WPP-owned agency GroupM has committed to “double its investments in women’s sports” and intends to “seek exclusive deals with media companies that host women’s sports programming,” according to Parker Herren of AD AGE. GroupM U.S. Exec Dir Denise Ocasio "declined to specify a dollar amount for the goal." GroupM will “leverage support from clients including Adidas, Ally, Coinbase, Discover, Google, Mars, Nationwide, Unilever and Universal Pictures during this year’s upfront to seek first-look and exclusive deals with media partners, as well as opportunities beyond traditional media.” GroupM U.S. Exec Dir Sports & Live Investment Martin Blich said that additional opportunities could include “sponsorships and media inventory as well as co-branded marketing, NIL deals and additional packages with leagues and athletes.” Herren noted these opportunities will form what GroupM is describing as a “devoted marketplace for advertisers to invest in women’s sports beyond the upfront and into the seasonal cycles of women’s sports leagues.” The formalization of a women’s sports marketplace was also "inspired by client feedback for wanting to more intentionally invest in women’s sports,” similar to industry-wide pushes to "increase marketing budget allocations for underrepresented and diverse-owned media" (AD AGE, 3/27).
