Opening days, All-Star games, and championships have been mainstays on the calendars of sports fans since practically the dawn of time. In the modern, social-media fueled era of fandom, there\u2019s another moment before seasons start that fans have come to know and love: the day their favorite team drops its game schedule.<\/p>\n
For leagues like the NFL and NBA, the schedule release has become something of an art form, with teams parodying<\/a> popular<\/a> TV<\/a> shows<\/a>, petting puppies<\/a>, and poking fun<\/a> at their coaches. In a sign of the growth in women\u2019s sports, WNBA teams have also started getting creative.<\/p>\n This year, WNBA teams have come up with friendly roasts, \u201990s references, movie poster re-creations, and more to announce their schedules in campaigns that their marketers told us can take months to put together. The efforts aren\u2019t just about driving ticket sales\u2014team execs said these elaborate campaigns can also be integral in building team brands and fanbases.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s an expectation now that you have to step your game up and have a pretty cool schedule release video,\u201d Seattle Storm CMO Will Gulley said. \u201cOtherwise, you\u2019re gonna get trolled.\u201d<\/p>\n Writers\u2019 room<\/p>\n The Storm\u2019s marcom team started brainstorming schedule release pitches before the holidays last year, Gulley said. Everyone came up with a few ideas to present to leadership, but the team went a different direction from what they pitched, he said, ultimately working with influencer and Storm in-arena host Kayce Kirihara on a video<\/a> showcasing unique Seattle monuments tied to jokes about other WNBA teams.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Over at the Golden State Valkyries, about a dozen people from its marketing, social, and production teams started working on their schedule release in November, President Jess Smith said, landing on a video<\/a> starring forward Kayla Thorton that, like the Storm\u2019s, makes light-hearted jokes about the other cities while leaning into her typical sense of humor. The video also plays off of the \u201cgraphic design is my passion\u201d trend<\/a>, and was accompanied by additional content<\/a> featuring San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie speaking to local fans.<\/p>\n Some Minnesota Lynx marketers spend all year brainstorming for the schedule release, according to Jarrel Tolbert, the team\u2019s director of digital content, but they \u201creally lock in\u201d during the offseason once they know when the next season\u2019s schedule will become official.<\/p>\n \u201cYou always know that it\u2019s around the corner,\u201d Tolbert said. \u201cEven now, there\u2019s things that we know that we didn\u2019t do this year that we might get more lead time [on] and try to do next year.\u201d<\/p>\n This year, the league\u2019s official start date of May 8 could be somewhat up in the air given ongoing negotiations<\/a> between the W and its players\u2019 union, but the schedule dropped as expected on Jan. 21. The Lynx rolled out portions of its schedule using a series of posters based on A24 movies, including Marty Supreme<\/a> for New York Liberty games and Aftersun<\/a> for the Connecticut Sun. The team landed on the concept by combining their personal interests with trendy pop-culture topics, Tolbert said.<\/p>\n Content library<\/p>\n The Lynx aren\u2019t the only team tapping into recognizable media for its schedule release. The Portland Fire<\/a> worked with Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen for a Portlandia-themed announcement<\/a>, and the Dallas Wings re-created<\/a> The Office opening credits with rapper Monaleo.<\/p>\n Get marketing news you’ll actually want to read<\/p>\n Marketing Brew informs marketing pros of the latest on brand strategy, social media, and ad tech via our weekday newsletter, virtual events, marketing conferences, and digital guides.<\/p>\n The Liberty, too, wanted to lean into pop culture, according to Chief Brand Officer Shana Stephenson, <\/a>and as an original WNBA franchise celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, the Liberty decided to lean into all things \u201990s. At the beginning of the year, it released a six-minute video<\/a> featuring references to Family Matters, Full House, Jeopardy!, and \u201990s TV psychic Miss Cleo.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cWe love to be really creative when it comes to our schedule releases, have fun, take it in a different direction, [and] explore concepts that really connect with the fans,\u201d Stephenson said, later adding that a schedule drop \u201chas to be something that engages our fans\u201d and \u201cmotivates them to want to buy tickets.\u201d<\/p>\n Under pressure<\/p>\n Like the Liberty, Gulley said his team in Seattle looks to ticket sales to help gauge the success of their schedule drops, but that isn\u2019t the only metric marketers track. The Lynx social team measures stats like views, impressions, and engagement, as well as perception of the team and campaign, Tolbert said.<\/p>\n \u201cOur thing has always been trying to expand beyond just the basketball world,\u201d Gabe Schneider, Lynx social media coordinator, told us. \u201cTo make something that resonates with WNBA fans or Lynx fans [and] finding something that not only resonates with them, but people outside of our typical fan base, is always the goal.\u201d<\/p>\n As is natural in the sports world, team marketers said the pressure\u2014and the friendly competition\u2014over schedule release campaigns is heating up. Brands are getting involved now, too: The Valkyries\u2019 schedule release content was sponsored by jersey patch partner Kaiser Permanente, the Toronto Tempo partnered with Lego Canada for its inaugural drop<\/a>, and the Los Angeles Sparks\u2019 schedule release<\/a> was presented by nail polish brand Orly.<\/p>\n \u201cAs somebody who remembers when the W was launched, it\u2019s so fun to just see that continued cadence of growth and commitment,\u201d Smith said. \u201cStorytelling is top [of the] list of what\u2019s important as we continue to welcome new audiences into the league.\u201d<\/p>\n