The Women’s FA Cup final on Saturday was attended by 32,912 fans, "a record that signals the nation’s growing infatuation with women’s sports that in turn is turning it into the next potent sponsorship opportunity for brands," according to Seb Joseph of THE DRUM. Rewind "back to London 2012 and most advertisers were looking to sponsor individuals like Jessica Ennis" over teams in an attempt to capitalize on the "halo-effect" of the Games. While there is "still a way to go, change is afoot as marketers from brands such as SSE and Kia look to mine the passions of a sports-loving populous, inspired by the efforts of professional female football and rugby teams currently putting their male counterparts to shame." The U.K.'s national women’s football team won bronze at last year’s World Cup. On the rugby pitch "the national women’s team rugby union team won it" in '14. Despite these successes, women’s sport is "still a relatively barren ground for sponsors." Compared to men, women’s sport "made up less than half a per cent of the total sponsorship spend" in the U.K. in '13, according to charity Women in Sport. That "dearth of investment means there are lot of opportunities up for grabs" as seen by how governing bodies are starting to "unbundle rights to women’s sports from the men." It is how SSE was able to sponsor the women’s FA Cup, "eschewing the buy-one-get-one-free mechanic still used by many including UEFA, the RBS 6 Nations and the ICC Cricket World Cup to chuck the men and women’s propositions together." Experts from SSE, Sport England and Women In Sport said that better collaboration between rights holders, the media and advertisers is what will "convince more marketers that women’s sport can be a business driver instead of just a CSR stunt." Previously, governing bodies "pleaded with the media to cover its stars more and on the flipside sponsors insisted on better performances," while the media in the middle "demanded better stories." The reality is that "all three need to come together." And when that union works, "the results are indisputable." A year into its sponsorship of the Women’s FA Cup, SSE "is in doubt it made the right call," with SSE Head of Sponsorship & Reward Colin Banks' claim that it has "smashed our objectives" testament to how it is working as a commercial driver. Sport England Dir of Business Partnerships Tanya Joseph said of the organization's "This Girl Can" campaign, "It’s been a good return on investment. It shows that you don’t need to use airbrushed models and you don’t need superstars. You can use everyday women to reflect your audience and that’s what will have an impact" (THE DRUM, 5/14).
