Sports brands to go beyond pink to woo women

One of the lasting memories of the Games was the measurable impact of women on the event. More women competed than ever before, more women won medals and more women commanded more of the media spotlight.

In addition, women’s sports are gaining a bigger profile in the UK as governing bodies work to encourage women to take up sports. Indeed, women’s football is the fastest growing sport in the world and the third biggest team sport in the UK, according to Sport England.

Adidas is looking to capitalise on this shift by readying a marketing push for the running category this summer that will include activity around its new Boost range. While brand ambassadors such as Laura Trott are likely to be involved, Adidas says it is focused on getting its tone of voice right across all its online channels. It has also invited women from around the world to form a community as part of its ‘All In’ global campaign. The #mygirls online community aims to encourage women to share their athletic pursuits, advise and encourage one another throughout its upcoming activity.

A spokesman for Adidas says: “Adidas is committed to inspiring and celebrating women and whether you’re part of a sports team or a tribe of friends we want them to go all in and join #mygirls to become part of something bigger. Adidas has always spoken to women across the different areas of our brand, but in 2013 we are making a concerted effort to create engaging content and experiences that are tailored to women from the outset, designed to reach girls in the environment they already inhabit online and provide them with increased opportunities to interact with our brand.”

Under Armour is using social media as its primary communications channel in its first campaign targeting women. The brand has marketed to women before but never on this scale or with a strategy it claims will “redefine the female athlete”.

A mobile app along with TV advertising is supporting the push promoting its ‘No Matter What, Sweat Every Day’ strapline. Women account for around 30 per cent of athletic apparel sales for Under Armour and the company has identified the category as a key battleground for its aggressive bid to take on Adidas and Nike and believes its women’s business will eventually eclipse its men’s business.

Meanwhile, Nike’s plans to target women with a running category push later this year were given a fillip after the company saw revenues increase 13 per cent in Central and Eastern Europe thanks in part to its women’s training category during its third quarter. Nike says its “women’s running business is incredibly strong” and that it is “starting to scale” its ranges in stores at a “much faster pace”.

The growing profile of women’s sports presents an untapped opportunity for sports brands to eschew their macho image and grow their share of the women’s apparel market. Branding experts say this is not as easy as “signing a high profile athlete” and hoping “it resonates with females”. Instead they claim marketers need to go beyond “superficial” marketing ploys and build strategies around how sports fits in with their active lifestyles.

Simon White, managing director of Momentum UK, warns this process needs to start with good product design and usability, that way marketers “don’t have to separate marketing for men and women”.

He adds: “I don’t think there has ever been a time when there has been so many women [in sport] making big statements to the world. Sports brands are finally realising that women represent not just consumers but also shoppers for the rest of the family and consequently represent a far more lucrative segment than males from a volume perspective.”

Catching women’s attention is not enough for sports brands looking to woo women. To keep it they need to learn from the mistakes of beer brewers when trying to appeal to women and focus on advertising with a non-gender-specific appeal with an emphasis on usability and the adaptability of the products.