The Emergence of the W Series
Recently, women’s sports have been on the rise. One of these avenues being single car racing for women, also known as the “W Series.” The W Series has a serious goal to raise their viewership and is working to see that goal come to fruition. The organization came out with multiple new broadcast deals in over 150 different markets. Executives of the W Series stated how they wanted to advocate more for their female drivers and get them the viewership and sponsorship they deserve.
Along with the organization pushing for more advocacy, they recently signed a multi-year deal with the Dutch beer brand, Heineken. The sponsorship deal consists of expanding viewership, brand marketing, and essentially improving the whole world-class experience for fans. Having this deal in place, Heineken will also gain full trackside branding at all race tracks to help promote their new nonalcoholic beer.
Another major part of the sponsorship was a mini video series including the racers of the W Series, telling their stories, and making them more marketable to the public. Our Fan Project research discovered that Fans of Women’s Sports are more likely to engage with sports content that highlights the athletes’ lives outside the field of play. When producing media in the Community-Based Monetization Model, it is imperative that there is an emphasis on storytelling and creating content beyond the stats and schedules. The W Series is only in its second year of being an organization but is rapidly growing in the United States as well as Europe with brands contributing to the expansion of the sport.
Heineken is not the only group to be jumping onto the trend of supporting the ever-growing W Series, other big house names like Puma, Ferrari, and Rokit, have stepped in as well to join in on the action. Puma has even created its own team that consists of five different drivers. The brand has also become a huge sponsor for the gear that the drivers wear, making sure it is made correctly for the female drivers. Puma has also decided to bring their “She Moves Us” platform, which celebrates and promotes females who are constantly on the go as an athlete or culture, to the W Series as well. The brand executives have been huge advocates for pushing the boundaries of motorsports, letting W Series athletes lead the way and them following in place behind.