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The WNBA’s oldest and newest non-endemic sponsors are the most recognized by the league’s fans in the fourth annual Sponsor Breakthrough study fielded this month by MarketCast for SBJ.
Half the fans in the study correctly identified Gatorade as the WNBA’s official sports drink, a status the brand has held since the league’s inaugural 1997 season. Delta, who joined the league roster in August, generated a 42% awareness level. Nike has been a league sponsor since 1997, but the apparel category is not measured in the study.
Michelob Ultra, a sponsor since 2012, saw its awareness level more than triple since the 2022 study (Bud Light was the official beer of WNBA and all WNBA teams from 1997-2006). Pepsi’s Starry brand’s recognition level dropped three percentage points year-over-year from an already-low 18%. The brand is a heavy NBA TV advertiser, but the estimated 45 spots that ran during nationally televised WNBA games in 2024 was down 75% compared to the 2023 season, according to an SBJ analysis of iSpot.tv data.
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