Fox's Women's World Cup campaign kicks off with Alex Morgan statue

The GIST: Fox is making big marketing moves for the WWC. With the USWNT roster set and the tourney kicking off in 20 days, U.S. English-language rightsholder Fox unveiled its massive WWC marketing campaign this week, and the strategy takes a notably different approach than what the broadcaster implemented for last November’s men’s FIFA World Cup.

The marketing: Aside from the usual billboards and digital and print marketing, Fox introduced a 20-foot statue of USWNT captain Alex Morgan as the Statue of Liberty. Just like Taylor Swift the 2022 men’s World Cup (WC) snow globes, Lady Alex will take an iconic tour of the country that begins in LA and includes an MLB All-Star Week appearance and a stint in NYC.

• A print and digital campaign will feature other members of the star-studded team, like Crystal Dunn and Rose Lavelle, while Fox's recently-released USA vs. The World commercial is already causing a global stir.

The partners: Fox isn’t the only brand joining the WWC hype — the broadcaster and U.S. Soccer partnered with Crayola to draw excitement from younger fans. Crayola-designed soccer balls will be available exclusively on Amazon, while Fox execs and Crayola influencers will share their ball and kit designs on social media.

• Plus, Frito-Lay will team up with Fox to give away branded party packs for hosting WWC viewing parties, while also organizing larger fan events in stadiums across the country. Move over Super Bowl parties.

Zooming out: Fox owned the rights to last year’s men’s WC, but chose to focus its marketing on global soccer superstars (and Jon Hamm), while its WWC marketing’s focal point is the women of Team USA, proving that the athletes themselves are enough to market the tourney in the U.S. No Hollywood shine needed.

• Fox’s co-branding efforts also show crucial interest in the tournament from well-established, household brands that are ready to invest in women’s sports. Love to see it.