🚀 Nike Super Bowl Power Move: Betting on Women’s Sports to Drive Brand Rebound🏆
- A Return to Super Bowl after 27 Years
Nike just made a historic return to Super Bowl advertising after 27 years—but this time, the focus isn’t LeBron, Jordan, or Ronaldo. Instead, the brand is betting big on women’s sports with a 60-second ad called “So Win” featuring Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson, Sha’Carri Richardson, Jordan Chiles, Sophie Smith, and more. Signaling a significant shift in the sports business landscape.
- Need for New Revenue and Relevance
Nike’s return isn’t random. It’s recently lost market share with increased competition from other brands - On (whose stock rose 91% in the past year) and Hoka (whose parent company is Deckers, whose stock rose 19%). So it's now betting on women’s sports to bring its sexy back and reverse the year-over-year revenue decline and a 34% drop in stock value.
- Using Women’s Sports to Reassert Dominance in a Competitive Market
Women’s sports hype is real, with rising popularity and viewership, especially among younger demographics and casual sports fans. It’s experiencing unprecedented growth, skyrocketing ratings, attendance, big NIL deals, and corporate sponsorships. According to a new marketing report from Morning Consult, the WNBA was the fastest-growing brand in pro sports in 2024 and is now more popular than some men’s leagues, such as Major League Soccer (MLS) and Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA). Now, 1 in 4 (26%) US adults are avid or casual WNBA fans.
Some women athletes are now the most recognizable athletes in all of sports. 2024 was the breakout year for women’s sports with the rise of women’s basketball, especially with Caitlin Clark – the WNBA Rookie of the Year who played a pivotal role in elevating the league’s popularity and drawing millions of new fans to the sport, as well as the success of US women athletes in the 2024 Summer Olympics, and FIFA Women’s World Cup. Women athletes have become bona fide stars and celebrities with large social media followings and have expanded their influence beyond sports into fashion, activism, and entertainment. Therefore, companies increasingly invest in women's sports due to their strong brand loyalty and engaged fan base.
Takeaways
💡 This isn’t just an ad—it’s a signal that women’s sports are no longer an afterthought. They’re becoming the main attraction. At 125 Ventures, we follow these trends in women’s sports, media, and entertainment. We predict women’s sports will experience the biggest alpha in sports, and we are in the early innings of this shift. Nike’s move aligns with these shifts, positioning female athletes as cultural icons on the biggest stage in advertising – the Super Bowl.
Check it out: https://lnkd.in/ef4x9SCX
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cc Heidi Diamond Crystal Fisher Mina Takayanagi
