Women’s sports sponsors seen as trustworthy industry leaders: Foxtel Media & Gemba
Foxtel Media and Gemba’s new Shifting the Goal Posts report has revealed brands that sponsor women’s sports to benefit from higher levels of trust and are more likely to be viewed as leaders in their respective industries by the Australian public.
The new report also presented a range of opportunities for brands considering investing in women’s sports, including the potential to address two million additional sports fans in the short term, higher recall potential and the opportunity for sustained sponsorship connections that are increasingly difficult to achieve with major men’s leagues.
The research from Foxtel Media and Gemba states that currently, 6.6 million Australians are engaged with some form of women’s sports, with 41% indicating they are more engaged with women’s leagues compared to five years ago. There are a further 2 million female sports fans who do not watch or attend any women’s sports but are interested in major men’s leagues and have the capacity to be converted to women’s sports viewers in the short term. This presents an opportunity for brands to get in on the ground floor of sponsorship in these arenas and invest long-term to drive solid returns.
The research showed Australians who actively watch women’s sports have significant levels of sponsorship recall with 82% of fans able to recall at least one major brand. The fact four out of five fans can recall sponsors associated with women’s sport reflects the incredible capacity for brand cut through in this context.
Naming rights sponsorships, which are typically the most visible, reflect a clear discrepancy in brand recall. The recall of naming rights sponsors for female leagues is still only 27% of that of men’s leagues. Gemba attributes this to inequity in recognition of persistent inequity in investment, with female sports sponsorship still representing only 12% of that of male sports. Shorter-term sponsorship commitment was also found to be a contributor to lower recognition rates.
The research identified this as a clear opportunity for brands to build sponsorship connections during this important period when women’s sports competitions are becoming increasingly established.
As more Australians turn to women’s sports for entertainment, the drivers of viewership were also found to be vastly different from male sports. The research uncovered that viewership of male sports is driven by team popularity and accessibility, in contrast, Australians tune into women’s sports to witness the improving quality of competition, embrace the unique stories of female athletes and create more opportunities for future generations.
Foxtel Media’s Brisbane sales director, Katherine Frost said: “It’s evident that the future of women’s sporting leagues in Australia is in the hands of broadcasters and brands. Our report shows that brands have an opportunity to help achieve gender parity as we lift up the next generation of female athletes and sports fans. At Foxtel Media, we are committed to supporting and promoting women’s sports as a leading broadcaster in this Australia and look forward to continuing our work with valued partners in creating exciting advertising experiences that elevate the whole of the women’s sports market. Our hope is that this report alerts more brands to the fact that women’s sports advertising and sponsorship is lucrative, effective, and powerful and will join us in helping it reach its full potential.”
Gemba’s head of insights, Andrew Goodieson said: “Gemba is passionate about all sports and we aspire to a world where all sporting leagues are treated equally. We hope this research will help debunk some of the myths that have previously held brands back from investing in women’s sports and show that there is a strong business case for immediate involvement. Well-established leagues like the AFL and NRL have been nurtured and reinvested in for almost a century and that directly contributes to their popularity. We believe that women’s sports can get there too- they just need the right resources and the backing of savvy brands. It will be a team effort, and Gemba is proud to be a part of this particular team.”
The report will be discussed in detail at the Women In Sport Summit hosted by the Ministry of Sport later this week.
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