- Ally commits to reaching equal media spend in men's and women's sports advertising within five years
- Honoring Title IX's 50th anniversary, new "Watch the Game, Change the Game" initiative focuses on rallying viewership of women's sports to increase primetime coverage
CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of a broader mission to promote equity in women's sports, Ally (NYSE: ALLY) has committed to reach equal spending in paid advertising across women's and men's sports programming over the next five years. In addition, to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX, Ally will turn its 50/50 media spend pledge into action by launching "Watch the Game, Change the Game," a new national advocacy initiative spanning broadcast, digital and social media channels aimed at rallying viewership of women's competitions.
Fifty years ago, Title IX opened the door for women athletes, many of whom developed into strong leaders on and off the field. Research shows a strong correlation between sports and women's success as business leaders: 94% of women executives have a background in sports, with over half having played at university levels, according to reports by EY and espnW. Decades later, despite record-breaking viewership domestically and internationally, women's sports are still woefully underrepresented in media.
"We know investing in women's sports offers outsized returns for our business when it comes to growing brand affinity and love, and the push for equity and parity in sports elevates all of us," said Andrea Brimmer, chief marketing and public relations officer for Ally. "We believe these world-class athletes deserve platforms to showcase their talents, and we are making this commitment to increase representation and inspire the next generation of business leaders."
"Watch the Game, Change the Game" will support the drive for equity with a new TV spot and marketing campaign featuring real female athletes at the top of their game, rally scarves for fans to show their support, and takeovers of field signage at National Women's Soccer League and Women's International Champions Cup games.
This initiative is intended to act as a call to action because Ally believes that more representation in media will help create long-term sustainability for women's sports and drive fandom, followership, and deepened engagement with core audiences for the brands that invest.
"We want to create change, and our pledge is an example of putting actions over words, and we hope other brands follow," added Brimmer.
For more information on "Watch the Game, Change the Game," visit watchtochange.com.
About Ally Financial
Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE: ALLY) is a digital financial services company committed to its promise to "Do It Right" for its consumer, commercial and corporate customers. Ally is composed of an industry-leading independent auto finance and insurance operation, an award-winning digital direct bank (Ally Bank, Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender, which offers mortgage lending, point-of-sale personal lending, and a variety of deposit and other banking products), a consumer credit card business, a corporate finance business for equity sponsors and middle-market companies, and securities brokerage and investment advisory services. Our brand conviction is that we are all better off with an ally, and our focus is on helping our customers achieve their strongest financial well-being, a notion personalized to what is important to them. For more information, please visit www.ally.com and follow @allyfinancial.
Contacts:
Ally
Justin Nicolette
Justin.Nicolette@ally.com
704-301-4544
SOURCE Ally Financial
