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The GIST: Ever wonder how much exposure a half-court logo gets? That’s where Relo Metrics — a firm that uses AI to measure sports marketing efficacy — steps in. Last week, Relo spoke with The GIST to share exclusive WNBA insights from its proprietary software that tracks brand exposure.

The methodology: Using its Relo Census tracking program, Relo determines what it calls “sponsor media value” (SMV), or how much ROI sponsors are getting in terms of visibility and logo exposure across digital channels. Relo cross-references the amount of exposure with the quality (a jersey close-up is better than a background logo) to identify which brands are benefiting the most.

🍺 Michelob Ultra has the highest SMV at nearly $5.5M. Last June, a multiyear agreement between parent Anheuser-Busch InBev and the NBA boosted Michelob Ultra’s courtside presence across NBA and WNBA properties. Baseline apron signage in WNBA arenas provides an estimated $4.1M of SMV, while the Las Vegas Aces’s floor logo accounts for $1M, per Relo.

• The brand’s women’s hoops investment is paying off, too: Michelob is reportedly earning more from the WNBA than its combined investment in MLB and MLS. And one.

📈 Brands associated with Caitlin Clark (and the Indiana Fever) are doing especially well. Two of the top-performers for SMV — Fever jersey patch sponsor Eli Lilly and home arena namesake Gainbridge — are headquartered in Indiana. And while State Farm is based in Illinois, the insurance company is one of Clark’s most prominent sponsors.

💰 Being a WNBA Changemaker pays off. Inaugural Changemakers Nike and AT&T reported some of the highest SMV among WNBA sponsors. In fact, Nike is so ubiquitous — its logo appears on the top of every WNBA jersey — that the brand far outranks every other key sponsor, so Relo had to exclude its media valuations as an outlier.

📱 SMV includes all digital channels, which factors in social media. Relo tracks logo exposure on social media, so when Angel Reese jumps on Instagram Live after the game, so does her jersey’s Nike logo. Relo previously shared that the W’s social growth is exponential compared to other U.S. leagues, coinciding perfectly with the rise of WBB in the social space. Gotta love a Venn diagram.

The GIST: Leading women's performance activewear brand Athleta is leaning further into its brand identity with its long-running Power of She campaign. In its current form, the messaging has crystallized into centering inspirational Olympic and Paralympic women athletes as brand ambassadors, giving Gen Alpha consumers something to aspire to.

• Earlier this month, The GIST chatted with Athleta CMO Ilona Aman to gain insight on what the brand hopes to achieve through its Olympic activations and beyond.

The Power of She: In 2012, Athleta launched its first national brand campaign, then established its Power of She platform in 2016 before launching its Power of She Fund in 2020 in partnership with the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF). The fund has supported almost 50K athletes and includes a childcare grant inspired by track and field legend Allyson Felix. Very on brand.

• During this time, the brand was also building its Olympic connections. In 2019, Athleta signed Felix as its first-ever athlete ambassador, and landed celebrated gymnast Simone Biles in 2021. In 2023, the brand launched its Power of She Collective, which is headlined by 13 elite athletes, including Team USA swimmer Katie Ledecky.

The Olympic messaging: In the first Olympic and Paralympic year since the Power of She Collective’s launch, Athleta activated across several channels leading up to the Games. The brand created an ad campaign with Biles, who starred in the brand’s first-ever linear TV ad. The spot also ran on Netflix this month while the streamer promotes its Simone Biles: Rising documentary.

• Athleta is also bolstering its Olympic messaging through IRL activations. Ahead of the Games, the company donated $100K to the WSF, is hosting workout events in nine major U.S. markets, and started a campaign where women and girls can write postcards to their role models and Athleta will donate $1 to the Power of She Fund for every one. A win-win.

• Aman told The GIST that because 2024 is an Olympic year and has ushered in an explosion of popularity for women’s sports, the platform Athleta currently has is 10x what it would be otherwise.

Zooming out: With its long history of supporting women athletes, Athleta is poised to capitalize not only on the Olympics, but on the distinct power of women as brand ambassadors. Athleta parent Gap Inc. is leveraging the brand's growth in its long-term strategy, and targeting Gen Alpha is a big part of that.

• Data is still mixed on how the generation engages with sport, but we do know Gen Alpha influences household spending and are prone to influencer trends. A campaign like this should be right up their alley — especially with Biles, one of America’s most popular athletes, at the helm.

There’s no better way to level up your summer than by attending Tennis Canada’s UNMATCHED Gender Equity in Sports Conference. We’re giving away two tickets to the third edition of this event on August 7th at the Paramount Eventspace in Woodbridge, Ontario, and it promises to be filled with aces.

The speakers and special guests include:

🎾 Seven-time Grand Slam champion and former World No. 1 Venus Williams, Keynote Speaker

🎙️ Toronto Blue Jays host Sportsnet reporter Hazel Mae, Host

🏒 Three-time Olympic medallist and 2024 PWHL MVP Natalie Spooner, Speaker

What a Grand Slam lineup, eh? Enter to win today.

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