Bleacher Report’s HighlightHer, Zelle Elevate WNBA Voices

The last several years have seen unprecedented growth in women’s sports, and now brands are getting in on the action as the WNBA playoffs begin Thursday night. Bleacher Report’s HighlightHer, a portfolio brand focused on female athletes and teams, is going to market for the first time and has secured three major launch partners: Zelle, Nike and Gatorade. Founded by Ari Chambers in 2019, HighlightHer is now the fastest growing women’s sports platform on Instagram. Led by an all-female team of Black content creators, producers and programmers, the platform was born out of Bleacher Report’s House of Highlights brand and works to elevate the entire women's sports landscape. “It's empowering sisterhood and spotlighting bold stories between moments and actual storytelling, making sure that it's globally diverse, and it's women in sports and culture, all ages, activities, abilities, the whole spectrum,” Chambers told Adweek. How the Pandemic Super-Charged Broadcast’s Interest in Women’s Sports HighlightHer and Zelle teamed up for the three-part series Her Home Court, showcasing athletes that have been impactful to the sport and their local communities. Featuring WNBA and basketball legends, the spots will air across HighlightHer’s and Bleacher Report’s social channels on Instagram and YouTube, and will also have a linear extension with promos for the episodes on TNT, NBA TV and DirecTV during NBA preseason games. “All the portfolio brands, as well as Turner Sports in linear, have really worked with us to find ways for us to amplify across the board,” said HighlightHer director Felicia Kelley. Breaking down the three spots The first spot, featuring Washington Mystics star Natasha Cloud, is set to debut on Oct. 12 during the WNBA finals. “We’ve chosen three people that we feel are really impactful to their communities. Natasha Cloud, we’ve seen her on the frontlines protesting. And not just Black Lives Matter, but exploring what it means to be biracial and bisexual, so that's representation that we haven't seen as vocally before,” said Chambers. Cloud is a WNBA champion in Washington D.C., which Chambers said played a role in her selection. “We strategically picked people like that who have had such an impact on their community, and hired a local artist from each one to paint and memorialize their legacy,” Chambers added. Episode two featuring Hall of Fame basketball player and coach of South Carolina and Team USA Dawn Staley debuts Oct. 27, and episode three highlighting the 2017 WNBA MVP Sylvia Fowles, of the Minnesota Lynx, rolls out Nov. 22 in her hometown of Miami. The campaign, which is timed with the WNBA's 25th anniversary, includes a large-scale mural of each athlete. Zelle is also making a financial contribution to each of the communities spotlighted by Her Home Court. “Three episodes, three athletes, we’re painting a mural of them so the community can see, and we have a philanthropic cash gift that we give back to them through Zelle,” said Chambers. For HighlightHer, Zelle was a natural fit when it came to looking for launch partners. “They were super excited about investing,” said Kelley. “When we met with Zelle they were always excited to amplify ideas that we already had, and also making it bigger.” Zelle did not comment on its HighlightHer partnership. Also coming up is a five episode series in partnership with Gatorade’s “Greatness” campaign. ChattHer will highlight women athletes and run on Instagram and YouTube. Nike is signed on to be a launch partner this fall, but actual campaigns are still being designed.

Sports Marketing News

Bleacher Report’s HighlightHer Teams With Zelle to Elevate WNBA Voices

Nike, Gatorade also partnering with women’s sports brand as playoffs begin

Mollie Cahillane

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Mollie Cahillane