A few weeks ago, APPLE TREE held one of its #APPLETREEBYTES meetings, analyzing the impact of brands that support women’s sports competitions. According to the agency’s partner and strategy director, Jaime Lobera, “sponsorship of women’s sport brings greater reputational return.” The meeting was also attended by brands such as VISA, the FIFA Women’s World Cup sponsor, Endesa, and LIGA F.
“Women’s sport is a territory with great potential for building value,” said Jaime Lobera, Partner and Strategy Director at APPLE TREE. Sponsorship can also offer brands added value. “Brands that are building their positioning find themselves with more opportunities and more media coverage thanks to social media, video aggregators, and so on,” added Lobera.
In this sense, LIGA F highlighted the importance of breaking the stigma that sport is a male thing, as well as putting women’s sport on the map. “There are many stories to tell, and now we have the right platforms to transmit them to the audience so that many women can see themselves reflected,” said its president, Beatriz Álvarez.
According to María Lacasa, Brand and Sponsorship Director at Endesa, this support is not just about “providing money and a logo.” It goes beyond that: “Brands support sports through sponsorship to help them grow, generate content, help generate role models, and so on,” said María Lacasa. For its part, Visa was proud of its sponsorship of women’s sports because “it helps to promote a cultural change towards a more egalitarian, inclusive, and diverse society,” as Bea Larregle, regional director of Visa in southern Europe, pointed out.
The importance of reputational return, which APPLE TREE supports, is also associated with the transfer of values. “I would dare to say that women’s sport brings more reputational return than many male sports, which for some brands give more risk than benefit,” explained Lobera. The communication agency also added the importance of brands and athletes or clubs sharing the same values, which “will benefit both parties and society.”
Visa is committed to sponsoring the UEFA and FIFA 2023 women’s football competitions. “We are experiencing a very special moment this summer during the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, giving women’s football even greater visibility,” said Larregle. She also assured that they will continue supporting athletes and sportswomen in different countries to develop their professional careers through the ‘Team Visa’ program, of which Teresa Perales, Paralympic swimmer, is a member.
