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Women's sports are gaining traction, attracting millions of viewers, and advertisers are following suit. Robin Cohen, our EVP of Integrated Media Investment and Planning, talks to Kimeko McCoy of Digiday about how Rain the Growth Agency connects brands with women’s sports media opportunities through our #HypeHer practice. Read more about how our agency is tapping into the growing women’s sports audience below. #RaintheGrowthAgency #WomensSports #womeninsports #advertising

He and his Team One department manage roughly 200 sports partnerships and events in any given year. He’s been to no less than 30 sports events just this year alone (he's lost count). It’s no wonder Damian Areyan is our resident sports marketing/events expert and understands the audience appetite for experiences and content.   Ad Age spoke with Team One’s Damian Areyan, Group Account Director of Experiential, on Gen Z and the resurgence of women’s sports. “We’re seeing a spike in brand inquiries about how they can tap into this zeitgeist and help develop the next generation of female star athletes”. Coupled with a “huge audience appetite” for women’s sports, the sports marketing landscape is set to undergo a change.   For more insight on sports most interesting story, check out the article below: https://lnkd.in/gAuHtV3Q

Moving forward and upward! I firmly believe that the enthusiasm for women's sports is here to stay, and it's truly inspiring to witness other advertisers acknowledging the distinct opportunity we currently have to endorse something of tremendous value. Go, team, go! 👏💪 #womenssport #womenempowerment #sportsmarketing #sportsmedia #sportsbusiness

The news follows a record year for virtually every women’s sports league as the industry looks to generate $1B in revenue during 2024. There’s definitely something in the water. 📈👀 •⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ Giant Spoon — the creative ad agency where Laura Correnti is already a partner — helped kickstart Deep Blue Sports + Entertainment this month. Several sports industry veterans are on the new agency’s advisory council, including former athletes Melissa Ortiz, Rennae Stubbs, and Shasta Averyhardt, with more names set to join the crew soon. 🤝 • Deep Blue will unite advertising, media, and marketing experts with active and retired pro athletes to give the agency an edge in a market dominated by the likes of CAA Base, Wasserman, and WME Sports. • Deep Blue is entering a competitive sports agency space worth billions, so in order to stand out, it’s taking a page from successful women’s leagues by utilizing input from current and former athletes. Another cue from contemporary trends is its analytical focus on media investment, partnership, and asset valuation. Numbers don’t lie. 📊 • With women athletes setting plenty of records on and off the field, media companies, sponsors, agencies, and anyone else looking to capitalize on that popularity are racing to enter a market that’s filling up fast. When women’s sports become a billion-dollar industry, outfits like Deep Blue will be ready to get a bite of the action. 🙌 • For more, check out our 3x weekly sports business newsletter featuring all the latest (data) trends in women's sports, delivered to your inbox with love 💌 https://lnkd.in/gHDGQDem

Sports Innovation Lab had the pleasure of hosting a panel at Advertising Week NYC yesterday. Thank you not only to the packed room of people who showed up to support women’s sports and the release of our new report “The ROI Of Women’s Sports,” but also to our guest speakers: SIL’s Co-Founder Angela Ruggiero, Google’s Cultural Marketing Lead Julia Cheney, Ally’s CMO & PR Officer Andrea Brimmer, and WNBPA (Women’s National Basketball Players Association)’s President/LA Sparks Forward Nneka Ogwumike. The conversation that our speakers had about the data proving the return on investment within women’s sports goes to show just how important it is for brands and agencies to increase their investments in the industry. That’s the bottom line, and it’ll help your bottom line. Some key takeaways from this star-studded panel include: • Nneka’s advice to brands who want to get involved with women’s sports is to seek out partnerships and sponsorships with the athletes, not just the teams. “Watch their games, go to games, buy their jerseys, be a real fan,” said Nneka Ogwumike. • Google is working to change their search engine algorithms in order to showcase women’s sports as much as men’s sports. They ran a campaign with WNBA players during the men’s season to give women’s sports the same footing that men’s sports has. They also created a player’s lounge to give WNBA players a space to network brands as well as other players at the WNBA All-Star Game. • Going off of Angela Ruggiero’s point about Sports Innovation Lab’s data proving that women’s sports is a valued stock that brands have to play along with and invest in, Ally’s Andrea Brimmer responded by egging on the crowd by saying, “Join the Women’s Sports Club and do SOMETHING!” Learn more about women’s sports data in the following ways: • Visit our page on the Snowflake Marketplace: https://lnkd.in/g-aUs2Cf • Download our Women’s Sports Reports: https://lnkd.in/gBferk8t • Join the Women’s Sports Club, powered by Ally.

Our Women’s Sports Club, powered by Ally, had their third Virtual Event to give our members an exclusive SNEAK PEEK into our exciting 3rd iteration of our women’s sports research series, “The ROI of Women’s Sports,” which will be released very soon…👀 To build on the excitement and give you all a glimpse of what’s to come, we wanted to share some context and teasers for this ground-breaking and exciting piece: The goal of TFP 3.0 report is to demonstrate the investment value of women’s sports, specifically on maximizing ROI using the audience with advertisers that want to reach them This report is a blueprint for brands and media agencies. They should look into the matrix (Association, Enhancement, and Pioneering) as a discussion point with women’s sports properties, broadcasters, and media platforms. A significant number of respondents have committed to an increase within their budget for women’s sports fan engagement in 2024. We have the exact percentage, which was collected through our industry-first benchmark survey of top sports brands, dropping soon… The percentage of total sports media spend that is spent on women’s sports isn’t the number that has been spread around the industry. The real metric, according to our survey, will be announced shortly. The Women’s Sports Club and Sports Innovation Lab is optimistic about these findings and wants to see the continuous growth of women’s sports. As Gina Waldhorn said, “it’s time to break down the barriers and build a stronger industry together by sharing the playbook.” Stay tuned for the drop of this report, as it will be here before you know it! #WSC #SpendtoChange

If you've followed sports news this year, you know women's sports are on the rise. In our newest article, we're exploring where women's sports viewership is increasing most, which audiences are the most engaged, and how brands can best utilize opportunities in women’s sports marketing.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 In the fast-paced world of sports business, one undeniable trend stands out prominently: 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙠𝙮𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙨, both in men's and women's sports. 1️⃣ 𝑴𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒂 𝑹𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒎: 𝑭𝒖𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒖𝒆 𝑬𝒏𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒆 One of the primary drivers behind the escalating valuations of sports teams is the ever-expanding landscape of media rights deals. Broadcasters and streaming platforms are fiercely competing for the rights to air live sports events, driving up the value of these properties. According to a report by PwC, global sports media rights revenue is projected to reach a staggering $56.2 𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒃𝒚 2025, with North America leading the pack. Major leagues like the National Football League (NFL), National Basketball Association (NBA), Major League Baseball (MLB), and National Hockey League (NHL), National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) continue to negotiate mammoth broadcasting contracts. 2️⃣ 𝑩𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑩𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑮𝒍𝒐𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: 𝑬𝒙𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒂𝒏 𝑩𝒂𝒔𝒆 The globalization of sports has opened up new avenues for revenue generation. This expanding fan base not only boosts merchandise sales and ticket revenue but also attracts lucrative sponsorship deals and partnerships. In particular, women's sports have witnessed a surge in popularity and investment, driving up the valuations of women's sports teams. The success of events like the FIFA Women's World Cup and the WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) growing viewership underscores the immense potential of women's sports in the global market. Data from Nielsen Sports reveals that the global audience for women's sports grew by 19% between 2017 and 2019. 3️⃣ 𝑻𝒆𝒄𝒉 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: 𝑬𝒏𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑭𝒂𝒏 𝑬𝒏𝒈𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 Advancements in technology and digital innovation have revolutionized the sports industry, offering new avenues for fan engagement and revenue generation. From interactive mobile apps to virtual reality experiences, teams are leveraging technology to deepen their connection with fans and create additional streams of income. Virtual ticketing, in-stadium connectivity, and personalized content delivery are just a few examples of how technology is reshaping the fan experience and driving revenue growth. 🚀 In conclusion, the burgeoning valuations of sports teams are a testament to the industry's robust growth trajectory fueled by media rights deals, global expansion, and technological innovation. As the sports business continues to evolve, teams that adeptly navigate these dynamics stand to reap the rewards of a flourishing marketplace, both in men's and women's sports alike. [*Follow Constant Sports & Conner Schenk for more sports industry-related content]

This is the next step for the sports industry to be holistically data-driven and yet another way that forward-thinking teams can differentiate themselves with brands.

Women’s sports is not just a moment, it is a movement. If you missed our #AWNewYork23 panel all about opportunities in women’s sports last week, this Marketing Brew article expands on how brands can tap into the growing audiences in women’s sports. Read what the panelists, including our Chairwoman and Co-Founder Michelle Cardinal, had to say about brands investing in this growing movement. #RaintheGrowthAgency #HypeHer #WomensSports