How Caitlin Clark fever is driving a new era of women’s sports marketing

Editor’s note: The idea for this month’s spotlight came from an Amp member. (Thank you! You know who you are.) Ad Age Amp welcomes any and all input, including article ideas, from the community. If you have any ideas for future spotlights, please email adageamp@adage.com. Women’s sports is having its moment in the center of pop culture—one that many would argue is long overdue. Last year was pivotal for the industry, with record-breaking viewership of both the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament and the Women’s World Cup, with women’s basketball shattering its viewership record again this year and drawing more viewers for its championship game than the men’s final. In 2024—an Olympics year—women’s sports are forecast to surpass $1 billion in revenue for the first time in history, marking a 300% increase from 2021, according to a report from Deloitte. “It has been a record-breaking year for women’s sports, which is a wonderful fact in its own right, but an undeniable opportunity for marketers has come with it,” said Jen Goldberg, VP, strategy at Critical Mass. “Brands have a window of opportunity to get in at relatively lower costs compared with men’s sports, but that window may be closing quickly, considering the sheer velocity of the increase of viewership and attention over the last year or so.” We’ve seen brands steadily upping their spend to meet the continually increasing demand, with advertisers expanding their name, image and likeness (NIL) offerings, and some agencies going so far as to open specialized practices dedicated to women’s sports. But to engage fans in this field, advertisers will need to work harder than simply slapping a brand logo on a jersey or billboard. For this month’s spotlight, we turned to the experts in the Amp community for guidance on how brands can seize this moment, and avoid any unforced errors as they enter the arena. A broader cultural shift It’s no surprise the increased awareness around women’s sports came during the same period as a larger cultural movement celebrating all things female-related—including the awe-inspiring success of “Barbie.” “The growing interest in women’s sports is part of a larger cultural shift, the ‘girlhood movement,’ which gained significant traction throughout 2023,” said Mariia Vasylenko, brand strategist at Connelly Partners. “This trend is about women embracing their individuality, supporting each other and finding joy in shared experiences. Women’s sports embody these values, providing a platform for athletes to showcase their strength, resilience and unity.” Vasylenko advised that brands follow this cultural shift by focusing on empowerment, individuality and creativity, which can be achieved through collaborations with athletes and influencers aligned with these values. “Most importantly, brands must approach this market with genuine respect, recognizing the importance of women’s stories and the power of their collective voice,” she said. Whereas in previous years fans of women’s sports may have been considered a micro-audience or a narrow market to cater to, that audience has moved closer to the mainstream in 2024. “Where there’s interest and engagement, ad dollars will follow,” said Ashley Brantman, senior VP of partnerships and co-head of Jack 39, part of Jack Morton. “Historically, advertisers may have viewed this part of their overall marketing and media mix as niche. No longer. Now, advertisers can capture a broader audience when investing in women’s sports—and that’s a good thing. Women’s sports allow for full-funnel engagement in a way that some men’s platforms may not.” According to Brantman, women’s sports fans tend to be more tuned into athletes’ lives, following and engaging with them on social media, which creates a bigger opening for brands to connect with audiences. Celebrating achievement, not cliches Beyond the cultural shift that helped set the stage for the success of women’s sports, the buying power of women is at an all-time high, a key factor in why this shift is happening now. However, advertisers should be cautious in capitalizing on the hype, and instead honor the work that made this moment possible. “For advertisers, the increased interest in women’s sports is a double-edged sword,” said Noelle San Jose, diversity, equity and inclusion program manager at George P. Johnson. “When Vogue starts writing about ‘The Rise and Rise of Women’s Sports Bars,’ you know there’s money on the table” San Jose noted that women were responsible for 70% to 80% of all purchases as of 2023, but added that advertisers need to step carefully here. “It’s not just about slapping a logo on a jersey without giving a nod to the hard-fought battles that got us here,” she said. “Women have been grinding both on and off the court for this recognition.” Part of that uphill battle, according to San Jose, derives from a society not fully accustomed to seeing, let alone celebrating, women in positions of power—a reality that still requires diligence to fight against. “People aren’t just interested in women’s sports because it’s trendy,” she said. “Women belong in sports, period. It’s not just about inclusion; it’s about truly listening and responding to the needs of female athletes, fans, professionals and consumers alike.” For advertisers entering the forum of women’s sports for the first time, or those looking to capitalize on this cultural moment, there is a risk of coming off to audiences as pandering. “In a lot of ways, what’s happening right now with women’s sports reminds me of the inclusive beauty and fashion boom,” said Lyndsey Fox, director of strategy at Pereira O’Dell. “Brands started featuring models who didn’t fit the standard beauty norm, accompanied by messaging that qualified these models as ‘body heroes’ or something equally as trite. I remember wondering why a body that looked like mine had to be a hero—why couldn’t it just be a body? We have an incredible opportunity to dismantle what it means to be a celebrated athlete, and we need to figure out how to do so without tokenizing or fetishizing.” For Fox and many others in the ad world the challenge is in putting out work that comes from a place of genuine interest and celebration of women athletes. “When we talk about men’s sports, we talk about community, about badge value, about entertainment,” she said. “Ultimately, we’re talking about fun. I believe it is our responsibility as marketers to amplify this feeling within the world of women’s sports. We could easily fall into a very earnest trap of ‘breaking barriers’ and ‘pushing through,’ but that’s a lot of work for the athletes. Let’s celebrate the hard work that goes into becoming a star athlete, but let’s also celebrate the person, the style, the cultural impact they have, outside of just the grind it’s taken to get here.” Starting with authenticity Advertisers looking to engage women’s sports fans will need to come from a place of authenticity and multi-dimensionality. For some agency leaders, the key to that success starts with celebrating the individuality and humanity of star athletes. “While the performance of these female athletes is undeniable, we shouldn’t forget that they are people, too,” said Eileen Zhao, strategic director at Fred & Farid Los Angeles. “We shouldn’t just think of them as only athletes. For example, we saw in the WNBA draft that these players have a keen interest in fashion. For advertisers, we should think about what authentic relationships can be formed with them based on their interests. From luxury brands to self-care to even CPG, advertisers have ample opportunities to get to know these athletes as people and showcase a different side of them when they are off the court.” Any pairings that lack authenticity or appear unnatural won’t cut it for such an engaged fanbase, Zhao noted. “Whether it’s redefining a stereotype like ‘Welcome to the New Cute,’ our recent campaign with Roxy, or simply promoting a female athlete’s must-have product, our job now is to find the best way to elevate their stories and demonstrate the value our brands are, have been or can be to their continued development,” she said. For advertising newcomers, the challenge will be to find ways to do something that both makes sense and sets them apart from competitors. Judith Grey, creative director at [L]earned Media, had a similar message for brands seeking to leverage the women’s sports market. “The most important thing is to make sure that the insights are authentic and are actually coming from the athletes themselves. You don’t want some copywriter putting words in the mouth of, say, Caitlin Clarke. We’d need to hear from her directly.” For advertising newcomers, the challenge will be to find ways to do something that both makes sense and sets them apart from competitors. “If the goal is to break through to these audiences, advertisers who want to enter the space should create an ownable strategy that differentiates themselves from the competition,” said Brian Tsao, group senior VP of communications at Day One Agency. “New advertisers in particular will need to show that their involvement in the space is not a one-off. Fans have high standards for how brands should show up when it comes to elevating women athletes and women’s sports generally, and they expect real action as part of their marketing efforts.” Tsao noted that audiences are more critical of brands today than ever before, expecting to see their interests and values mirrored back at them in order to truly win them over. “I would advise brands thinking about entering the space to think deeply about creating a brand role that not only engages consumers, but also truly elevates the fan experience in a way that authentically links back to the company’s values,” he said, highlighting the importance of a long-term commitment over a one-off engagement. Genuine understanding of the athlete To engage fans in 2024, the standard playbook of sports marketing may not apply, requiring advertisers to think seriously about what audiences are looking for. Relatability and humanity are the baseline, according to Nora Henriksson, managing director at Media.Monks Stockholm. “A lot of what we’re seeing around women’s sports is how much the fans are craving relatable role models and stories,” she said. “In a digital landscape many of the stars in women’s sport have been communicating directly with the fans, and that’s a huge part of the community building. There’s almost another layer in the connection between the stars and their following, something that has been lost in many ways in men’s sports.” Henriksson urged brands to approach women’s sports from a point of view of genuinely understanding and celebrating athletes and fans alike. At a baseline, brands must consider carefully whether the connection to this ever-growing audience is there, or can be fostered, before jumping in to leverage and monetize this movement. “Don’t jump in just because the space is on fire right now,” said Carolyn Walker, CEO and managing partner at Response Marketing. “Be very certain that it makes sense for your brand in both the short and long term. Then, consider the range of options available to you and be intentional about your choices.” The work of inclusion While recent years have seen increased inclusion of female athletes in a historically male-centric field—notably the meteoric rise in popularity of Iowa’s Caitlin Clark—the question remains of who that inclusion is for. “When advertisers enter the space, they should be sure to invest in it, not just for profit but to uplift and amplify women who have historically been overlooked and mislabeled as unmarketable,” said Raven Baker, social and community lead at Adolescent Content. “In the WNBA, a league where more than 70% of players are Black, it’s a choice to platform the same faces. Not addressing these gaps can alienate Gen Z and Gen Alpha fans, both old and new, who support brands that align with their principles.” Marissa Nance, CEO and founder of Native Tongue Communications, agreed that there is still a gap between the recognition female athletes of color see versus their white counterparts. “We’re working with authentic voices in the field, like Kobi Wu and her cutting-edge Cache AI platform that provides familiarity and appeal measurements of athletes, similar to Q Scores, helping to support fair and measurable sponsorship exploration and valuation,” Nance said. “We’re balancing between the numbers and the name when offering direct athlete partnerships. This approach will impact sponsorship, product design and content creation, literally leveling the playing field. It’s crucial we remember the face of the young girl playing basketball, soccer or any sport, and always give her something and someone she can mirror, making her feel seen and heard.” Approaching women’s sports audiences from this baseline of shared values is not only the right move from a moral standpoint, but also the right approach for a generation of consumers who care deeply about the values brands lead with. For many agency leaders, that approach begins with centering individuality, authenticity and representation. “We call that approach ‘Nothing About Us, Without Us’ and it ensures that no stories are told without intentional representation on the creative and strategy teams,” said Macaela VanderMost, founder and executive creative director at Newfangled Studios. VanderMost points to a recent sponsorship between their client Bank of America and the Augusta National Women’s Amateur golf tournament as exemplifying how brands can celebrate women athletes from a place of empowerment, with the program offering more than 1 million hours of training and mentoring to women. While the recent surge in interest around women’s sports may be surprising to some, for agency leaders it’s based on a familiar principle. “Greatness sells, and that is not a gender-specific phenomenon,” said VanderMost. “If you’re still viewing women’s sports through the lens of micro-moments to cash in on, you risk being too narrow to get the most out of tentpole events and generational athletes, because those opportunities are only getting bigger.” 2024 A-List and Creativity Awards Ad Age is very pleased to recognize the 18 Amp members who were finalists and the five who won Creativity Awards at the 2024 A-List & Creativity Awards gala in New York on April 24 (see here for the Ampers who were named to the 2024 Ad Age A-List): Rethink’s Sean McDonald was named Chief Strategy Officer of the Year, and Geoff Baillie and Zachary Bautista won Agency Creative of the Year. The agency’s finalists included David Greisman (Account Manager of the Year) and Aaron Starkman (Chief Creative Officer of the Year). Three Rethink campaigns were finalists: Heinz “Seemingly Ranch” for Social Campaign of the Year and Tiny But Mighty, Heinz “Ketchup Fraud” for Print/Design/Out-of-Home Work of the Year, and Coors Light “Lights Out” for Tiny But Mighty. VML’s “FitChix” campaign for Honest Eggs Co. (also a finalist for Creative Data Campaign of the Year) won Tech Innovation of the Year. Together with Mindshare, the agency won Best Work for Good: Pro Bono/Nonprofit for the Foundation to Combat Anti Semitism’s “#StandUpToJewishHate” campaign. Three other VML campaigns were finalists: Heinz’s Tomato Pasta Sauce x Absolut “Absolutely Heinz” for Best Best Partnership/Collaboration, Vow “The Mammoth Meatball” for Campaign of the Year, Oreo “Oreocodes” for Experiential Campaign of the Year. VML’s Josh Loebner was a Diversity & Inclusion Champion of the Year finalist. Opinionated won Film/TV/Video of the Year for Adidas “The Original Impossible.” Other Amp finalists included Critical Mass’ collaboration with Goodby Silverstein & Partners for Courageous Conversation Global Foundation “Driving While Black” (Best Work for Good: Pro Bono/Nonprofit) and Day One Agency’s Chipotle Mexican Grill “Fajita Quesadilla Hack” (Best Use of Tiktok). Congratulations to all the finalists and winners. About Amp Amp is a platform that’s integrated with Ad Age and Ad Age Creativity, allowing you to leverage our editorial credibility while showcasing your expertise, accolades and campaigns. For more information visit our FAQ page. Not an Ad Age Amp member? Find your page and claim it today.

How Caitlin Clark fever is driving a new era of women’s sports marketing

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