<\/p>\n
Why would a feminine-care company sponsor a WNBA team?<\/p>\n
Jazmyn Williams, director of brand marketing at feminine-care company The Honey Pot, wouldn\u2019t blame anyone for asking. But after attending an Atlanta Dream game last season, she became convinced The Honey Pot should have a spot on the team\u2019s sponsorship roster.<\/p>\n
Brands like The Honey Pot, which just wrapped up its first season as the exclusive body-care partner of the Dream, aren\u2019t typically associated with sports. But in the WNBA, The Honey Pot is one of many nontraditional sponsors that have flocked to the league in recent years, contributing to increasing partnership revenue for the league and its teams.<\/p>\n
This season with the Dream marked The Honey Pot\u2019s first sports sponsorship, which Williams said felt natural from the start. Discussions are underway about extending the agreement beyond this year, she said.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t the size of the Dream\u2019s arena that caught Williams\u2019s attention\u2014it was the vibe in the stands, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels like you\u2019re hanging out with all of your friends and your neighbors\u2014very community-oriented, very inclusive,\u201d Williams said. \u201cI just thought, \u2018Wow, The Honey Pot should be a part of this.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The Dream and The Honey Pot started to talk seriously about the possibility of a partnership during the offseason, according to Laila Brock, the team\u2019s SVP of strategic partnerships and community impact. Since both organizations are based in Atlanta and share a mission to empower women and girls, teaming up just made sense, Williams said.<\/p>\n
As part of the sponsorship, The Honey Pot got in-venue signage at the Dream\u2019s arena, created collaborative social posts, and used the team\u2019s logo alongside its own branding in places like its Walmart landing page, Williams said. Players were given access to The Honey Pot\u2019s products through a display in the Dream\u2019s locker room, and product samples were distributed to fans during games. During the Dream\u2019s sold-out home game against the Indiana Fever at State Farm Arena last month, the brand also hosted influencers in a suite to \u201ccome get content and really amplify our partnership,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n
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The partnership itself is meant to amplify The Honey Pot\u2019s reach and message, especially on social media, and is also aimed at driving product discovery, Williams said. Over the course of its first season with the Dream, The Honey Pot gave out close to 15,000 product samples at games, and has seen over half a million press impressions as a result of the partnership, Williams said, which she described as \u201chuge for our brand.\u201d<\/p>\n
All of the Dream\u2019s partnerships include a community aspect, Brock said, and the team looks to \u201calign ourselves with folks who understand the value of giving back.\u201d Williams said the Dream\u2019s roots in social justice\u2014the team is named after Martin Luther King Jr.\u2019s \u201cI Have a Dream\u201d speech\u2014was part of why she wanted to partner up in the first place.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey wanted to make sure that they weren\u2019t just showing up in our arena, but they were also showing up with us in the community,\u201d Brock said.<\/p>\n
The organizations have worked together on several community projects, including a back-to-school drive and a wellness summit for girls at the Atlanta-based HBCU Spelman College.<\/p>\n
Brock said she hopes the Dream\u2019s work with The Honey Pot will open the door for similar brands to get into sports, and she expects to see more nonendemic sports sponsors testing sponsorships in the space.<\/p>\n
For its part, The Honey Pot doesn\u2019t seem to have plans to back out of sports anytime soon.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s certainly an appetite on both sides to continue to explore,\u201d Williams said. \u201cWe feel like we\u2019ve really just scratched the surface of what our brands can do together.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n