OPill leans into WNBA space to connect with key demographic

The GIST: Following last week’s podcast interview with WNBA star and OPill brand ambassador Napheesa Collier, The GIST spoke with Perrigo’s U.S. women’s health brand lead Leila Bahbah on how the innovative birth control brand’s WNBA sponsorship is paying off. The truth? Not so hard to swallow.

The brand: Launched in March, OPill is the first over-the-counter (OTC) birth control pill in the U.S. By removing the prescription barrier, OPill represents a convenient contraceptive option and is crucial for the one in nine women of reproductive age who are uninsured, which is more common among communities of color.

• As the first OTC birth control pill, it can make a dent with its key demo early. The U.S. prescription birth control pill industry is worth an estimated $3B annually and more than 65% of women of reproductive age use contraception.

The sponsorship: In April, OPill announced a multiyear partnership with the WNBA. As part of this, OPill and the W will team up to reach college students and launch a health equity collaboration to address health disparities in communities of color. Bahbah mentioned the idea was pitched by the WNBA and is unlike anything the league has done before.

The alignment: Both companies believe in championing women’s health and reproductive rights, but OPill also wants to get in with the WNBA’s young, diverse audience. The league reported 259% YoY growth in viewership among Gen Z and millennial women, and OPill is already benefitting from that boost — it reached 1.4M fans through branded content on WNBA socials, according to Bahbah.

Zooming out: Health partnerships are on trend in the WNBA, like Kaiser Permanente’s Golden State Valkyries partnership or Eli Lilly’s sponsorship of the Indiana Fever. While the W supplies the perfect demographic, medications like OPill can power women’s sports teams and leagues with the pharmaceutical industry’s $1.1B annual ad spend. Healthcare for everyone.