The 10 Best Women's Sport Campaigns Of 2020
Best Women's Sport Campaigns Of The Year
Back by popular demand, we uncover the 10 best women’s sport marketing and sponsorship campaigns of 2020.
It would be a gross understatement to say it hasn’t been the year for women’s sport that anyone had hoped with event cancellations, re-formatted leagues, fan-less stadiums and slashed marketing budgets, but we still saw some outstanding women’s sport campaigns.
Originally, we expected this year’s top ten campaigns to be dominated by the Olympics and Heroines like Simone Biles, but Covid put a stop to that. Instead we saw entrants from the few major sport events that managed to sneak in before Covid hit and others that got creative and adapted to the situation.
This year’s stand-outs had a very different feel to that of last years which heavily featured empowering, fun and satiric themes. Instead this year’s campaign’s took a more empathetic, sensitive and safe tone which reflected how many people were feeling, not just around Covid but Black Lives Matter and the US election divide. A lot of brands focused on bringing people together as well as inspiring and enabling them to achieve their sport and fitness goals to overcome various social issues and the pandemic.
We saw the usual big brands and sport codes make an impact, but we also saw technology brand, Google play a bigger role in the women’s sport world. Google’s sponsorship activation using ‘Discoverability’ to help fans find women’s sport more easily was the most exciting thing for me with the potential to have a huge impact on women’s sport moving forward. It was also good to see entrants from Asia, specifically India and China, who have typically lagged behind in pushing the women’s sport agenda.
The winners have been based on a number of factors including creativity, relevance, authenticity, execution and positive contribution to the women’s sport narrative.
Congratulations to all this year’s winners!
Women’s Sport Campaigns 2020 Winners
1st Place: ESPN x WNBA - WNBA Orange Hoodies
What they did:
Long-time WNBA supporter and broadcaster, ESPN teamed up with the WNBA for their Orange Hoodies campaign to raise awareness of the WNBA tip-off on 25 July. Hoodies were sent to celebrities and athletes including the fashion-savvy NBA players who at the time were in their NBA Disney World Bubble. It resulted in over 200 of USA’s most influential people including LeBron James, Damian Lillard, Lil Wayne and Naomi Osaka broadcasting themselves on TV and social media donning the hoodies.
Why we love it:
It was such a simple yet hugely effective activation. We love that so many stars got behind it and showcased their genuine support for women’s sport and in turn created buzz and eyeballs for the start of the WNBA season. The hoodie itself become hot property with people desperate to get their hands on one of the orange hoodies. The WNBA hoodie was the top-selling item across the entire Fanatics site (Fanatics partner with every major sport league in the US) and was the best-selling WNBA item ever. To top things off, the first game of the season was the most-watched WNBA opener since 2012. Props to ESPN, WNBA, NBA and all the allies who came together to broadcast their support for the league.
2nd Place: Super Bowl x Microsoft - Katie Sowers Be The One
What they did:
Microsoft used the biggest and most expensive moment in US sport, the Super Bowl to celebrate San Francisco 49ers Offensive Assistant Coach, Katie Sowers who was the first female coach to feature in the Super Bowl. It paid homage to females breaking down barriers and showed the world that women belong in all areas of sport. It was a powerful moment for the Super Bowl, NFL and sport in general. Executed beautifully, it included some spine-tingling copy and took the standard narrative of ‘See her, be her’ and crafted it in a stunning way.
Why we love it:
Microsoft went beyond the usual Super Bowl entertainment antics and heroed a female in the sport. The powerful script included ‘People tell me that people aren’t ready to have a women lead…but these guys have been learning from women all their life…moms, grandmas, teachers’ and the closing line ‘All it takes is one and then it opens the door for so many. Thanks for being the One Katie.’ Microsoft was integrated naturally into the ad with Sowers showcasing coaching tactics on her Microsoft Surface and it felt like a authentic fit with Microsoft being committed to empowering the next generation of change makers.
3rd Place: Sport England x This Girl Can – Me Again, Again
What they did:
Sport England was on form yet again with an evolution of their hugely successful This Girl Can campaign that launched in 2015 and saw nearly 3million women become more active. This time, they focused on the reality that many women across England (and the world) were facing with the added financial, work, household and childcare pressures that Covid brought for women. They focused on inspiring women to get active in a way that suited them with messaging around there being no right way to get active – just like there’s no right way to do lockdown. If it gets your heart rate up, it counts. A key video encouraged women to find what worked for them and prove that judgement, time, money and energy are all barriers that can be overcome.
Why we love it:
This campaign nailed the problem with relevant and well thought-out content at every part of the consumer journey. The key video inspired people to get active but it was all the content around it that actually enabled women to succeed. They had an activity finder to help women find sport groups to join and had ideas to get active with sample workouts that fitted into their lifestyle including home exercises, hula hooping, workouts with pets, school run, Disney dance alongs or exercise with your children. They even used Influencers to start and fuel the conversation. They truly understood the audience and their challenges as well as producing a raw and unfiltered reality of women exercising.
Well done again Sport England and I can’t wait to see the results for this one!
4th Place: Google x Women’s Soccer - NWSL & Lionesses
What they did:
Google backed the National Women’s Soccer League Challenge Cup which was the first US team-based competition to re-start following widespread Covid suspensions. They brought fans to the competition at a time when they couldn’t watch in person using Google Meet social video to host ‘virtual cheering sections’. They also extended reach for the league by distributing exclusive content across their social channels.
It was what they did behind the scenes that impressed and excited me the most, using the power of Google Search to ensure people could easily follow the competition. When people searched for ‘NWSL tournament’ or ‘NWSL schedule’ they would be delivered the latest updates in a single view, including scores and team standings.
They also partnered with England’s Lionesses and gave fans the opportunity to connect with the players who were ever-present on Google Meet videos. Again, they used their technology to add value to the partnership and are working with the FA (across both men and women) to leverage Google insights to help build a player profile system.
Why we love it:
They are using their technology prowess to bring women’s sport to the forefront. It’s not always the big flash purpose-led ads but the behind the scenes work that may have the biggest impact in pushing the women’s sport agenda. I also love how Kate Johnson, Director of global marketing partnerships is using her influence to push women’s sport. She was the Heroine behind Visa’s record breaking partnership with UEFA Women prior to moving to Google.
I’m excited to see Google back more women’s sports in unique ways that leverage their technology and benefit the wider ecosystem.
5th Place: Nike China – Back to the Beginning
What they did:
In China, underlying stereotypes are hindering the development of female athletes with three out of four females dropping out of sports by the time they are 17. Nike tackled this issue by telling the ‘Back to the Beginning’ story of female athletes, to inspire a new generation. They supercharged this ‘origin story’ concept by using clever out-of-home media placements at locations where these female athletes had shattered their own glass ceilings. Check out the massive billboard that sat on the building opposite WanChai Sports Ground where high jumper, Cecelia Yan broke Hong Kong’s high jump record and the activation at Shantou University to celebrate four students who against all odds became the first in China to row across the Atlantic.
Why we love it:
The creative use of localised outdoor media helped deliver context and drive a conversation about who these athletes were and how their journey started in a country that is very much focused on it’s male stars. It provided an additional layer to their stories and created a huge buzz that resulted in 90 million social engagements and huge media coverage. I love that they used these powerful grass-roots stories to address this underlying cultural challenge in a way that was different and stood out.
6th Place: Mastercard - Billie Jean King x Naomi Osaka
What they did:
Mastercard brought two of the greatest women’s tennis players together for a conversation around athlete activism. Naomi Osaka linked up with women’s sport legend and equality pioneer, Billie Jean King over Zoom to discuss current social issues and the ability to use their platform as athletes to create change. King shared the powerful moment at the peak of her career that she dedicated her life to advocating equality; ‘Well everyone who plays wears white socks, white shoes, white clothes and everyone who plays is white. It’s such a great sport, it should belong to everybody. It was that day I decided I would champion equality for the rest of my life.’
Why we love it:
While the execution may have come across to some as a plain, it was real, open, raw and appropriate for the times. What we love most is how this campaign was so culturally relevant. Not only was the main mechanism for this campaign a Zoom call that has become so familiar to many but it dove in to the Black Lives Matter movement that was gripping the world with a focus on athlete activism which is playing more and more of a part in sport. We like how it crossed over two different generations and two different causes and covered the pressure that both athletes feel to create a better future. We also love that Mastercard was simply the enabler of this conversation and did not try to steal the show in any way but fittingly tied back into the French Open that they sponsor.
7th Place: Adidas India - Faster Than
What they did:
In something that resembled Nike China’s ‘Back to the Beginning’ campaign and perhaps tells the wider story of women in sport in Asia, Adidas also encouraged women to use the power of sport to overcome stereotypes, prejudice and adversity in order to increase women’s sport participation. Adidas invited women to pursue an ongoing quest for personal betterment by overcoming all social and psychological barriers. The campaign reframes 'Fast‘ away from the traditional concept of speed, towards that of a personal feeling and empowerment. ‘Faster Than’ challenges females to take on factors that might hold one back from fulfilling their potential. It does this through inspirational stories like that of Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, a World Champion in weightlifting who says that ‘In our society, weightlifting has always been perceived as a male dominated sport, it took a lot of courage to break this stereotype. My success at the international level clearly showcases that sport does not care about gender or stereotypes and for me FAST is all about pushing my limits and unleashing my potential in the quest of becoming the best’.
Why we love it:
We love that it addresses a real and deep-rooted problem in this culture. We love that it taps into an interesting idea using #fasterthan to focus on an emotional and mental state rather than just a physical one. Again it includes a nice cross-section of stories using real people and athletes to demonstrate the power of sport to break down barriers.
8th Place: Secret Deodorant x Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association
What they did:
While it may not be a marketing or sponsorship campaign in the traditional sense, the initiative by Secret Deodorant to grant $1million to The Professional Women’s Hockey Player’s Association had to make our Top Ten list! This move may have been seen as a clever publicity stunt but given the genuine support Secret provides to women’s sport this feels so authentic, and good on them if they saw the potential for strong earned media value in doing so. The million dollar fund enabled the continuation of the Dream Gap Tour of games and relieved financial uncertainties resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and most importantly provided players continued access to the necessary training facilities and resources required to compete at professional level.
Whey we love it:
Secret has once again proved that they are not just a sponsor but a partner who is there for commercial returns but the good of the game as well. Secret continue to impress with their on-going support across multiple women’s sports and with their innovative approach to partnerships! This sponsorship may prove to be the one thing that keeps the future of a women’s professional hockey league alive after the instability of the NWHL over the past couple of years. Keep it coming Secret!
9th Place: T20 ICC Cricket World Cup
What the did:
The roots of the campaign for the T20 ICC Cricket World Cup may have started years before, but it all came together in 2020 when it delivered a record Australian crowd at the MCG for the tournament final on International Women’s Day (right before Covid had a chance to destroy it). It was the result of a concerted effort by a number of parties including ICC, Cricket Australia and Tourism Australia which made the overall event and surrounding campaigns a success and resulted in being named Australian Event Of The Year. Firstly, the product created was slickly marketed as an entertainment spectacular with action on the cricket pitch and off it and culminated with Katy Perry performing at the final. There was the #filltheMCG campaign encouraging people to get along and help break the record for the biggest crowd at a women’s sport match. Tourism Australia joined the party with a big effort targeting the India market. They supported the underlying campaigns including that to pack out the MC, getting Indian Friends of Australia who had over 22million followers to spread the word but also via a bespoke campaign to encourage Indian tourists who represent $1.8 billion to experience the game and beyond.
Why we love it:
We love that it wasn’t just one brand or organisation that made this such a success but a number of parties working together to make the campaign bigger than the sum of its parts. While it was just a few thousand shy of a world record for biggest women’s sport match, it was a hugely successful campaign with spectacular action on and off the field.
10th Place: Cadbury x Australian Women In Sport - Get In The Game
What they did:
Cadbury Australia got behind four women’s sport codes with their sponsorship across AFLW, NRLW, Cricket Australia and the Matildas. They recognized the underrepresentation of women in professional leagues and wanted to support more role models to inspire the next generations of athletes, after all you can’t be what you can’t see. They focused on four key Ambassadors including cricketer, Tayla Vlaeminck, AFLW defender, Akec Makur Chuot, charismatic Matilda’s star, Alanna Kennedy and NRLW player Jess Sergis who share stories like what they would tell their 15-year old self across various platforms including their own social media channels while encouraging other girls to get in the game.
Why we love it:
The reason we love this so much is how Cadbury used a cross-code collaboration and brought four sports along for the ride. This type of cross-sponsorship provides such a huge opportunity for sponsors and we are glad Cadbury brought this to life with some feel-good, organic grass-roots content supported by some stellar personalities.
While it was great to see a number of brands rise to the occasion and keep the women’s sport conversation going during Covid, there is still so much opportunity for brands to leverage women’s sport to creatively tell their own stories and drive women’s sport forward more boldly. With the Tokyo Olympics rescheduled to 2021, the recent announcement of Pepsi signing on with UEFA, Vitality taking on the FA Cup and hopefully many more partnerships, I’m excited to see who wins our hearts and minds next year!
LFG 2021!!!
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