FIFA Women's World Cup 2023: Brands lean towards levelling the playing field
Campaigns can cut through by shining a light on the disparity faced by the women's game...but is it time to change tact?
With 64 games, 32 teams, ten global sponsors and hundreds more brands all over the world looking to celebrate a month of international football, it’s World Cup time again.
The first Fifa Women’s World Cup to be held in the southern hemisphere, is expected to be a hotly-contested spectacle with the all conquering USA aiming to cement their dominance of international women’s football and ‘three-peat’.
As with any major sporting event, brands want to ‘cut through’ and get people talking about their partnership on social media vs their competitors.
One way to do this is to get people sharing your content because they support your message and the imaginative manner in which it has been delivered.
There is no greater reach than ‘earned reach’ - the material written about you or your business that you haven't paid for or created yourself.
Take for example, Orange France’s deepfake special, which at first glance, features the like of Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann bamboozling opponents and scoring goals.
“Only les Bleus can give us these emotions,” the caption states, alluding to the nickname of the men’s team.
“But that’s not them you’ve just seen.”
Halfway through the video, the trick is revealed, and we see that the players we have been watching were actually stars of les Bleues - the French women’s team, such as Estelle Cascarino and Sakina Karchaoui.
The telecom giant’s ad went viral and has received tons of praise on social media, particularly on Twitter, where misogynistic attitudes towards women’s football are rife.
Notable people who praised it and shared it include Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian and UK business influencer Steven Bartlett.
A similar tone was struck by the Swiss Football Association for their announcement of Inka Grings’ squad for the tournament.
It features a couple of Swiss kids showing up their Dad after he scoffs “there is no World Cup this summer,” before questioning whether anyone has even heard of the players.
The kids roll their eyes in disgust at their ignorant parent before reeling off the names of the squad and their various achievements.
It’s a smart mechanic to announce the players- including Alisha Lehmann, the most followed female footballer on Instagram.
Johnnie Walker are leveraging the charisma and popularity of Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham to rally US consumers to watch more women’s sport.
The whisky brand may not be a sponsor, but are choosing to use the cultural moment of the FWWC to launch their purpose-driven campaign.
Waddingham reels off a series of stats which highlight the inequalities women in sport face when it comes to visibility.
For example, she says that although women make up more than 40 per cent of all athletes, they receive less than ten per cent of coverage in sports news.
The brand is donating US$100,000 to charity partner - the Women’s Sports Foundation, to help level the playing field for female footballers, through a series of initiatives.
These purpose-driven activations are prevalent around women’s football and have become highly important for brands at a time when two out of three consumers say they are more likely to support a company that promotes equality.
But there is another school of thought emerging around the women’s game.
One that calls for a shift in tone.
As viewership around women’s sport rises and athletes become household names, should we continue to focus on the struggle?
By focusing on game changers, pioneers and journeys, are we deflecting from the spectacle of what women’s football provides?
Some argue that the language around women’s sports is detracting from giving it the hype and attention it needs to grow.
Data suggests that fans are moving on from treating women’s football as a ‘movement’ and instead are focusing on the ‘moments’.
A study by my MKTG colleagues across the Pond, found that general sports fans are 1.5 times more likely to watch watch women’s sports because they enjoy the sport and quality of play rather than to support the movement.
While 67 per cent agree that they have more respect for brands that get involved in women's sports BUT treat it like any other sport.
Meanwhile, Fanspeed 2023, our study of fans in the UK, France and Germany found that almost half of sports fans (46 per cent) say the number one reason they don’t follow women’s sports as much as men’s is that there is not enough coverage.
So perhaps fan attitudes are shifting faster than these purpose-driven brands are giving credit for?
Which leads me to this excellent ad by Nike.
A simple idea that speaks to me, both as a fan of Saturday morning cartoons in the 1980s and as a fan of Megan Rapinoe.
So when you are watching the Women’s World Cup in the coming weeks, please do appreciate the movement - but don’t forget to enjoy the moments, because that is what great sport is all about.
‘Hip Hop is the storytelling vehicle for sport’ - The Sports Marketeer Podcast
I finally got round to launching a podcast. The Sports Marketeer podcast will feature interviews with interesting and influential people who are shaping this sector.
With the 50th anniversary of hip hop this year, I caught up with Marcus Collins to discuss the movement’s impact on sports marketing.
Marcus is head of strategy at Wieden + Kennedy - an agency with a huge reputation for culturally impactful work and one which can boast none other than Nike as its first client.
An award winning marketeer, with an incredible body of work behind him, Marcus is an expert in helping brands connect with and engage with cultural movements.
From running Beyonce’s digital strategy to launching the Brooklyn Nets to successfully pitching the Made in America festival to Budweiser, Marcus is the guy behind some truly famous campaigns over the last 15 years.
Marcus’s book For The Culture is essential reading for any marketing professional keen to better understand how to unlock the power of culture.
Give it a listen and let me know your thoughts!
Also if you would like to suggest any guests or subjects to explore on the podcast email me at amarjourno@gmail.com
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