Why We Need to Champion Women in Sports
The importance of celebrating and advocating women and women in sports is paramount to gender equality — but also to showing girls they are strong and can do anything boys can do. As Fiona Carter, Co-Chair of SeeHer and Chief Brand Officer at AT&T, said during the organization’s “SeeHer In Sports” event this May, “Right now, assets are male, pale, and stale. We have to make changes in order to keep up with how consumers think and feel. I wanted to rethink our sponsorships at AT&T, which is a company based on communication — and sought to reflect the multicultural makeup of America, most crucially, women. Women in sports has been ignored until now. But not anymore.”
According to SeeHer, 84 percent of sports fans have an interest in female sports, but only 1 percent of sponsorship dollars funnel into this segment. Because of this, SeeHer plans to increase coverage and accurately portraying women and girls to 20 percent by 2020, as a way to celebrate the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote.
Carter explained why building sponsorships are the best way to connect with fans, stating that AT&T partnered with the WNBA to celebrate women and change brand perception, “It’s good for business. GEM scoring has proven the return on equality comes from gender equal marketing. A higher GEM score drives better purchase, brand recall, and brand recognition. So, the real question is, why not?”
Striving for conscious leadership, and being conscious of inequalities, ultimately creates brand loyalty, as consumers want to support brands that have their best interests at heart — and stand for a positive social mission. Generation Z and millennials in particular choose brands that stand for social progression; as reported by the ANA, millennials and generation Z make up almost half (48 percent) of the overall U.S. generational composition, with generation Z holding the largest percentage of Hispanics and non-Hispanic blacks at 22 percent and 15 percent, respectively. By 2020, more than 50 percent of teens will be multicultural, and by 2050, Caucasians will comprise less than 50 percent of the population.
What does this signify? Diversity is important, and that includes gender diversity. Multicultural consumers are super-consumers in that they are living longer and are younger, meaning they have more years of effective buying and marketing power.
Championing multidimensional women needs to be a priority — and as Carter stated, it’s good for business. Choosing strategic partners, such as WNBA and other female-focused organizations, result in more compelling and stronger platforms. When it comes to women in sports, telling the story of female players is crucial — and giving a space for these voices and achievements means women are being valued.
People want inspiration and value. Women in sports are leaders that girls and boys, as well as women and men, can aspire to emulate. Since media defines culture, which defines change and action, content needs to pivot to a cultural strategy. From a content perspective, focusing on telling the story of the athletes is just as important as the game. Being culturally relevant is how a company can expand its audience.
So, how can marketers push the message out? Dan Weinberg, EVP of Programming at CBS, also echoed how crucial strategic partnerships are, stating, “We want content that resonates with real people. We want to give people exposure, especially women who are making a difference. Basketball as a sport is huge for Americans and the fan base is loyal, and it’s a young demographic. Live events, and in prime time, allows us to maximize an audience, so our partnership with WNBA couldn’t be more perfect.”
While CBS spotlights many women’s sports programs, such Tough Mudder, and its monthly sports talk show with a set of female hosts, We Need to Talk, more awareness still needs to be raised for this issue. How can the switch be flipped for women in media, and better advocating for gender equality?
Strategize more promotional activity; advertisers and brands cannot wait for ratings to determine what companies spend on. Who changes the conversation for women in sports, for instance — the brand, the leagues, or the marketers?
As Carter suggested, it’s time to invest in something you believe, and that “we all have to commit and invest. Identifying one thing you can do makes a difference” in the long run. Carter cited the fact that the beloved HBO show Game of Thrones had a “terrible pilot, but HBO took a risk,” adding that if “you have the budget, take a risk.”
Determining your target audience helps cultivate brand loyalty. The WNBA doesn’t need to please all sports fans, just sports fans who love women’s basketball. The WNBA’s fans “prioritize diversity and inclusion, so the company focuses on becoming cool and relevant, rather than targeting people who will never be open to women’s sports. You have to choose who you are speaking to,” as Christy Hedgpeth, COO at WNBA, said.
Instead of measuring success by revenue, measure by value in culture. While value in culture may be a challenge to measure tangibly, return on equality (ROE), is just as important as ROI. You’ll see it in on social media, at game attendance, and within future generations of kids who grow up believing women are inspiring and equal. Their stories won’t just be seen, but expected.
Source
"Why We Need to Champion Women in Sports." ANA, 2019.