This year’s International Women’s Day and March’s Women’s History Month ushered in a wave of brand targeted campaigns, with varying degrees of success.
A common theme amongst these campaigns was playful variations on brand taglines, highlighting the centrality of women to their success. From McDonald’s ‘Flip The Arches’ and Netflix's ‘Because she watched’, organisations jumped at the chance to harness this calendar hook and share what ‘women’ mean for their brands.
When executed well, these campaigns can shine a spotlight on how organisations are sincerely supporting women and female causes. However, poorly thought through campaigns also run the risk of exposing corporations for shallow attempts at pandering and bandwagon jumping. The aptly named ‘pinkwashing’ refers to a growing phenomenon of brands lazily integrating women-focused messaging into their usual media outputs, producing content which audiences find disingenuous.
This is especially pertinent in the world of women’s sport. In the UK, the last year has seen the Lionesses win the UEFA Women’s Euros and the Red Roses clinch the Women’s Rugby World Cup, contributing to a record year of media visibility for women’s sport in Britain, and further growth expected in the coming years.
Unsurprisingly, brands have leapt at the chance to work with athletes like Chloe Kelly and Ellie Kildunne, as well as capitalising on the clear appetite for women’s sports across the country. However, when collaborations with these stars seems to come out of the blue, with no prior investment or commitment to spotlighting women’s sport, it can seem hollow and lacking in depth.
At Hanover Sport, telling women-led stories sits at the core of our work. Many of our accounts are entirely focused on women’s sport, including Women’s Super League and London City Lionesses. We also ensure that the thread of women’s sport weaves throughout all our storytelling, making it a priority rather than a segregated theme.
Our outputs are widely diverse in both content and format. We have emphasised the importance of spotlighting players and executives as personalities with unique stories to tell, rather than as symbols of women’s sport. West Ham player Ffion Morgan’s interview with DIVA magazine, for example, offered an in-depth and personal discussion about Morgan’s personal coming out experience, and the importance for her in being a role model for the LGBTQIA+ community in women’s football.
Similarly, an interview with Michele Kang on the BBC explored the growth of women’s football while centred on her own experiences and insights as the owner of London City Lionesses and other women’s football teams in the US and Europe. Michele’s personal commitment and investment in women’s sport is an interesting story by itself but when couple with her vision for the future, it is unique and compelling.
Last year, we supported the New York Jets during their fourth trip to the UK to promote their Girls Flag Football league. Our campaign utilised visiting player Marcelino McCrary-Ball and emphasised the empowerment of young girls through flag football. We found that whilst the star appeal of a player opened doors for coverage, our centring of women’s sport to the story meant that this was this theme that resonated most powerfully across all outputs.
We have found that allowing people to speak about the issues which matter most to them creates an authenticity which so much of women targeted content is missing. Sometimes brand or organisation platitudes, can just come across as hollow. By positioning our clients and talent in the spaces most relevant for them, we allow their voices to carry the story.
Ultimately, it is this innate enthusiasm and care for women’s sport within our team which shapes our media and storytelling approach. Moments such as International Women's Day offer valuable opportunities to highlight female stories, however, consistency is key. Hanover Sport will continue to champion women-centred storytelling throughout the year, not just when the calendar calls for it.
