New research has shown the lucrative buying power of women’s sports fans and how the consumption of women’s sports is growing at a faster pace than their male counterparts, with their growth rate coming it at 50% versus 39% respectively over the last year.
The study, conducted by Rain The Growth Agency, looked at the overall opportunity on offer to marketers and advertisers within the women’s sports scene.
Titled ‘Women’s sports: How fans are viewing and engaging’, it examines what sports people are watching most, what medium they tend to watch it through, how they keep up to date with women’s athletes, what sort of content they seek out and what impact a brand supporting women’s sport has on the perception of that company.
@rainforgrowth, the leading independent and female-led performance advertising agency, has published new research that explores women's sports viewing and consumption habitshttps://t.co/p6fttQmDGH
— PR Newswire People & Culture (@PRNMltCult) December 11, 2023
Surveying over 1,000 US adults from aged 18 to 74, the findings showcase that within this ever evolving space, women’s sports fans look to be an exciting prospect as a target audience for many aspiring to break new ground within marketing.
For instance, 74% of Millennials, 64% of Gen Z and 55% of Gen X agree that they are more likely to purchase from a brand that promotes women’s sports, while 71% of all women’s sports fans agree that brands that partner with women’s teams show their commitment to the advancement of women’s sports.
It also found that 71% of Millennials are more likely to purchase products from brands promoted by female athletes they follow, and that 63% of women’s sports fans are interested in the lifestyles of the female athletes they follow.
In plain terms, women’s sports fans seem to tend to align with brands that support the teams and athletes they follow, exhibiting the amazing brand affinity defined by this demographic of people and the buying power of women’s sports fans overall.
The research was released in line with Rain the Growth Agency’s launch of HypeHer earlier this year, an initiative that helps identify media and content opportunities in women's sports.
We are thrilled to announce our new dedicated practice area, HypeHer, which will deliver media and content opportunities for brands eager to tap into the exponential audience growth in women’s sports. Read more at the link below.https://t.co/zxVP8Ry4kt pic.twitter.com/eWLElpdgrs
— Rain the Growth Agency (@rainforgrowth) June 22, 2023
The final page emphasises a formula brands can use to help to capitalise on the results, listed as follows;
“1. Align your brand with a sport, athlete or team that your audience will resonate with.
2. Discover and tell a compelling, authentic story that directly connects your message with the opportunity.
3. Amplify your story with the right media mix.
4. Align the seasonality of your brand to that of the sport, to maximise performance. 5. Use data to track and optimise your campaigns.”
On the results, Chief Client Officer at Rain the Growth Agency Sue Collins says that “women's sports can present a real growth opportunity for performance-minded brands."
"Our research breaks down which mediums marketers can find these engaged fans and what content best resonates with each generation," she added.
The full report is available to download here.
