WNBA, PWHL And The Continued Growth of Brand Power…The Latest Examples.

There they were in the first commercial break of the Knicks-Sixers Game 2 on Wednesday night…three commercials with three key brands in a row featuring WNBA personalities… Paige Bueckers and CarMax, A’ja Wilson and Nike, and Caitlin Clark and State Farm.

Watching the game with a few casual basketball fans, I asked them what they thought, and the response was pretty unsurprising, which was a good thing. While one didn’t understand the CarMax ad…we still need to make sure we can’t assume everyone watching knows who people are, and the Texas references were obviously geared towards  Bueckers new playing home in Dallas…the other two crafted stories were easily received and the name recognition was there, and that says as much about why we are bullish on the steady growth of identifiable personalities who happen to be playing team sports as anything else. And don’t sleep on WHERE the ads ran in the broadcast…right at the top. Prime billing. Prime time.

Mainstream acceptance and value in the personas of WNBA stars as we head into a new season.

Maybe even a few years ago, you would have seen one brand spending the big dollars during NBA playoff games to highlight a team sport athlete who would be a woman. It was risky if the marketplace didn’t understand, Shaq. Safe bet. Everyone knows Shaq. A Manning? No need to explain to your board or consumers. But a woman athlete not named Serena? A little angst.

No more though. Casual fans, especially those of the sport watching, know their stars in the WNBA. It is a position that established and growing properties like MLS, the PLL and many others would love to have with their athletes…but how many can be named or easily identified by casual fans? Not as many as those of the WNBA today.

The trio of ads also helps answer the question of what happens with the Clark bounce. Is the WNBA and all Caitlyn league? Well, if you are a brand the answer is continuously becoming no…there are several others, a growing list we can invest in and see the ROI we want and need. Clark continues to be the safest bet, but take any of a half other plus, and you invest with the right effort in the right market and there is a positive return in the making, and that list continues to grow as a result of the seeds planted through NIL at the college level, the increased media exposure, the investment the athletes are making in social and the value that media partners are getting through the consumers who are enjoying not just the athletes but the storytelling, and it is coming through the evolution and growth and acceptance of the marketplace.

All of which is a great thing for business.

Speaking of business, another great “thing” occurred in Detroit this week, where the PWHL made its expansion announcement. The fanfare for the news went well beyond a hockey audience and is the latest calculated positive step forward the PWHL made to grow as a business. Detroit is a hockey town…it is also a city very much centered around sport that is on the rebound…and its passionate core embraces those who come there. Keep in mind when The Athletic first launched and was very hockey centric, one of the key cities for launch was Motown. Why? Resilience, grittiness and an understanding of the value of the hyper local story. All of which makes great sense for women’s hockey and the next stage of growth.

WNBA and PWHL, great examples of growth and commercial investment this week, with more to come as one season tips, and another caps a playoff run.