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With just days to go until the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup begins on July 20, Ally Financial is building the hype.
In the next iteration of its “MonumentALLY” campaign, Ally revealed a new 60-second spot tied to the Women’s World Cup, advocating for fans and brands alike to join the momentum surrounding women’s sports.
“The game has changed, and it won’t ever be the same,” says a voiceover before the spot launches into a montage of powerful women’s sports moments, including footage from lacrosse, the NWSL, softball and more.
During the spot, various slogans flash across the video, saying, “Beast the game,” “Watch the game,” “Sponsor the game,” “Respect the game” and “Shatter the game.”
Notable athletes also grace the screen, including Sophia Smith (playing at the World Cup and member of Team Ally), Kasey Choma (Notre Dame lacrosse player and member of Team Ally), Jennie Finch and Billie Jean King.
Following the montage of stars, the voiceover puts a button on the message: “The game has changed. Monumentally. We’re in the game, are you?”
A whole new ball game
The spot comes during an unprecedented time of growth in women’s sports. For example, National Women’s Soccer League attendance is up 48% year over year, and WNBA viewership is up 67% across all national networks.
This year’s World Cup is set to continue that growth with an expected 2 billion viewers tuning in worldwide.
“We’re being intentional by highlighting game-changing athletes from the past and present during what’s expected to be the most-watched women’s sporting event of all time,” Andrea Brimmer, chief marketing and public relations officer at Ally, told Adweek about the spot. “Our ‘MonumentALLY’ campaign recognizes that the demand for women’s sports has never been greater and that any action, big or small, has an impact on the elevation of women’s sports.”
With so many viewers expected to tune in, the tournament, which airs on Fox and Telemundo in the U.S., marks the first time the Women’s World Cup broadcasting rights have been sold as a standalone product rather than packaged as a bonus for purchasing the rights to the Men’s World Cup—even though the 2015 women’s final remains the most-watched soccer match in U.S. history.
The Ally spot will first air on Fox on July 20 and run on the network throughout the World Cup. It will then air on CBS Sports and Paramount+ for the remainder of the NWSL season.
Ally teamed up with Anomaly, its creative agency of record, for the campaign, and Mashie Alam at Soft Citizen directed.
Just the beginning
The “MonumentALLY” campaign is only a small part of Ally’s efforts in the sports space. During Brimmer’s tenure at Ally, the financial company committed to a 50/50 media spend across men’s and women’s sports within five years, a pledge greatly advanced by a first-of-its-kind deal with Disney earlier this year, putting more than 90% of investment into women’s sports.
As the pledge hit its first anniversary in May, the company revealed it is pacing far ahead of schedule, expecting to reach a 60/40 split by the close of 2023. So far, Ally has increased its paid media investment in women’s sports by 300%, including increasing its media spend with CBS to move the NWSL championship into primetime for the first time.
This week, the company also signed on as partner of lifestyle brand Re—Inc’s new media division, beginning with a digital series from Tobin Heath and Christen Press around the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
Team Ally
In May, the company unveiled Team Ally, a non-traditional ambassador program made up of athletes and creators, working directly with the brand to increase visibility and media equity.
As a part of Team Ally, retired soccer legend Julie Foudy will be on the ground with the brand at the World Cup creating social content, going behind-the-scenes with fans and creating integrated content for her podcast, Laughter Permitted.
“Our intention with these player-direct relationships is to increase demand for women’s sports, increase year-round fan engagement, and create social currency – all while injecting money directly into players’ pockets,” Brimmer previously said in a statement on Team Ally. “It’s a natural next step in our buying strategy.”
