What Does It Mean to Invest in Women’s Performance?
Investing in women's performance is more than just running targeted ads to a female demographic. See what it really takes to create a strategy that will grow your brand.
November of last year I was sitting on my couch eating pizza and sipping flavored seltzer water, ready to watch the highly anticipated Paul v Tyson fight on Netflix. As we all know, the fight was a total let down and many of us experienced secondhand embarrassment as we watched an aging Mike Tyson lethargically peter around the boxing ring. The best fight of the evening was the women’s match with Katie Taylor v Amanda Serrano, which ended in a slice of Serrano’s eyelid hanging from her face as Taylor claimed the win. It brought drama, chaos, a crescendo, a climax, and a satisfying ending. It was everything the Paul/Tyson fight was not.
The thing is, that drama has always been there. Female athletes competing on a world stage have always sacrificed themselves and taken a beating, physically and emotionally. We’re just finally getting the recognition we deserve, and people are getting just as excited, if not more to watch women’s sports. According to a study done by The Collective (a Wasserman group), women’s sports now comprise 15% of total sports media coverage, up from 4% in previous years. If trends continue, they estimate that number will grow to 20% in 2025. We can thank streaming services, social media, and younger generations who consume content on those platforms for driving engagement.
We should also take a good hard look at how brands are contributing to this rise in coverage and shaping the future for young girls in sport. Why? Because investing in women’s performance is more than just signing female athletes to your brand. It’s more than just paying Meta to run targeted ads to a female demographic. Sure, it’s all of these things, tactically speaking. But it goes far, far beyond that.
Investing in women’s performance starts with a deeply personal understanding of the female experience, both as an athlete and as a human. You must know how we think. How we view the world. Who we go to for advice. Who we trust. Who we don’t trust. Why we value the things we do. How popular culture has shaped us. What makes us feel included. How little we actually know about our bodies because of the lack of gender-specific sports science research available. How desperate we are to find answers to our mysterious health issues, or why our birth control makes us depressed. At the very root of it all, investing in women’s performance is about understanding what it means to be a female athlete and making decisions that support our needs, growth, and future as athletes.
And that presents a massive opportunity for brands. By gaining a deeper understanding of how we operate, the challenges we face, and how we relate to our audience, commercial partners have the chance to align themselves with important values that create an emotional connection between the athlete, the brand, and the consumer. It’s a long-term, collaborative play. When you believe in us, you can fundamentally change the growth of your business.
2024: A Massive Year for Women’s Sports Coverage
2024 was a landmark year for women’s sports. Women’s pro leagues generated $1B in revenue. NCAA March Madness boasted record-breaking numbers across the board, with 18.87 million viewers for the South Carolina v Iowa women’s final. That’s more than 20% viewership the men’s final received. The New York Liberty won its first ever WNBA championship, and attendance numbers and viewership for the league overall soared, with a 328% increase in viewership for the draft compared to 2023, and 80% increase in regular season games and playoffs.
The Paris Olympics only amplified this dramatic increase. It was the summer of Ilona Maher, Simone Biles, and Gabby Thomas. These literal female superheroes were everywhere in pop culture, doing power poses for Sports Illustrated, waltzing on Dancing With The Stars, and collaborating with our favorite skincare and makeup brands, food chains, and clothing lines. Thanks to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), we saw a 50:50 gender split in the Olympics and Paralympics. An even split for the first time in history with the new parity sanctions.
Within women’s running, Athlos made its debut and highlighted female track stars from around the globe in a ceremony not unlike the NBA press conference walk outs. (Side note: I’m excited to see where else Alexis Ohanian spends more of his investor money to support track and field).
With nearly 11% increase in overall media coverage, we saw increased celebrity status among female athletes, increased social followings, and more brands capitalizing on female athlete stardom. Again we’ve always been here. But now our marketing value is evident.
“If You Build It, They Will Come”
In The Collective study referenced earlier, Wasserman Executive VP Shelley Pisarra states the following: “Persistent, incorrect assumptions of lower media representation for women’s sports have created hesitancy around investment, whereas truth will spark opportunity.”
The industry argument against highlighting women’s sports in the media has always been that not enough people watch and it doesn’t make advertisers enough money, therefore we see hesitancy in major coverage and sponsorships. This is a completely outdated, misogynistic argument and we have the facts to prove that not only do women draw massive audiences, they are leading the charge when it comes to social media engagement and industry innovation.
“If you build it, they will come” (name the movie reference). If you invest in women’s sports and give women platforms, people will pay attention.
The Marketing Value of The Female Athlete
Women thrive in areas where men traditionally lack in marketing value. Obviously, it’s not black and white and anyone can provide these qualities, but studies show that women lead the way.
The modern female athletes are:
Change makers who participate in social action.
Role models who embody empowerment, courage, and resilience.
Relatable because of social media authenticity.
Providing value outside of sport (fashion, lifestyle, motherhood, etc.).
When working with professional female athletes, brands should focus less on how many followers they have and more on these qualities. Followers, likes, and popularity grow in time. Start by investing in the person first.
How Do You Strategically Invest in Women’s Performance?
Hire Women in Sports Marketing and Leadership Roles
I’ll never forget a recent experience at the last company I worked for. My role managing US & Global Running for the brand was unexpectedly handed over to a less senior male colleague. I was then told I needed to report to this person, despite any formal structure for this process. It was quite jarring and didn’t make any sense to me, as I had proven success with many campaigns while juggling a bunch of other projects that didn’t even fall under my job description. For the next two months, I received conflicting direction on what I was supposed to be doing while I hopelessly watched my colleague take over many of the relationships I had nurtured for the last 2 years.
After many frustrating internal conversations, I was asked to lead Women’s Performance for the brand. I was ecstatic. This was a massive opportunity, and something I knew I could lead. I spent days mapping out a strategy that involved pro athletes, content creators, media partnerships, and thematic brand campaigns. I presented my strategy to our all-male leadership team and CEO. I thought it went well. The feedback was positive, and I felt there was momentum. I was ready to bring it to life.
That glimmer of hope quickly evaporated when the majority of my ideas and proposals were questioned or turned down. An up-and-coming female-hosted running podcast “didn’t get enough likes” on Instagram. A professional female runner “didn’t make enough eye contact” on her YouTube channel. We “weren’t ready” for a media buy with women’s running publications because we hadn’t proven success elsewhere (this was a catch-22, since we never invested in the first place). Offering more colors and designs for our product to attract women wasn’t necessary. At every turn, I was given an excuse as to why things wouldn’t work because it didn’t fit the rigid standards of our marketing model, even though I was extremely confident in my tactics and ROI. I felt that the company had their set views on how to operate, and no matter how hard I tried, I’d never have a voice as a leader for the brand.
I truly didn’t see a path to success. So, I resigned.
This isn’t about me being a victim, or pitting men against women. I don’t always get everything right in marketing, and I don’t think I have all the answers. But what I do know is that I have an incredible pulse on women’s running, what values we align with, and why we choose one brand over another. For example, when I signed sprinter Gabby Thomas to WHOOP before she ever won bronze in Tokyo or gold in Paris, I knew she’d be one of the best sprinters in American history and was extremely marketable. She had 25,000 Instagram followers at the time. Now she has 1.1 million and 5 Olympic medals.
There aren’t enough women in leadership in tech and sports marketing. It’s just a fact, you can google the numbers. This isn’t about being fair and hiring someone just because they’re a woman. It’s about acknowledging other perspectives, giving women a platform, and trusting women to make smart business decisions when it comes to a territory they know very well. And that’s going to make your brand a lot of money.
Bring Female Athletes Into the Conversation
I’ve talked to a lot of professional female runners and one of the biggest things they always tell me is that they wish brands would listen to their stories more, instead of only focusing on their performance (those things can harmoniously go hand in hand).
I love love love this op-ed by Maria Sharapova for Business of Fashion (BOF). In the article, she documents how being given a seat at the table when discussing brand deals and partnerships helped her grow as a businesswoman, and in return, she gave those brands unmatched insight into how to leverage her as a female athlete and connect with her fans.
If you’re above the age of 30, you may remember Sharapova’s Motorola deal, which was forged from an unlucky mishap when the tennis star tried to call her mom from Centre Court after her first Grand Slam victory, but the phone wouldn’t connect. Motorola couldn’t pay her as much as other sponsors at the time, but their approach was the most authentic in terms of how they wanted to tell her story, and Sharapova took a smaller offer because of it. She became the face of the brand and the launch of a new phone, which they tied back to that infamous moment on the court.
The Motorola campaign was a result of someone paying attention to Maria’s story, then inviting her to guide the brand partnership. People in athlete marketing should be having regular sit-down conversations with the female athletes they sponsor to really dig deep. If all you care about is how many likes and followers an athlete has, but you don’t care to really get to know them or understand why people follow them in the first place, then the former doesn’t matter as the partnership will be inauthentic.
Maria Sharapova sums it up nicely:
“Incorporating women into positions of power is not merely a social imperative; it is a savvy and competitive business strategy. As women continue to rewrite the playbook in sports and business alike, I believe companies actively investing in the next generation of female leaders are best positioned to achieve long-term success.”
Commit to Research and Product Innovation
When I led marketing communications for WHOOP, the company was very keen on bridging the gap in research with female athletes and women in general. We worked with doctors, universities, and sports science journals to validate our product and find ways the product could benefit women’s health and performance. In 2021, WHOOP published a study with West Virginia University that followed 12 pregnant women from conception to birth and monitored health using WHOOP recovery, strain, sleep, and HRV. The study’s results were groundbreaking and further proved that exercising while pregnant can be healthy, and that women’s performance actually benefits from pregnancy. I worked with WVU to communicate the value add to WHOOP’s consumer population, which became an effective marketing tool and drew a lot of PR.
Not all companies have the resources to invest in published research, and that’s ok. It’s a lengthy, time-consuming process that doesn’t always guarantee results. There are many other ways to conduct research with female populations to gain insight and enhance your value proposition. That could be as simple as sending out surveys and scheduling calls with customers. It also means being involved with your community and doing actual field marketing. Show up at places where your female customers spend time and talk with them. It starts with a curiosity to understand women’s needs and how you can make your product better to reach them, then it turns into action.
Invest In The Younger Generation
By age 14, girls are dropping out of sport twice as often as boys. The top factors that contribute to this alarming statistic include lack of access, safety concerns and transportation (especially for young girls living in urban areas), concerns about body image, social stigma, and decreased value of experience if they do not have the same facilities and equipment as their male peers. We know that when young girls have a positive experience with sport, they have higher self-esteem, better familial relationships, and a higher chance of success in their future career.
Investing in young women in sport is also a very smart decision for businesses. Not only do you get brand loyalty from a young age, you get to positively impact the next generation and create effective, feel-good stories that connect with your audience.
Red Flags To Watch Out For
So, you want to work for, or be sponsored by a brand that values women’s performance? Well, here’s what you should definitely avoid:
The customer base is predominantly male, and there are no growth strategies to increase female activations.
Their social grid features mostly men, yet their product is gender-neutral.
They do not prioritize community or inclusivity.
The marketing has a lack of diversity in different female body types. This is important. Women are perceptive and we internally praise diversity when we see it.
The leadership team making decisions about marketing and product development does not have any female representation.
They believe the “shrink it and pink it” method qualifies as a strategy.
Successful Brand Marketing Campaigns Targeting Women
When I see a brand go out of their way to highlight women’s performance and speak a woman’s language, I pay attention. Below are some of my favorite campaigns in recent years.
Adidas: Skin Statements
No brand campaign has made me stop in my tracks while scrolling the gram more than this one. Shot by Sophie Ebrard, “Skin Statements” featured uncensored photos of women’s bodies after taking off their sports bras. Every single woman knows this feeling and knows the discomfort, and that’s why this campaign was so effective. Adidas identified a pain point for women, and they made their product a solution.
Nike: Dream Crazier
Nike has its fair share of issues when it comes to supporting female athletes. But one thing they do get right is extremely effective marketing campaigns. I completely teared up when I watched this video. If you read the comments, seems like most other people did, too. Weiden+Kennedy obviously knows exactly how to speak to women.
New Balance: Run Your Way
When professional runner Elle Purrier St. Pierre was pregnant with her first child Ivan, New Balance included her in their “Run Your Way” campaign featuring her baby bump. This image was everywhere, even in the middle of Times Square. The campaign got a ton of press for Elle and inadvertently brought to light how New Balance supported Elle’s career as an athlete during her pregnancy. Nike, take notes.
And with that, I’ve said everything I needed say. For now.
This is the first article for my newsletter, so thanks for reading if you’ve made it this far. And huge thanks to Matt Trappe for amplifying my voice and inspiring me to launch this newsletter. I’ve always wanted a place to put all my thoughts down in writing that was separate from the workplace, and the Substack community offers just that.
Follow me on IG @allimary and stay tuned for more.
Agreed on all; thank you.
And I’d like to add: as female prominence in sports and brands is supported and grows, let's open the door wide for it to grow in different directions than the existing models. The world of sports (like most areas) has been defined by a male perspective, which as we know has many issues, so let’s not limit success to look like male success.
A small example: the "Jenny Collection” was I believe the first women’s-specific packs ever, for running or otherwise. A focus group (all women) at Ultimate Direction unanimously stated they didn’t relate to the ’star athlete’ promotional model, as they valued community, connections, and cooperation more. So all the design work, testing, and branding was done with that in mind.
So as increasing female participation grows to match the existing metrics, I would also hope it takes sport in new, better, and more progressive directions; this is both an effective brand strategy and a good thing for everyone.
Nike’s Dream Crazier is the epitome of female forward marketing— and a campaign we look up to regularly as we build our new outdoor brand for women 🙏 Great newsletter with so many wonderful takes & references