WNBA Monarchs Ads To Target Men, Focus On Players' Athleticism

The WNBA Monarchs are "switching their marketing focus to men" and are "changing tactics to highlight the athleticism of the women's game instead of trying to sell fans on the family-friendly and affordable experience," according to Kelly Johnson of the SACRAMENTO BUSINESS JOURNAL. The Monarchs anticipate "increasing their sponsorship revenue by 10[%], and that's on top of a 50[%] jump" for the '07 season. The Monarchs' retention of season-ticket holders "has grown by a double-digit percentage." A WNBA-commissioned study by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, S.F., indicated that "within many families, men decide what sports to watch on TV and what sporting events to attend." The study also showed that men "don't realize today's WNBA players command a very high skill level." WNBA Senior VP/Marketing Carol Albert: "We really need to put the game out front and center." Monarchs VP/Business Operations Danette Leighton said that the team will "combat the misconception that women can't play the game with TV spots showing 'amazing passes' and women jumping 'out of their shoes.'" Leighton added that instead of placing TV spots on nets such as Lifetime or Oxygen, the team "may increase ads on ESPN." Leighton noted that the Monarchs also will "look for ways to increase their cross marketing" with the NBA Kings (SACRAMENTO BUSINESS JOURNAL, 5/2 issue).