What women’s sports reveal about the future of branding

For years, brands have chased visibility and volume in sports, pouring vast sums into flashy campaigns and high-profile sponsorships. But with advertising costs soaring, consider the 2025 Asia Cup, where a 10-second spot can hit US$18,000 (Source: NDTV Sports), the traditional playbook is becoming unsustainable. How can brands effectively connect with sports fans without breaking the bank? 

The answer lies in a new approach: life-aware sports marketing. This strategy moves beyond mere competition, focusing instead on the compelling human stories within sports. It highlights athletes' real-life journeys, both on and off the field, and the communities that champion them. Unlike one-sided, broadcast-heavy campaigns, life-aware marketing invites consumers into an authentic journey of triumphs and challenges, fostering deep, sustained connections by tapping into daily lives, emotions, and cultural moments. 

This shift was catalysed by female athletes who redefined sport as more than just a commodity. Across the globe, figures such as the Philippines' Hidilyn Diaz, who overcame poverty to win Olympic gold, and America's Simone Biles and Japan's Naomi Osaka, who prioritised mental health, demonstrated the profound human realities behind athletic achievement.

Historically, female athletes faced limited media coverage and endorsement opportunities, prompting many to proactively build personal brands outside their sport. They leveraged social media to share their stories, values, and multidimensional identities, becoming authentic storytellers who connect intimately with audiences and, in turn, highly effective marketers (Source: FutureCommerce). 

A prime example from our region is Indian track athlete Ayesha Billimoria (@fitgirl.india). Since retiring from competitive sport in 2006, she has become an author and public speaker, delivering TED Talks such as "The power of the mind" and "A resilient athlete’s mindset". These talks, focused on her experiences overcoming physical and mental challenges, have established her as one of India’s leading fitness influencers, securing partnerships with global brands such as Apple and Adidas, alongside other sports-focused products. 

Your strategic framework for partnering with female athletes 

Brands are realising that traditional sports sponsorships, which often position female athletes solely as faces for campaigns, are transactional. This approach fails to capture the broader influence and impact these athletes bring. Here are four ways your brand can make partnerships with female athletes truly impactful: 

1. Invest in athlete communities, not just individual athletes 

This means asking different questions: Which athlete is already a community leader? Which partnerships would benefit her broader ecosystem? What grassroots initiatives, training programmes, or events can we invest in that support multiple athletes and their communities? 

HOKA Singapore’s 2024 “Born to fly” campaign perfectly illustrates this. Featuring Singaporean Ultramarathoner Jeri Chua, the campaign focused on her journey and recovery from Adrenal Fatigue, a condition caused by chronic stress. It told the story of Jeri’s setbacks, emotional journey, and how she used her adversity to empower the running community.

By positioning HOKA as a partner in Chua's recovery, the brand highlighted itself as a supporter of the entire running community, standing behind those facing challenges or seeking comebacks. This approach builds loyalty across a far broader audience than a single athlete sponsorship ever could. 

Similarly, in Thailand, taekwondo champion Panipak Wongpattanakit, an Olympic gold medallist from 2021, has leveraged her strong social following to partner with Thai and regional brands, including True Corporation. Her personal brand extends well beyond the competition floor. Brands partnering with her demonstrate an investment in the sport itself, building credibility with the entire community of practitioners, coaches, and families who support the athlete. 

2. Shift from ambassador to co-creator 

Invite athletes to shape the narrative from the ground up for greater authenticity. When MILO partnered with Filipino tennis player Alex Eala on its #MyMILOStory campaign, it offered her a platform to share her authentic journey from training routines and doubts to victories instead of dictating her message. 

For brands, this requires a shift in sponsorship budget allocation. Rather than investing solely in brand-led campaigns featuring the athlete, allocate meaningful budget for athlete-led content creation. Give athletes creative control and view them as creative partners, not just talent for hire. 

3. Start early, not just when athletes are at their peak 

Female athletes in Southeast Asia often face a lack of sponsorship opportunities early in their careers. This presents a significant opportunity for brands willing to think outside the box. 

Investing early demonstrates a genuine commitment to the sport and the athlete, moving beyond opportunistic sponsorship of success. This builds deep trust and loyalty among athletes and their communities, providing brands with a competitive advantage. Brands could consider creating tiered sponsorship programmes that support athletes at different career stages, from emerging talents to established stars. 

4. Measure long-term engagement, not just reach 

Traditional metrics such as broadcast reach, audience size, and awareness lift made sense when sports marketing revolved around TV spots and stadium visibility. In an era of athlete-led social media partnerships, brands must evolve their measurement. New key performance indicators (KPIs) such as engagement rate, sentiment analysis, community growth, repeat audience, and long-term brand affinity will better reflect the true value of authentic athlete partnerships. 

Consumers and brands are responding positively, but white spaces still exist 

Consumers are reacting: 76% view brands associated with women athletes more favourably (Source: Women’s Sports Foundation), while brands investing in women’s sports experience 24% higher brand awareness (Source: Nielsen). Brands across our region are also responding, moving beyond mere sponsorships to actively participate in female athletes’ journeys beyond the pitch. 

Despite these positive developments, estimated media coverage of female athletes remains low at just 16%, presenting a significant opportunity gap, particularly in Asia. To ensure your brand isn't missing out in this dynamic space, here are four essential points for your brand sponsorship checklist: 

• Stop sponsoring moments; start sponsoring lives: Similar to HOKA and MILO, brands need to design partnerships around the real conditions of women’s athletic lives, focusing on their seasons of life, not just moments of glory. 
• Invest where participation starts, not just the end goal: Build trust early, at the grassroots level. Brands become enablers of access, not just endorsers of success, especially in a region where female access to sports can still be limited. 
• Position women athletes as cultural connectors, not just brand ambassadors: Consumers today can spot inauthenticity from a mile away. Empower women athletes to create their own messages and co-create programmes or initiatives. This shifts power from brand-led to athlete-led, and consumers will feel the difference. 
• Reframe what ROI means: Most sports investments are still rooted in traditional benchmarks: audience size, broadcast scale, and awareness. While these remain relevant, we must also look at long-term engagement and trust as crucial returns on investment. 

In conclusion, consumers today don’t need louder sports marketing; they need brands willing to show up for the realities behind the performance. Women athletes are spearheading this movement by showcasing their experiences and being vulnerable to the world. For brands wanting to thrive in this space, it’s not about waiting for women’s sports to “get big enough”; it’s about driving the change alongside them. This is how we make sports marketing sustainable, human, and culturally meaningful. 

The article was written by Genevieve Chen, regional strategy director, UM Asia Pacific.