【益普索Ipsos】2025數(shù)字時(shí)代粉絲文化演變及其對(duì)品牌營銷的影響研究報(bào)告

HowlivestreamingisshiftingfanengagementintheattentioneconomyPAGE9

Whywomen’ssportsarethenextfrontierforbrandgrowthPAGE13

WhybrandsshouldreinventsponsorshipsforthedigitalfandomeraPAGE23

Howsuperfanexpectationsarereshapingbrand-fanrelationshipsPAGE30

LeadersfromVerizon,MolsonCoors,Twitch,

Pinterest,AspenInstituteandParity,aswellasa

professionalSwiftiesharehowlivestreaming,

+

socialmediaandemergingmarketsarereshapingfandomsandhowbrandsengagewiththem

WHATTHEFUTUREIFandom

Contents

Introduction

3Howthefandomrevolutionischangingthegameforbrandgrowth

Shifts

8Howwillfansmovefromconsumingtoinfluencing?

Tensions

33Theopinionsthatwillshapethefuture

Futuredestinations

35Implications:Wherethe

opportunitiesarefor…

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Perspectivesandresearch

Thought-provokinginsightsfromindustryleadersandIpsosexperts

9Howlivestreamingisshiftingfanengagementintheattention

economy

Twitch’sRachelDelphinshareshowtoattractandengagefansonplatformsinachangingworld.

12Howfandommashupscansharpenbrands’marketingplaybooks

13Whywomen’ssportsarethenextfrontierforbrandgrowth

Parity’sAlanaCasnerexplainshowbrandsareshiftingfromsponsorstoinvestors.

16Aswomen’ssportsgrowinpopularity,brandsneedtogetinthegametoday

17Howtofixyouthsportstobuildthenextgenerationoffans

TheAspenInstitute’sTomFarreyshareshowandwhocanrebuildyouthsportsforastrongerfuture.

20Howsponsorshipshelpbrandstapintonewaudiencesforthelonggame

MolsonCoors’AnnLegandiscusseshowtheMillerbrandengagesbothlongtimefansandnewerones.

22Whyearlierfaninputisthesecrettosponsorshipsuccess

23Whybrandsshouldreinvent

sponsorshipsforthedigitalfandomera

Verizon’sNickKellyseestechnologychanginghowbrandsservefansineventsponsorships.

26Howdigitalplatformswillreshapebrands’rolesinfancommunities

Pinterest’sNadineZylstraexplainshowshesees

humanvs.AIcurationimprovingfanconnection.

29Whyvaluepropositiontestingcansparkfanloyalty

30Howsuperfanexpectationsare

reshapingbrand-fanrelationshipsTaylorSwiftsuperfanKelseyBarnestakesusinsidethechangingmindsetshapingfans.

WHATTHEFUTUREIFandom

Introduction

Howthefandomrevolutionischangingthegameforbrandgrowth

Imagineit’s2035.

Fan,remember,isshortforfanatic

“FandomiswhereIlive,”saidateenageWhattheFuture

Andwho’smorefanaticthantheyouth?YoungerAmericans

reader.That’slikelynotanexaggeration.Fansbingetheshowsandbooksthemselvesandimmerseinthefanfictionand

(underage34)aretwiceaslikelytosaytheyarefansofspecificbrandsandspecificathletesthanolderAmericans(ages55+).They’refourtofivetimesaslikelytobefansofcelebritiesandinfluencers(oftenusedtodeliverbrandmessagesand

relatedDiscordchannelsandlivestreams.Andviceversa.

Interactingwithfancontentcandrivepeopletobecomefansoftheoriginalcontent.Allofthiscanbeamassivetimesuck.

endorsements)andfourtimesaslikelytobefansofvideogames,achanneltoreachyoungpeopleon.

It’salsobigbusiness,andonethatisincreasinglydigitalasfansengagevirtuallyacrossplatforms,whichyou’llseeinthisissue.

Allofthisisgoodnewsforbrands,becauseyoungerconsumersarenotoriouslyhardtoreachandyoungerfansaremorethantwiceaslikelytosaytheyaremorelikelytobuyproductsor

Thinkaboutjustsomeoftheindustriespeoplearefansof:

%

ofAmericanssaytheyareafanofsomething.

(Source:Ipsossurveyconducted

Jan.31-Feb.3,2025,among1,112U.S.adults.)

movies,music,sports,booksandtheindividualentertainers,

servicesfromsponsorsofthingstheyarefansof.

athletesandauthorsinvolved.Throughcreatorsandinfluencers,evenfanshavefans.Fandomhas,forsome,gonepro.

Fandomoffersapowerfulwayin.Youdon’tevenhavetowork

withtheobjectoftheaudience’sfandom.Whohasn’thada

Inthe

WhattheFuture:Identity

issue,culturalpreferences(i.e.,thingswearefansof)wereamongthemostimportant

conversationaboutwhetherabandsoldout?Fandomgivesbrandsawaytodoanendrunaroundthatproblem.Bandwon’ttakeyourmoney?Fine,supportthefandomdirectlyoritsfaninfluencers.

componentsofhowpeoplethinkaboutthemselvesafter

aspectsoftheirphysicalselvesandtheirlivedexperiences.Inthisissue,weexplorethetopicinmuchmoredepth.

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WHATTHEFUTUREIFandomIntroduction

Fandomisfortheyouthandthat’stoobad

Peopleofcolorarealsomorelikelytoputthefanaticinfandom,accordingtotheFutureofFandomsurvey.Onedemographicissittingthisouttosomedegree:

olderAmericans.That’sashame.

Fandomisagatewaytocommunity,somethingthat

olderAmericansaregenerallyseenaslacking.Perhapsthat’sbecausesomuchoffandom(andeverything)

takesplaceonlineandonsocialmedia,whereolder

Americansarelesscomfortable.Whateveryourfan

jam—maybeyoucollectrecordsorHummelfigurinesoryou’reagenealogybuff—thereareonlineand

offlinewaystoexperiencecommunitythroughfandom.

Nichevs.scaleinreachingfandoms

Forbrands,onechallengeisappealingtofansatscale.Onceyou’repastthemajorsports,biggestchart-

toppingbandsandTVshows,fandomscangetnichefast.Anddeeplyintersectional.Areyouafanof

beachvolleyballandalsoagoth?Thenyou’relikelyafanofBoiseStateUniversity’sNoraHayd.

Whilewe’retalkingaboutcollegesportsandwomen,it’sworthpausingtotalkabouttheimportanceof

youthsportsasapipelinetofandom.

Youngerfansshowstrongerfanengagementandcommunityconnection

Q.Howmuchdoyouagreeordisagreewiththefollowing?(%Agree)

73%

65%

64%

63%

67%60%

52%

49%

49%

49%

46%39%

34%

31%30%

24%

26%

7%

Beingafanof

somethingisa

positivepart

ofmylife

Itrytoencouragemykidstobe

fansofthingsI’mfansof*

Ihavemetclose

friendsbecause

theyarefansof

thethingsI’ma

fanof

Ifeelasense

ofbelonging

withinthefan

communities

Iampartof

Iammorelikelyto

buyproductsor

servicesfrom

companiesthat

sponsorthings

I’mafanof

Ifindithard

tofind

merchandise

orapparelto

expressmy

fandom

TotalAges18-34Ages35-54Ages55+

(Source:IpsossurveyconductedJan.31-Feb.3,2025,among1,020U.S.adultswhoarefansofanything,including*292peoplewithachildinthehousehold.)

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WHATTHEFUTUREIFandomIntroduction

MostAmericans’fancommunitiesareonline

Q.Doyoubelongtoanyofthefollowingcommunitiesrelatedtoyourfandom(s)?(%Total)

Socialmediagroup43%

10%

In-personmeet-upgroup/attendingliveevents14%

Fantasysportsleague(s)14%

Financialsupporter12%

(o)Livestream12%

Fanart/fanfiction

Officialfanclub

7%

Collectorgroups

7%

Boosterclub

3%

Other

1%

Noneofthese42%

(Source:IpsossurveyconductedJan.31-Feb.3,2025,among1,020U.S.adultswhoarefansofanything.)

Bydefinition,kidswhoplayasportaregenerallyafanofthatsport.Often,forlife.

Theissueswiththesportsfandompipeline

It’sharderandhardertobeayouthathletethesedays.Foronething,it’sgottensupercompetitive.“Thelevelofprogrammingandactivityhasgottenmoreandmoresophisticatedattheyouthlevel,”saysJasonClement,co-founderandCEOatTheSportsFacilities

Companies,whichisexactlywhatyouthinkitis.

“Thephilosophiesandapproachthatusedtobe

reservedfortheprofessionalorcollegiatelevelhasfounditswaydowntotheyouthlevelofinstructionandtheincreasedlevelofinvestmentforfamilies.Thathasexpandedexponentiallyoverthelast

twodecades.”

Thatgrowthshowsnosignoflettingup.Butaparallelphenomenonistheriseofwomen’sandgirls’sportsandwiththem,brandtie-ins.OneyouthsoftballplayerandWhattheFuturereaderfoundtheirfavoriteplayerhadtheirownlineofbattinggloves.Theydidn’treallylike

thestyle,buttheyatleastsawthatit’snowpossibleforfemaleathletestohaveproductendorsementslike

that.That’srelativelynewandcouldbeagame-changerforfansandbrandsalike.

WHATTHEFUTUREIFandomIntroduction

Onereasontechplatformsaresosuccessfulistheyaggregatenichesandhelpusbefansofeachother.Andoftenit’sledbythosesmallercommunitiesbottom-upinsteadofthebehemothstop-down.

So,we’vemadeacaseupuntilthispointthatbrandshaveaplaceinfandom.Butthere’sadanger.Thepeople

andorganizationspeoplearefansofareoften…h(huán)umans.

Theonethat(thankfully)gotaway

ThepagesofWhattheFuturehaveoftenfeaturedinterviewswithpeopleandbrandsourwritersarefansof.Hopefullyyoucouldn’ttellthatbyreadingtheinterviews,butsometimesourpassionslikelysurface.Buttherewasoneinterviewwetried

forrepeatedlyandneverlanded.ThatturnedouttobeOK,sadly,becausethepotentialinterviewee,authorNeilGaiman,hasnowbeenaccusedofallkindsofawfulthingsbya

growingnumberofwomen.

Therearetworeasonstobringthisup.Oneisbecauseof

theobviousbrandrisksforbeinginvolvedwithorsponsoringhumans.Humansrangefromimperfecttodeeplyflawed.

Youdon’talwaysknowhowthesesituationswillplayout.

Two,fandomsareoftenleftdoingtheiruniquecalculusabouthowfaristoofar,andwhenyoustopbeingafanofeither

thehumanortheirworkortheirlegacyortheirteamortheirsponsorsoralloftheabove.

Thatleavesuswithawholehostofquestionsandopportunitiesforbrandsandcompaniesalike:

?Howdoyoutapintofansauthentically,especiallythe28%whoconsiderthemselvesactivelyengagedinfan

communities?

?Howdoyoufindthefandomsthatwillresonatewithyourcurrentand,evenbetter,yourpotentialcustomers?

?Howcanyourbrandmaketheexperienceofbeingafanbetterforthosefans,notjustforyourbrand?

?Howcanyouhelpgrowthepipelineoffansforthecommunitiesyourbrandtakespartin?

?Howcanyouhelpdiversifyandenableaccesstothose

%

communitiesormaybecreateexclusivesub-communities?

ofAmericansconsider

theirengagementwithfan

communitiesonlineas

veryactivetoactive.

(Source:Ipsossurveyconducted

Jan.31-Feb.3,2025,1,020U.S.adultswhoareafanofsomething.)

We’llgetintothosetopicsinthisissuewithouramazingpanel.Andifyou’reafanofWhattheFuture,smashthatlikebuttonandsubscribe,eh?

MattCarmichaeliseditorofWhattheFuture.

6?PoweredbyIpsos

Seebeyondthehorizon

IpsosWhattheFuturecustomwebinarsgiveyoupersonalizedinsightsforyourbusiness

Whenyouimaginepossibletomorrows,

youaskbetterquestionstoday.

BOOKNOW

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WHATTHEFUTUREIFandomShifts

MattPalmerisaconsultantatIpsosStrategy3.

matt.palmer@

Shifts:Howwillfansmovefromconsumingtoinfluencing?

NOW:

Fromfantofriend

Fansengagewiththeirpassionsacross

various,fragmentedplatforms,fostering

parasocialrelationshipswithentertainersand

athletes.Thislandscapeofferscontentandcancreateconnectionswherefansfeellikethey

knowtheirfavoritesdespitenotrueinteraction.

NEXT:

Frompassiveviewertoactiveparticipant

Fanexperienceswillberevolutionizedby

technologyadvancessuchasaugmented

reality.Astechnologicalbarriersfade,itwill

becomepossibletointeractwithone’sfavoritesportsteam,entertainerorfantasyworld

asthoughitisone’sownlife.

FUTURE:

Fromcontributortocollaborator

Biotechnologymayblurthelinesofidentityandauthenticexperiencesbyusingbrain

interfacestoconnectwithfansandshapecontentinrealtime.Fansmayexperience

eventswithpersonalizednarrativesshapedbytheirreactions.

WHATTHEFUTUREIFandomPerspectivesandresearch

Howlivestreamingisshiftingfan

engagementintheattentioneconomy

RachelDelphin

Chiefmarketingofficer,Twitch

ThefutureoffancontentlooksalotlikewhatyoumightalreadyfindonthelivestreamingplatformTwitch.

ItsCMO,RachelDelphin,seesafuturewherefancontentisnotonlyinteractive,butalsocollaborative,andcreatesdeeperconnectionsinreal-timeacrosslanguagesand

cultures,whereanyonecanbelong.

ofveryactivetoactivefansbelong

%

tosocialmediafangroups,comparedto43%fortheaveragefan.

(Source:IpsossurveyconductedJan.31-Feb.3,2025,among1,020U.S.adultswhoarefansofanything.)

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10?PoweredbyIpsos(Source:IpsossurveyconductedJan.31-Feb.3,2025,among1,020U.S.adultswhoarefansofanything.)

WHATTHEFUTUREIFandomPerspectivesandresearch

WhatTheFutureinterviewwithRachelDelphin

KateMacArthur:Whyhaslivestreamingbecomesopopular,especiallyamongyoungerpeople?

RachelDelphin:Itoffersasenseofconnectionthat

keepspeopleengaged.Livestreamsaredynamic,

unscriptedandinteractiveandthatserendipitykeepsyoutunedin.You'reabletointeractdirectlywith

streamersandotherfansinrealtime,makingyouanactiveparticipantratherthanapassiveviewer.It?sthatsenseofimmediacyandcommunityresonatingdeeplywithpeople,butcertainlywithyoungeraudiences.

MacArthur:Howhaslivestreamingchangedfans,contentconsumptionhabits?

Delphin:There'sanexpectationthatconsumptionis

communal.Livestreamingbringsthatfirst-andsecond-screenexperienceintoasingle-screenexperience.

Youcanconsume,reactandinfluencetheactiononthescreenandinteractwiththesubject.Thiscreates

thatdeepersenseofengagementandpersonalization.

MacArthur:Howiscontentconsumptionevolving?

Delphin:It'snotpureconsumptionanymore.Itis

participationandcontributionnow.Fanswant

tounderstandwhat'sthemotivation,thestorybehindthestory,thelore.Showingfandomisawayto

conferstatus.There'sbeenthisrealembraceofwhoyouareinyourdeepfandoms.

Beyondsocialmedia,themostactivefansjoinfantasysportsandlivestreamgroups

Q.Doyoubelongtoanyofthefollowingcommunitiesrelatedtoyourfandom(s)?(%Total)

0%20%40%60%80%100%

Socialmediagroup

In-personmeetupgroup/attendingliveevents

Fantasysportsleague(s)

Financialsupporter

Livestream

Fanart/fanfiction

Officialfanclub

Collectorgroups

Boosterclub

Other/noneofthese

uTotaluLeveloffanengagementveryactive/activeVeryactive/active/moderateaOccasional/notactive

WHATTHEFUTUREIFandomPerspectivesandresearch

MacArthur:Howdoeventsonstreamingplatformsaffectthatrelationshipbetweenfansandcreators?

Delphin:Specialeventstendtobringmorepeoplein.

Butthethingthatreallystrengthensthebondsis

repeatedtimespentoveralongperiod.Thetypical

behavioronTwitchisnotendlessscrolling.You’reherefor30minutesoracouplehours,severaltimesaweek.Soyou’respendingupwardof30minutes,maybea

couplehoursonasinglecreator'sormaybeacouple

creators’channels.Youhavemembershipinsomeone’schannelandarerecognizedbyothermemberswithin

thecommunity.

MacArthur:Doyouhaveafavoriteexample?

Delphin:TwitchPlaysPokémon.Itwasacollective

experimentwhereover16days,aboutamillionpeoplecompletedPokémonRedbyinputtingcommandsinchat.Itbecamethissensationandaseminalexampleofthecommunityexperience.

MacArthur:Howdoglobalfandomsinfluencecontentcreationandplatformdevelopment?

Delphin:There’saTwitchstreamerwho’sabigMinecraftpersonalityandhisnameisQuackity.Hestartedthis

internationalgameshow,anditincludesreal-time

translation.Oneoftheharderthingstoovercomeis

languagebarriers.Beingabletodoitinrealtimeisreally

interestingbecausethentheculturalchangebecomes

immediate.Theotherwayisthatbeingafanhasstatus.Creatingcontentwithdepth,leavingsomethingbehindwherethere'satrailwherepeoplearelookingforthe

signsandsymbolsandsleuthstodecipher—many

superstarslikeTaylorSwiftdothisreallywell.That’stheadviceforbrands:Buildthefandom,leaveEastereggsforpeopletofindandfollowanddissect.

MacArthur:Howdoesmonetizationinfluenceboththecontentandthefanrelationships?

Delphin:Peoplepaybecausethey’resupportingthestreammarket,andtheywantthecreatortocontinue.Forthecreator,there’sincome.Havingincomefromeithersubscriptionsormembershipstendstobemorepredictable.Thatvalueexchangeisclear,andviewersfeelgoodaboutbeingabletosupportcreators.

MacArthur:DoyouseearoleforAIininfluencingallthoseexperiencesgoingforward?

Delphin:Therearealotoftasksthatacreatorhastodo.Theyareobviouslytalent,butthey’realsotheir

ownsocialmediamanagers,editorsandassistants.Themorewecouldreducetheothermundanetasks

andadministriviathatcreatorshavetodo,thatwouldbegreat.There’scertainlyroominanecosystemforsomethinglikethatsocreatorscandowhattheylove.

KateMacArthurismanagingeditorofWhattheFuture.

Livestreaming

bringsthatfirst-

andsecond-screen

experienceinto

asingle-screen

experience.Youcanconsume,react

andinfluencethe

actiononthe

screenandinteractwiththesubject.”

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WHATTHEFUTUREIFandomPerspectivesandresearch

Howfandommashupscansharpenbrands’marketingplaybooks

Sneakerheads,K-popstansandFormula1enthusiastsmightnothavethesameobsessions,occasionsorslang.Buttheyexpressthemselvesinthesameplace:online.Thatgivesbrandsanopportunitytolearnhowthesefandomsoverlapandalignwiththeirbusiness.

Howcross-categoryfanprofilescanrevealopportunitiesforbrandpartnerships

U.S.MillennialfansofFormula1racingaremorelikelythanthepublictosharethefollowinginterestsandcommunities.

63%

Conventionalsocialmediamonitoringtoolssort

conversationsintokeyword-basedsilos,omittingcrucial

context.Butastheinternetboostsculturalcross-pollination,thebiggeropportunityistogainawindowonthe

interactionsbetweenfandoms—fromgamersthatlove

53%

20%18%

9%

11%11%

16%

fashion,tofoodiesthatfrequentBookTok—andhowthoseaffinitiesshapetheirbehaviorasfansandasconsumers.

Moresophisticatedlisteningtoolscanmapoutthat

landscape,drawingoutcross-categoryconnectionsthatcaninspirenewproducts,partnershipsorpromotions.

Peoplecontainmultitudes.Tokeepupwithtoday’sfansandtomorrow’strends,brandsneedthecompletepicture.

Consolegaming

Digitalart

ConsumerAlt-rock

electronics

JessicaBarskyisavicepresidentwith

Ipsos’Synthesiopractice.

jessica.barsky@

(%F1fans)%Generalpublic(Source:IpsosSynthesioProfilerTool.)

12?PoweredbyIpsos

WHATTHEFUTUREIFandomPerspectivesandresearch

Whywomen’ssportsarethenextfrontierforbrandgrowth

AlanaCasner

Seniorvicepresident,athleterelationsandbusinessdevelopment,Parity

Afteryearsoffitsandstarts,women’sprofessionalsportsaresurginginpopularity,viewership,financialbackingandculturalsignificance.Whilenotatparitywithmen’ssports,thegapisclosing.TheaptlynamedplatformParityhelpsconnectbrandswithfemaleathletesinmajorleagueslikeWNBAbasketball

andnichesportslikesoftballandlacrosse.WhenParity’sAlanaCasnerthinksaboutthefuture,sheimaginesa

growingecosystemoffans,mediacoverageandbeneficialbrandrelations,allofwhichelevatethefandoms.

%

ofbothU.S.menandwomenagreethatwomen’ssportsareasexcitingtowatchasmen’ssports.

(Source:IpsossurveyconductedJan.31-Feb.3,2025,among1,020U.S.adultswhoarefansofanything.)

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WHATTHEFUTUREIFandomPerspectivesandresearch

WhatTheFutureinterviewwithAlanaCasner

MattCarmichael:Arewefinallytherewithwomen’ssports?Like,canwestophavingtheconversationaboutifthisisathingyet?

AlanaCasner:Theaudiencesarethere.Selloutsare

happeningeverywhere.Fandomexists.It'sunfortunatethatittookuntil2025forpeopleinchargeofthedollarsandcentstogetit.TheLA2028Olympicgameswillbehugeforsomeofthemorenichesportsandathletes.In10years,Ithinkpeoplewillfinallyseethatthisisnotjustmomentum.It’swhatthestandardshouldbefor

women'ssportsfromaviewership,fandomandearningperspective.Anditwon'tjustbethemainstream

sportsthatarehavingthisgrowth.

Carmichael:Howcanwomen’ssportsand

athletesbroadenaudiencesforsportsingeneralandviceversa?

Casner:Womenathletes,theirfansandthosethat

areontheperipherypayingattentionarealready

helpingmovetheneedle.IgotoatonofWNBA

Libertygames.Thatarenaisfilledwithmen,women,kids,familiesandbroswhohangoutatthelocal

barwhonowhaveseasonticketsbecauseit'sway

morefuntogotoaLibertygamethanaKnicksgame.Sorry,Knicks.

Menandwomenagreewomen’ssportsisexcitingbutdifferoncoverage

Q.Howmuchdoyouagreeordisagreewiththefollowing?(%Agree)

78%

56%

44%

47%47%

36%

35%

25%

Femaleathletesdeservethe

sameshareofsportsand

advertisingrevenuethat

maleathletesget

Women’ssportsareas

excitingtowatchas

men’ssports

Iwishmorebrandswould

sponsorthethingsI’ma

fanof

I’dliketoseemoreTV

coverageof“niche”sports

likesoftball,lacrosse,

pickleball,etc.

MaleFemale

(Source:IpsossurveyconductedJan.31-Feb.3,2025,among1,020U.S.adultswhoarefansofanything.)

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WHATTHEFUTUREIFandomPerspectivesandresearch

Carmichael:Howcanwebreakthechicken-and-eggcycleofnothavingenoughcoveragetobuild

anaudienceandnothavinganaudiencetomeritmorecoverage?

Casner:Overthelast24monthswe’veseenthe

beginningsofthat.NCAAwomen’sbasketballisfinallynowgettingitsMarchMadnesstobeaseparate

entitysoldformediarights.Itwasalwaysbundledwiththemen’s.Theviewershipnumbersspeakfor

themselves.Themediachannelsandthenetworksarestartingtoseethatthewomen’ssportingeventsare

outperformingothereventsthathavebeeninthosetimeslots.There’snothingnewhappeninginmen’ssports.

Carmichael:Canbrandshelpdevelopthisfandom?

Casner:Weneedmorechampionsatdifferentbrandstoinvestincommercialslots.Women'ssportsfans

arealmostthreetimesmorelikelytopurchaseaproductrecommendedbyawomanathletethananyother

typeofinfluencer.

LookatwhatUnrivaled3-on-3women’sbasketballdidwiththeirTNTandTurnerSportsdeal.They’reairingFridaynights,SaturdayafternoonsandMondaynightsonalltheTurnerchannels.Turnersawthevalue,

andtheyhavesomuchsponsorshiptheywereabletoraisesoquickly.

Carmichael:Howdoesfandomdifferbetweenmen’ssportsandwomen’ssports?

Casner:Forwomenathletes,youenjoythemasa

person,andyoucareaboutwhatthey’reintoandyou

mighttrustwhattheysay.They’resomuchmore

relatable.Theycareabouttheirfansandliketoengageandmakethekidshappy.Thatisahugedifference

betweenmen’sandwomen’ssports.I’veworkedwithatonofprowomenathletesovermycareerandaton

ofpromaleathletesovermycareer.I’mnotsayingtherearenotgoodeggsonthemen’sside,buttheamount

oftime,effortandintentionthatthewomenputinto

everythingthey’redoing—youseethatasafanofthesport,andyouwanttoengagemorewiththem.

Carmichael:Arebrandscatchingon?

Casner:Parityhasexistedforfour-plusyears.Thefirsttwowerespentconvincingbrandsthattheyshouldworkwiththesewomen.Talkaboutafrustratingconversationtohave.Butalotofpeopledidgetitandboughtin,

anditwasawesome.Nowtheconversationshave

shiftedtobrandsthatarecomingtous,saying,“Iwanttoinvestinwomen'ssports.Iwantourcorebrand

audiencetoknowthatthisisintentionalandnotthatwe'retryingtocheckabox.”

MattCarmichaeliseditorofWhattheFuture.

There’snothingnewhappeninginmen’ssports....Weneed

morechampionsatdifferentbrands

toinvestin

commercialslots[forwomen’s

sports].”

Perspectivesandresearch

WHATTHEFUTUREIFandom

Aswomen’ssportsgrowinpopularity,brandsneedtogetinthegametoday

Ipsospollingrevealsthatwomen’ssportsaren’tjustontherise—they’vealreadyarrived.

ApluralityofAmericansdesiremorecoverageofwomen’ssports,andhalfbelieveincreasedbrandbuy-inisagoodbusinessdecision.

Mostsportsfansbackbrandsbuyingintowomen’ssports

Q.Towhatextentdoyouagreeordisagreewiththefollowingstatement(s)?(%Agree)

Majorsponsorsarebackingwomen’sleagues.

Bothcollegeandprofessionalfemaleathletesare

starringinmultimillion-dollarcampaigns.Itisnolongerenoughforbrands,bothnewandestablished,tojustshowuptowomen’ssports—theymuststandout.

60%52%

Todoso,brandsneedtofocusonunderstanding

48%

41%

women’ssportsfans,theirexpectations,andhowtheyoverlapwithordifferfromotheraudiences.

Thisalsomeansbrandsneedanaccuratedataprovider,likeIpsos’KnowledgePanel,thataccountsforfast-

Itisagoodbusiness

decisionforbrandstoinvest

Iwouldliketoseemore

coverageofwomen’ssports

growingandharder-to-reachpopulations.Thepayoffisworthit.Inthisshiftinglandscape,theadvantageisnotwiththefirstmovers,butwiththemost-informedplayers.

moreinwomen’ssports

TotalSportsfan

(Source:IpsosKnowledgePanelsurveyconductedFeb.14-16,