As professional sports prepare to welcome back audiences, brands are looking to use sports’ big return to reach consumers in new ways.
Brand Innovators will be hosting its first soccer-focused Sports Marketing Upfronts event on Friday featuring executives from leading brands and the sports community.
“I couldn’t be more excited for the 2021 NWSL season,” said Lisa Baird, Commissioner of the National Women’s Soccer League. “To start the year, we just finished the month-long NWSL Challenge Cup presented by Secret Deodorant and it was incredible. We welcomed fans back for the first time in stadiums and the Challenge Cup final on May 8th achieved our third highest TV rating of all time. Connecting with the most passionate fans in sports again gives our teams and players the incredible motivation to play their best. And with that energy, our partners are thinking about all of their activations a little differently, looking for ways to build on those in-venue connections and really deliver something unique for NWSL fans.”
Women’s soccer set viewership records in 2020, helping bolster growing interest for the sport among U.S. consumers – many of whom played as kids. Andrea Brimmer, Chief Marketing and PR Office at Ally, is thrilled to be a part of soccer sponsorship.
“As a former college soccer player I am ecstatic to see the incredible growth of the sport,” said Brimmer. “More so, I love the trend towards placing a priority on bolstering women’s sports. Finding ways to go beyond simply sponsorship and delivering true impact through sponsorship is the way brands can truly make a difference in creating equity and I am excited to hear more around how brands are thinking about that.”
For Pepsi, soccer offers a great opportunity to reach consumers in an environment that they feel passionate about: watching a great game. The brand is using the sports as a way to push its racial equality platforms.
“Uniting people through soccer is something PepsiCo brands have been doing for decades and as part of our Racial Equality Journey, we are committed to providing equal access to the beautiful game and uplift our Black and Hispanic communities in the U.S.,” said Esperanza Teasdale, Vice President & General Manager at PepsiCo.
Wells Fargo will also share how they are seeing the sports upfronts this year and see opportunity in the growing enthusiasm for soccer.
“I’m eager to participate in this week’s Brand Innovators Soccer Edition event because it offers me a full day to step back from my daily schedule to focus on the entire soccer marketing landscape and learn from my peers,” said Sara Toussaint, VP, Brand Management & Sponsorships at Wells Fargo.
