4
OUR THOUGHTS ON
Why women’s sport is attractive to brands
Like many of you, the team here at Leo Burnett
Sport & Entertainment are enjoying a spectacular
summer of women’s sport. England have won the
Women’s Cricket World Cup , whilst also
courageously getting to the semi -finals of the
UEFA Women’s EURO 2017 and still have the
chance to impress in the Women’s Rugby World
Cup kicking off in Ireland in mid- August… I’m
sure you would agree that these are unbelievably
exciting times for women’s sport!
In light of this success, we have taken a closer
look at women’s sport using our sponsorship
research tool, Sponsor DNA. This has helped us to
identify which brands were a good fit with the
UEFA Women’s EURO and ICC Women’s World
Cup properties based on common image
perceptions and it also allows us to explore why
women’s sport is becoming increasingly more
attractive to brands.
Leading the way with the ‘best perceived fit’ with
the UEFA Women’s EURO is insurance giant
Aviva. Both property and brand scored well on
‘Trust’, providing a close correlation between the
two. Not surprisingly, after a long standing
relationship, Aviva recently announced that they
have extended their contract with the Rugby
Union in the UK. This research open’s up a
potential avenue in their sponsorship interests, as
exploring women’s sport could prove an
interesting direction to take. Brands also showing
a strong match with the tournament are P&G brand
Ariel, due to strong synergies with the perception
of both entities being 'Family Friendly’.
Another women’s sport that has taken the UK by
storm is the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup,
finishing in July, with England being crowned
champions at the expense of India. Interestingly,
the top 3 brands that are most suited to the
p r o p e r t y a r e n o n s p o n s o r s , N i ve a ( 1 st ) , F l a s h
( 2 nd ) a n d S k o d a ( 3 r d ) , w h o a r e a k e y c o m p e t i t o r
of the major sponsor, Nissan.
Both events score way above the average for
‘family friendly', 'trust’ and ‘momentum which
presents a fantastic opportunity for brands
seeking to capitalise on these key brand
metrics. Unfortunately for any brand
contemplating a partnership in women’s sport,
there is still a discrepancy in media value
compared to male sports. Although this area has
greatly improved, as we saw with viewing
figures being smashed for England v France at
the Women’s EURO with a 3.3 million peak
audience in the UK on CH4.
Long-standing sponsors such as McDonald’s
(UEFA Women’s EURO) and Nissan (Women’s
Cricket) are now seeing the benefits of their
early investment. Sponsor DNA tells us that
McDonald’s scored highest in terms of their
association with the UEFA Women’s EURO and
importantly their longevity does not
demonstrate a quick PR stunt. See Pace Setters
for the case study of how McDonald’s activated
their partnership this summer.
There are some great opportunities for brands to
explore off the back of the recent growth in
Women’s Sport. Momentum is certainly building
and no doubt it would be an exciting prospect
for brands to consider, adding key strategic
properties to their portfolio. Upcoming events
and properties include the Women’s Rugby
World Cup in August, European Hockey
Championships and the Rugby League World
Cup between November and December.