Observed Signal · Jun 30, 2026 · Podcast Episode · Source: Adweek · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Brands Still Underinvesting in Women's Sports — $1 Trillion
Adweek’s Adspeak podcast episode, hosted by Zoë Ruderman, examines why brands underinvest in women’s sports despite strong consumer response. Guests Allyson Felix, Wes Felix and Cosette Chaput (co‑founders of Always Alpha; Allyson and Wes are also associated with Saysh) discuss data-backed signals such as a cited 2.8x purchase‑intent gap, the need to reframe KPIs away from vanity metrics, and the power of authentic storytelling and athlete-first partnerships. The conversation covers Allyson Felix’s transition from a Nike sponsorship to founding Always Alpha, how bundling athletes can reduce individual impact, and why the LA 2028 Olympics could be a tipping point for brand investment in female athletes.
Highlights a sizable, underexploited marketing opportunity (women’s sports) and practical partnership guidance for brands ahead of LA 2028, but is a content piece rather than a platform policy, major funding event, or technical release—so limited systemic impact.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Adweek published an Adspeak podcast episode hosted by Zoë Ruderman featuring Allyson Felix, Wes Felix and Cosette Chaput.
- Allyson Felix is a co‑founder of Always Alpha, co‑founder and president at Saysh, and an International Olympic Committee member.
- Wes Felix is co‑founder of Always Alpha and co‑founder/CEO of Saysh; his work has helped brands including Athleta, Pampers and Sephora.
- The episode highlights a referenced "2.8x Purchase Intent Gap" indicating stronger purchase intent linked to female athletes versus traditional influencers.
- The guests argue brands should move beyond sponsorship checkboxes, reframe KPIs, prioritize authentic storytelling, and avoid "bundling" athletes which can weaken individual impact.
Connected Companies & Entities
3 Entities mapped“Allyson Felix shares her journey from Nike sponsorship to founding a talent management firm......”
“His work has helped major brands like Athleta, Pampers, and Sephora discover how female athletes deliver measurable ROI......”
“His work has helped major brands like Athleta, Pampers, and Sephora discover how female athletes deliver measurable ROI......”
Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Female Athletes Redefine Brand Value
A live Marketecture panel in New York City brought together founders of Always Alpha (Cosette Chaput, Allyson Felix, Wes Felix) and Zoe Ruderman of ADWEEK to discuss how female athletes are changing brand strategy, storytelling, and ROI. Panelists argued women’s sports is a high-growth, compounding-ROI opportunity that traditional, male‑focused sports marketing models fail to capture. Key themes: athlete-driven, long-term storytelling outperforms templated influencer tactics; female athletes often deliver higher engagement and trust despite smaller followings; brands must invest beyond headline events (e.g., LA28) and broaden ecosystem support to avoid top-heavy, unsustainable investment. Categories like beauty and retail lead adoption while finance and automotive lag.
Women’s Sports Ads: ROI Soars, Investment Grows!
WPP Media published a "Women’s Sports Playbook" (in partnership with EDO, Adverteyes and VideoAmp) showing rising advertiser returns from investment in women’s sports. The report found a 79% year-over-year increase in ad impressions for women’s sports, 20% higher ad engagement versus non-sports broadcast and cable, and that Ally Financial’s ads delivered 85% higher engagement during women’s sports compared with broadcast/cable averages outside live sports. Investment in women’s sports is estimated to be up nearly 70% year over year, with total spend around $127 million and ad airings rising nearly 30% to almost 30,000. The report also notes audiences overindex for households with incomes of $200,000+, and that athlete-led, culturally aligned creative drives stronger emotional engagement, attention and brand recall.
DOOH Opportunities in Women’s Sports
The article (and accompanying The Big Story podcast episode) discusses rising viewership in women’s sports and growing interest from publishers, advertisers and tech vendors to capitalize on that momentum via channels like digital out-of-home (DOOH). It highlights the Women’s Sports Index — created by sports agency Deep Blue and data analytics platform Mondo Metrics — as a tool for brands to track engagement and purchase intent. Examples cited include Sweetgreen running ads via Atmosphere TV during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Blacksheep using digital billboards to criticize Google, and HelloFresh running AI-driven creative on Times Square digital billboards. The piece frames women’s sports fans as community-driven and different from men’s sports fans.
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