Disney’s Blueprint for Women’s Sports, The Two Futures of Saudi Soccer and the Beauty Industry’s Real MVPs

Each week, we sift through a ton of content and then debate it ad nauseam at FEVO HQ. And since good content, like the mind, is a terrible thing to waste, we are also sharing it here with you, our fans, in the form of this weekly blog post on e-commerce, media and life on the internet.

Marketing Brew: Disney is pitching advertisers on a new framework for women’s sports sponsorships

‍A new initiative called Level Up is asking brands to spend more intentionally on advertising with women’s sports. Since it is a newer and — according to some — riskier ad placement, Disney is creating a more flexible and forgiving ad-deal framework to get more big brands in the door. Ideally these new initiatives will bring more money into women’s sports, allowing for further development and better infrastructure.  

The Athletic: Is the Saudi Pro League a new Chinese Super League… or a new Indian Premier League?

As you've likely heard, the Saudi Pro League is starting to buy up a bushel of household names from the biggest soccer clubs in Europe, including the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema and Chelsea star N’Golo Kanté. This article from The Athletic gives a great rundown of two possible futures for the league (one where it is a smashing success and one where it is not), complete with insights from veterans of the game and learnings on what has (and hasn’t) worked when it comes to building a league and the culture that surrounds it.  

Business of Fashion: Why athletes are beauty’s real MVPs

‍In the past, beauty brand contracts were reserved for the highest level of superstar. But thanks to NCAA rule changes around sponsorship and young athletes getting increasingly savvy on social media, brands have begun partnering with all tiers of athletes as ambassadors. It is no longer reserved for the upper echelon of athletes, because social media “has turned young athletes into coveted collaborators for skincare, haircare and fragrance companies,” and now “those same brands are also tapping social media-savvy athlete-influencers to help launch new products and reach underserved beauty consumers.”

And a few more nuggets of assorted internet wisdom …

Nike’s approach to solving the biggest problem for girls in sports (CNBC)

39 of the best ecommerce newsletters (Future Commerce)

A deep dive into Gen Z’s media habits (Day One Agency)

How Teqball built a brand new sport (Bloomberg)

Celebrities use AI to take control of their own images (WSJ)

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