the Gatorade spot above stars in a new campaign for NYX Professional Makeup, said to be the first beauty brand to team with a collegiate athlete in a nationwide ad campaign. (Watkins, who has been described as the “Caitlin Clark” of the 2025 NCAA basketball tournament, is also one of the investors in the Unrivaled women’s basketball league). “Made Them Look” will run across NYX Professional Makeup and JuJu’s digital channels, Amazon ads, as well as via social media takeovers during the NCAA women’s tournament. NYX will also showcase life-size Watkins point-of-sale displays at major retailers including CVS, Walmart and Ulta. 2. Women’s Tennis Association The WTA has rebranded behind a new logo and slogan, “Rally the World,” meant to capture the spirit, energy and drama of women’s tennis. Imagining the tennis court as a stage, a campaign film from creative agency Brothers & Sisters features star performers Coco Gauff, Ons Jabeur, Naomi Osaka, Aryna Sabalenka and Qinwen Zheng. Social assets include WTA players telling their stories with the prompt “This is my stage.” WTA Ventures, the WTA’s commercial division, developed the brand identity in collaboration with branding specialists ChapterX and Nomad Studio. 1. National Women’s Soccer League Just watch—it’s a command, as in “don’t miss this,” and a proposition, as in “wait till you see this.” It’s also the slogan for the National Women’s Soccer League’s new hype video, out for the start of the 2025 season this month. The film showcases the athletic capabilities of the players on the field and in setting high expectations on what they can achieve. It comes from the creative shop Free Agency and is narrated by rapper Latashá. The video will run across digital, social, and paid media channels, with support from the league’s partners. Data-Driven Marketing Playbook Join us May 22 in NYC to explore how data powers marketing Learn more here

The top 5 sports marketing ideas to know about right now

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