Taking A Left-of-field Approach At Women’s World Cup 2023

In the wake of Women’s Euro 2022, and with the Women’s World Cup only six weeks away, James Masters, Strategy Director at Cake, explores 5 alternative narratives to help your brand lean into the Lionesses hype this summer.

This summer’s Women’s World Cup is going to be big. Cast your mind back to last summer’s Euros Final, and the Lionesses’ 2-1 victory over Germany. Recall the paper-to-paper front page coverage – red tops to broadsheets united in wild celebration. Think of the scenes around the nation, from packed pubs bouncing to fans dancing in the fountains of Trafalgar Square.

How many of you reading this were one of the 17.4m glued to their screens, as Chloe Kelly’s extra time goal ended all those years of hurt? How many of you wished that your brand was taking advantage of the moment? How many of you don’t want to miss out on this golden opportunity again?

Now, no one likes a freeloading ‘ambusher’ – inferring an official, paid relationship with the tournament or the team – or a hollow ‘virtue signaller’ jumping on the bandwagon with no real substance behind a marketing message. However, any brand with enough authenticity or a genuine role to play in football / women’s sport more broadly can have a voice this summer. And if your brand doesn’t… maybe this could be the start of a bigger commitment to the game.

But how? Ok, there are the classic women’s sports narratives… Overcoming the odds, fighting gender prejudice, challenging perceptions… They have their place, but could your brand do something braver? Something specific to the unique context of a Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand and the extraordinary England team.

With that in mind, let’s unpack five potential narratives that could be a springboard to your very own campaign this summer.

THE EARLY BIRD CATCHES THE WORM: LEANING INTO MORNING MATCHES

Despite FIFA threats and the tournament getting closer, the reality of a European broadcast blackout is surely low given the obvious collateral damage it would cause. So, on the assumption that UK audiences will very much be able to watch the tournament, our first narrative is born from their timings. Namely, that with matches taking place on the other side of the world, we’ll be treated to morning matches to kick off our days.

Without doubt there’ll be some fans using it as an excuse to sink an inadvisable ‘breakfast pint’, but how could non-alcoholic drinks brands riff off the moment. Surely the likes of Weetabix and M&S – both FA sponsors – will be leaping on the breakfast opportunity… when else would you be watching live football whilst munching on your cereal. Or drinking tea or coffee, or brushing your teeth, or having a lie-in. Who needs the pub when you can cheer beneath your St George flag duvet.

It’s the school holidays, so what about brands who can help you use the football to engage up-early-and-bored kids. Or if your brand is rather more mindful, could we be talking a yoga-football tie-up. And where would that take place? Perhaps, classic football viewing venues – from pubs to clubhouses – could reimagine what their offering looks like in the mornings. Check out Lipton Ice Tea’s ‘Daybreakers‘ campaign as a brilliant example of supercharging mornings through experiential.

IN A LAND FAR FAR AWAY: BRINGING DOWN UNDER CLOSER TO HOME

… Yeah, Women’s World Cup 23 is really really far away. You’ll know that fact if you’ve ever travelled Down Under or listened to someone relate the pain of a 36-hour journey to Auckland. So, where does this narrative take us?

In the first instance, how could airlines make something out of the fans taking the trip of a lifetime. From in-flight food mirroring in-stadia snacks – Bovril at 30,000 feet – to themed safety videos in the vein of Air New Zealand, there is a lot of fun to be had.

And once fans are out there, how could brands help them keep in touch with the folks back home. Enter the likes of Microsoft Teams or Zoom, but what about Royal Mail (other postal services are available) using the tournament as a proof point of overseas posting.

Meanwhile, for any Australasian brands in the UK – from Aussie hair products to Neighbours – surely a World Cup on their home turf is worth exploring as a spike moment in the calendar. Putting asides utter football authenticity for a moment, the cultural moment alone is worth a brief for their social teams.

STATS, STORIES, AND SPECIFICS: PLUGGING THE WOMEN’S FOOTBALL KNOWLEDGE GAP

A cursory glance at Google Trends clearly illustrates that interest in the Lionesses and women’s football is at an all-time high. Need more proof? This year’s Women’s FA Cup was a Wembley sell-out. The 2021-22 season of Women’s Super League saw viewing hours increase fourfold on 20-21.

However, at a general level, the depth of knowledge around the women’s game is poor. Figures like ex-player Jill Scott – England legend and I’m a Celebrity champion – have cut through to popular culture, but many names are not in a general football fan’s vocabulary, let alone household figures. Job one for an endemic football brand – from sponsors to branded podcasts – is helping establish the likes of Jess Carter and Lauren James amongst armchair fans.

But, where your brand has the credibility to do it, let’s get nerdy – because whilst getting into the nitty gritty is a trope of the men’s game, no brand owns the space in the women’s. The stats, the records, the behind-the-scenes stories, the tactical nuances, the specific training regimes, and so on. This summer, pubs and workplaces will be full of people talking about the tournament… who will step in to banish the likely clichés and empower decent football chat?

GRASSROOTS GIRL POWER: DRIVING LONG-TERM IMPACT AMONG YOUNG WOMEN

Before I begin, let me make clear that women’s football is a sport for all, no matter one’s gender. The global gender split of fans was reportedly even at the last Women’s World Cup, with men making up 64% of them in Europe.

That said, with a recent report showing a deep disconnect between teenage girls and the women’s game (despite recent progress), the right brands could take a focused approach to a women’s grassroots audience. For instance, the likes of Barclays and Vitality who have a heritage in empowering women’s physical participation could – perhaps even should – lean heavily into the moment.   

From Sports England to grassroots clubs, and from sportswear brands to nutrition specialists, this is an unprecedented opportunity to capitalise on the gains made in engaging girls after the Euros. It is so rare that we get a second bite of the inspiration cherry so soon after the first… so, let’s learn from the mistakes of London 2012 where the promised opportunity to inspire a generation was, some argue, not fulfilled. Is this the time for your brand to make a bold purposeful move, with a long-term commitment to making a difference?

ENGLAND EXPECTS: CAPTURING THE OPTIMISM SURROUNDING THE LIONESSES

As European champions and Finalissima victors versus Brazil, England head to the World Cup amongst the favourites. Sure, the team is facing challenges – from retirements to injuries amongst key players, like Leah Williamson – but underestimate them at your peril.

If the Euros are anything to go by, brace yourself too for massive mass media coverage, ground-breaking broadcast engagement, and a groundswell of mass interest.

And what’s more, unlike the men’s team – which despite Southgate’s gentle revolution still carries the taint of past failure and cynicism – the Lionesses embody optimism and the magic of football. So, if your brand is firmly behind women’s sport, from the towns the players grew up in, or even proudly English, get out your drum… and start banging it as joyously as the players stamped their feet at the raucously brilliant post-Final press conference.

Whatever narrative your brand unlocks, from the obvious to the left-field, together we have the opportunity to join a chorus of support so loud that the Lionesses won’t fail to hear us Down Under.

JAMES MASTERS

STRATEGY DIRECTOR, CAKE