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“Another record-breaking moment for women’s sport” is a phrase often used by pundits and journalists, but ironically, given the tremendous speed at which women’s sport is growing, it’s beginning to sound like a broken record. According to the Women’s Sport Trust, viewership of women’s sport increased by 131% in 2022 compared to the previous year. But how have marketers contributed to growth across sports and on a global scale?
There is no panacea and no magic formula to successfully market record moments in women’s sport. However, there are key areas of consideration which, if properly understood, challenged and acted upon, can lead to the most diverse, innovative and successful campaigns, as exemplified by the UEFA Women’s EURO, the Women’s Ashes and more recently the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Organizations that market women’s sport should be involved in the strategic process, taking into account place, time, target group, sport and its impact on societal perception.
The contrast between the way different countries and sports operate creates an interesting cultural and societal tension. Societal ideas often determine how we market a sport. The differentiation between these areas means that campaigns promoting the same sport, at the same event, and at the same time can take vastly different (and sometimes conflicting) viewpoints, yet be individually successful. Of course, differentiation is important in any type of marketing, but when it comes to women’s sport, we can’t treat all facets equally.
‘The tension is high’: How are brands preparing for the Women’s World Cup?
Don’t generalize
“Women’s sport” is a term that encompasses an entire category. However, if we analyze more closely how women’s sport is marketed, a rough look will only limit the success and lead to a real understanding of the sport and its potential market.
The marketing surrounding the Women’s World Cup has been a showcase of different viewpoints, from the sheer confidence of the USA team to boasting “Like a Lioness” to Nike’s work showing individual players. We were even lucky enough to see a Disney+ behind-the-scenes documentary at Matilda camp in host country Australia.
What works for English football fans wouldn’t have worked in France even in the same year in the same sport and tournament.
Last year’s World Championship and European Women’s Championship, The Ashes broke (and continues to shatter) all records. The Championship broke the record for the most attended European Championships in history – men or women – and the Women’s Ashes this year saw 4.5 times the attendance of the 2019 event of the tournament, on average, outperformed prestigious men’s sports, including the AFL Grand Final and Rugby League Grand Final, in terms of TV ratings.
But while their successes were similar around the world, the marketing approach was diverse.
Matta, where I work as Women’s Sport Director, created the ticketing campaign for the European Women’s Championship last year and is leading with the line “It’s Show Time” which blatantly brings women’s football to the main stage, promising thrills, skill and excitement . From the start, we wanted to maintain the athleticism and skill of the players and the entertainment they provide. This was women’s football in all its glory, pride and confidence.
A year later, Orange’s viral campaign promoting France women’s national soccer team ‘Les Bleues’ in the run-up to the World Cup used a whopping 51-second commercial to convince audiences they were seeing male players before using visual effects to reveal that this was the case actually observed female players. Many are still convinced that male soccer players are superior and that women do not have enough skills. Therefore, the ad used visual tricks to highlight fan bias towards the male team.
Unlike both, and somewhere in the middle of that scale, the Women’s Ashes in this year’s Ashes, Two Ashes campaign placed equal focus on the male and female teams, driving the series while also creating a level playing field in a static one and mobile dual purpose campaign.
While EM advertising focused solely on promoting the style, skill and enthusiasm of fans for the event, Orange used support for men’s football to subconsciously turn people into women’s football fans, with a far more serious, direct and almost protesting tone . Meanwhile, Ashes, Two Ashes removed the gender focus by equally upgrading the tournament.
These campaigns are all different, but each has borne fruit. The European Women’s Championship broke records, the ‘Les Bleues’ campaign garnered millions of views and sparked major discussion and debate, and ‘Ashes, Two Ashes’ won Sport Industry Group UK’s ‘Campaign of the Year’ award. The different approaches of these campaigns show how important place, time, target group and sport are for social perception.
What works for English football fans wouldn’t have worked in France even in the same year in the same sport and tournament. And while the tone of the French campaign is thriving now, it needs to evolve over the next year to keep up with the growth of the sport. The French campaign aimed to target male fans or former opponents of women’s sport, while the EURO campaign appealed to the developing base of female football fans in England. Women’s football is more ahead domestically and commercially than cricket, attracting a wider fan base. Therefore, the way we market the sport reflects the position of the sport itself.
If we are to continue not just breaking records in women’s sport, but raising it to new, previously unimaginable standards, we must market the sports, teams and athletes as distinctive and unique. As marketers, we should always think outside the box.
I’m hoping to see more records broken this weekend, not just in TV ratings and game attendance, but also in merchandise sales (for heaven’s sake can we put a Mary Earps shirt into production), fan park attendance and Records on digital channels. I want it to translate to the domestic growth of women’s sport. We can’t let moments like the Women’s World Cup final pass without leaving a groundbreaking legacy. Let’s continue to be bold, think differently and delve deeper into the most exciting and fastest growing aspect of sport. It’s not a gamble, it’s a dead certificate.
Flo Williams is a professional rugby player and director of women’s sport at marketing agency Matta.
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