Paris Olympics marketing blitz powered by female athletes

Global advertisers are hiring more female athletes to launch marketing campaigns ahead of the Paris Summer Olympics, a move aimed at capitalizing on recent record ratings for women's sports in the U.S. and Europe to reach new audiences.

While the Olympics has long been considered the pinnacle of women’s sports, increased attention leading up to the Games has prompted more brands to feature female athletes in commercials, shape messaging toward women and increase ad spending on women’s sports, ad experts said.

“What we’re seeing of late is an incredible aggregate of women showcasing skills and breaking records in ways that are generating so much attention,” said Jenny Storms, chief marketing officer for entertainment and sports at NBCUniversal, which broadcasts the Olympics in the U.S.

Adam Schwartz, director of sports media at ad-buying firm Horizon Media, said he estimates there are now double the number of brand campaigns featuring female athletes compared to previous years. “Advertisers are actively asking ‘what can we do to include ourselves with women's events,’” he said.

Advertiser demand for women’s sports has grown to a point where GroupM, one of the world’s largest ad-buying agencies, is now working with NBCUniversal to create new advertising packages that will allow some of GroupM’s brand clients to specifically appear during women’s Paris Olympic events, the agency told Reuters exclusively.

The fan frenzy for U.S. basketball player Caitlin Clark, whose success was credited with driving higher ratings for the women's college basketball championship than the men's for the first time, is one reason for the increased attention on women’s sports, the ad experts said.

While Clark was not selected for the Olympic