Dear Sports Brands, Stop Talking to Me Like I’m a Man

Every time, the only thing I could think was: why not just ask a woman?

Contrary to popular belief, we are not that hard to sell, but the answers do not lie in statistics. They come from understanding what it means to live in the world as a woman and can be summed up in four simple truths.

1. We are not influenced by the same things as men.

It’s no secret that historically the entire sports industry has catered exclusively to men, which means our marketing approach has undeniably followed suit.

Male athletes have been elevated to hero status in our society and used as pillars of influence in almost every iconic campaign and franchise you can think of. We put their faces on billboards, trading cards, and social media assets, knowing that their affiliation alone will encourage male consumers to trust the brand and buy the product.

But increasingly, as sports brands target women, they’re taking a one-size-fits-all approach and assuming it will work, swapping male faces for female faces – but it doesn’t.

While we have great admiration for women in sports, they aren’t always the ones we look to for validation before purchasing a brand’s product. We need to embrace this athlete’s story and see her not only as a sports icon, but also as a fashion icon, if we want her to influence our purchases.

Challenger brand On has doubled down on its latest campaign with Zendaya. The unexpected partnership has blown up the internet and shown that sports marketing isn’t the only way to create credible sports content for a female audience.

2. We don’t need a literal explanation, we need aesthetics

In sports marketing, we tend to over-explain that we’re a sports brand, especially when it comes to the art direction of a campaign. We shoot on fields, in stadiums, on race tracks, and in gyms time and time again, but do we always have to be so literal?

Women don’t need sports brands to explain in detail what they stand for – we need them to look good, and the setting and environment are the last thing we pay attention to.

We focus first and foremost on the person in the image. We try to see if we recognize ourselves in them and if we like the color and cut of their look. Subconsciously, we are interested in the style of the brand and the photography to see if it fits with the rest of the aesthetic world we constantly live in online.

A good example is how Nike photographs yoga. They don’t need to show a studio: just see the female body, good lighting and the right photographer.

3. It doesn’t matter why you love him, what matters to us is why GOOD to like

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but honestly, we don’t care about the innovation and technology of your products. Not even a little bit. In fact, the only thing we care about is how we’ll feel when wearing them.

Is this garment comfortable? Will I feel confident in it? Will it hide my sweat stains? Will I like myself when I look in the mirror?

Whether you’re trying to convey an emotional benefit or a product benefit, please, on behalf of all women everywhere, stop talking to us about technology. It’s not that we don’t understand it, we do. We’re just not interested in it.

The Adidas Ultraboost 22 campaign is a brilliant case study: it almost directly mocks technical jargon and tackles the problem head on.

4. We don’t need everything to be hyper feminine.

You probably knew this topic was coming up, right? If not, surprise! We don’t need everything to be rosy and blooming. In fact, most of us would prefer it not to be – and I’m not even talking about the products themselves.

When it comes to female-focused campaigns, many sports brands continue to focus on the male gaze. From styling to storylines, campaigns present a male-imagined version of women, and this is reflected in the creative work.

Under Armour’s “I Will What I Want” campaign is a perfect example of putting women first. The ad features ballerina Misty Copeland and highlights the athlete’s undeniable strength, both mental and physical.

So, next time you’re designing your next women-focused sports campaign, leave the statistics aside and read this article instead. And if you’re still in doubt, look around and see how many women are in the room. Then double it.

And while you’re here, read Livvy’s previous article: