From 6% coverage to prime time: Ally Financial’s blueprint

Did you know that until 2022, no professional women's championship game in ANY sport had ever been played in network prime time?

Not the 1970s. 2022.

Andrea Brimmer, Ally's CMO, didn't just find that unacceptable—she used that as a catalyst to change the game in women’s sports investment. Her team’s strategy helped move the NWSL championship to CBS prime time, where it drew 1.1 million viewers despite competing against college football.

She shares her multi-million dollar insights below.

🤿 Below the Surface

Here's what's on deck this week:

• Signal Strength: Go from “market renter” to “market maker”

• In the Current: Athlete-centric marketing + fragmented distribution

• Blue Zone: NWSL Championship weekend with Ally

• Shark Bite: Arthur Blank on NWSL expansion club

⚡️ Signal Strength  

How A CMO Creates Buy-in

The backdrop: Three years ago, Ally's marketing team stared at a women's sports proposal. Every traditional metric screamed caution. The audience looked small. The CPMs felt high. The business case seemed thin.

They invested anyway.

Why it matters: Most brands wait for perfect data before making moves. Ally's team, under Brimmer’s leadership, recognized that emerging markets don't come with clean spreadsheets. Sometimes the best opportunities arrive looking like accounting headaches.

Ally by the numbers:

• 3x higher purchase intent among women's sports fans vs general consumers

• 2x faster brand awareness growth since their 50/50 pledge

• 40% boost in brand favorability among this audience

• 6x higher conversion rates for customers who view Ally favorably

• 2024’s Sports Sponsor of the Year from Sports Business Journal

What they did differently: 

Ally’s Triple B playbook created inventory that didn’t exist.

• BUILD → Funded the storytellers: Backed platforms like RE-MEDIA and Just Women's Sports when traditional media ignored the space

• BRIDGE → Connected the moments: Linked TV broadcasts with digital conversations to create fuller experiences

• BROADCAST → Upgraded the stage: Worked with networks to move championships to prime time slots

How they did it: Instead of hoarding insights, they shared them. Brimmer engages regularly with CMOs from State Farm and AT&T about what's working in women’s sports.

When renewing sponsorship deals, they deliberately give up categories so leagues can attract more partners. Think of it like introducing friends at a dinner party instead of keeping everyone to yourself.

The payoff: Since SVB collapse, Ally's reputation has grown 5%. That’s nearly 3x faster than the banking industry average.

Their WNBA partnership announcement didn't just generate likes. It generated people saying they'd switch banks. And now, fans of women's sports are six times more likely to open an Ally account. 

Bottom line: The cleanest spreadsheets often point to the most crowded markets. Sometimes messy data signals perfect timing. In other words, stop measuring water with a ruler.

When traditional valuation models fail emerging markets, build new ones.

Want Ally’s complete market-making strategy? Read the full playbook.

📰 In the Current  

We monitor the current so you can ride the wave. Here's what you need to know this week:

• NWSL’s Trinity Rodman's potential departure exposes women's soccer's unique dynamic where 47% of fans follow individual athletes as much as teams.

• Caitlin Clark generates $1.6M single-day brand value while WNBA branded videos deliver 34% higher returns than static posts — athletes are more than the face of campaigns.

• US Premier League delivers all games via NBC, UK sports fragmentation is driving piracy increase, and the NWSL spreads across five platforms creating an accessibility crisis women's sports can't afford.

🦈 Blue Zone  

Deep Blue sends a big congrats to Gotham FC for their second NWSL Championship!

NYC hosted their first-ever victory parade yesterday where Mayor Eric Adams presented the team with keys to the city.

“You have inspired thousands of soccer fans and young girls and boys to believe in themselves, to be brave, to be bold and to be fierce, fueled by the team slogan, ‘Always build, never finish”
– NYC Mayor Eric Adams

Over the weekend in San Jose, Ally double-downed on their commitment to celebrating women's sports by hosting the Ally House for the fans. It consisted of a live podcast recording of "Welcome to the Party" with Abby Wambach and Julie Foudy, a fireside chat on how fashion and fandom are helping shape the future of women's soccer featuring Melissa Ortiz and Domo Wells, and a custom merch drop of beanies, t-shirts and hoodies from Domo Wells by Dead Dirt.

🌊 Shark Bite

“It’s a matter of resources. It’s a matter of building a culture, bringing in people early so they can study the market, get in touch with the market, understand what women’s soccer looks like in the greater Atlanta metro area, throughout the state and beyond.” – Arthur Blank

Owner of NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United, and NWSL’s 17th expansion club debuting in 2028

Market makers shape reality. Market renters accept it. So, create the wave and don't wait for it. 

– Deep Blue Sports + Entertainment

Interested in learning what Deep Blue is up to? Have an idea? 
Reach us at [email protected].