GroupM Bid to Push Ad Dollars to Women’s Sports Exceeds Expectations

The flow of ad dollars to women’s sports is growing.

After launching an initiative earlier in 2024 to double the amount of money its clients spend on women’s sports, GroupM, the large WPP-backed media-investment giant, says it has exceeded its initial goals.

“Doubling spend in women’s sports within a matter of months marks a significant
milestone for our company and the industry alike,” said Matt Sweeney, chief investment
officer of GroupM US, in a statement. “While some clients have long been pioneers in this space, others are now broadening their commitments or making first-time investments. This surge of momentum reflects more than a passing trend — it’s a full-fledged movement.”

In March, GroupM said it intended to create a dedicated marketplace for the programming genre, starting in the industry’s “upfront” market. Clients including adidas, Ally, Coinbase, Discover, Google, Mars, Nationwide, Unilever and NBCUniversal’s Universal Pictures said at the time that they were interested.

More than 20 different brands took part in the effort, GroupM said Tuesday, expanding investment strategies to “to prioritize and monetize women’s sports.” Among those taking part were
adidas, Ally, Coinbase, Danone, Discover, Domino’s, DoorDash, Google, Indeed, method,
Nationwide, Target, TJ Maxx, Unilever, Universal Pictures, and others. The media buyer said it secured 25
“first-to-market opportunities” with Disney, NBCUniversal, Paramount, and YouTube, among others, for the 2024-2025 broadcast year.

Marketers involved in the effort said they felt advertising in women’s sports was more important than it has been in past years., “As a health-driven food company, we are looking for dynamic ways to connect with consumers when nutrition and fitness are top of mind — women’s sports is a hugely influential vehicle for those topics,” said Linda Bethea, chief marketing officer of Danone North America. “Investing in advertising in women’s sports is a strategic move that makes our brands unmissable on important
cultural stages,” said Aaron Sobol, Unilever’s head of U.S. media investment.

Several other large media buyers have also enlarged their presence in women’s sports. The ad industry does so as increased attention is being paid to the WNBA and the women’s March Madness basketball tournament. Deloitte, the large consulting firm, in November predicted that women’s elite sports will generate global revenues of $1.28 billion in 2024, the first time such totals have topped $1 billion, and marking a 300% increase over what was spent in 2021.