WNBA
Reigniting the WNBA’s cultural resonance
Twenty years after its founding, the world’s greatest women’s basketball league was struggling to grow. Even as WNBA players found themselves at the center of conversations around identity, gender, and sexuality, tickets went unsold and the league wasn’t leveraging the interest and momentum that was gaining off the court.
We were brought in to answer the question: how do you re-envision a women’s professional sports league to connect with fans and deliver long-term profitability?
By leveraging WNBA’s mission of “inspiring and empowering women,” we created a lifestyle brand that emphasizes the league’s role in culture and makes space for players and fans to own who they are on and off the court.
Jordin Canada photographed by Lucci Mia as a part of the WNBA & Red Hook Labs campaign collaboration.
Our process
We started by exploring operating and revenue models for the league that were assessed for commercial viability and consumer and cultural resonance. With a single model prioritized, we rallied the organization around a new business vision and growth strategy. We then identified a new design target of socially active, culturally engaged, and deeply influential millennial women of color and their allies. The entire process was centered around this target as well as WNBA players, involving them in every step, from defining new operating structures and revenue streams to informing the identity evolution.
Left: Arike Ogunbowale photographed by Kaylee Ramirez. Right: Jonquel Jones photographed by Denise Hewitt. Both as part of the WNBA & Red Hook Labs campaign collaboration.
The WNBA continues to build on the momentum seen since the rebrand. The brand not only looks different, but they now act and operate differently. Mainstream sentiment has dramatically shifted, including mass acclaim for the league’s leadership in racial and social equity conversations.
The league doubled player salaries while increasing benefits, taking a stand for female athletes everywhere. The famous orange hoodie has become a cultural icon, adorning fans, pop stars, and athletes alike. And they continue to attract new audiences, partnerships, and donors—cementing their status as a premiere sports league.
