ABSTRACT
This chapter illustrates the importance of authentically communicating with female consumers. In doing so, the chapter addresses the significance of understanding a consumer’s culture, and portrays the idea of culture being intertwined with consumption habits. A major portion of the chapter outlines the benefits of conducting consumer research, and the benefits of properly staffing a sports marketing department. The chapter accentuates these notions by utilizing a number of examples. Specifically, the chapter highlights several marketing campaigns that were initially intended to attract women, but, because of an inadequate understanding of their consumers, culminated in a loss of popularity and, in some cases, a substantial loss in revenue generation. The chapter concludes by presenting a number of instances where organizations successfully developed sport-marketing campaigns that could resonate with female consumers. In particular, the authors showcase three successful sports marketing campaigns: The Go Red for Women campaign by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Lululemon’s female empowerment endeavors; and Proctor and Gamble’s #LikeAGirl and Thank You Mom campaigns.
