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Social Media Decoded
Why Women’s Sports Deserve MORE Attention—The Marketing Playbook w/ Tania Haladner, CMO of Chicago Sky
00:25:31
In this powerful episode of Social Media Decoded, host Michelle Thames sits down with Tania Haladner, Chief Marketing Officer of the Chicago Sky (WNBA), to talk all things women’s sports marketing, fan engagement, and brand building.
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- [00:00]
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- [01:01]
Tonya
And then the last thing I would say is it's still a really good value. You know, fans can come win Trust Arena. You know this get close to the action, be close to the floor and really be up close and personal with the players, even meet the players as Riley did. And so I'm not sure that's happening necessarily in other sports where it's you're a little more removed. So I think all those things combined is just leading to tremendous growth.
- [01:24]
Michelle Thames
Hey hey. Welcome to the Social Media Decoded Podcast. The go to podcast for entrepreneurs and business owners who want to grow their brand, increase visibility and make more money without the overwhelm. I'm your host Michelle Thames, marketing strategist, business coach and the person who's here to give you the real no fluff strategies to help you succeed online. Each week I bring you expert insights, actionable tips, and real talk about what's actually working in social media and digital marketing. Whether you're just starting or scaling the six figures, you're in the right place. So grab your coffee or Matcha if you're like me and let's dive into today's episode. Today we're talking about taking it to the next level because we're diving into the power of women in sports. Okay marketing and why you should even be paying attention. I don't know if you all know, but you all know I have a superstar basketball player daughter who has dreams of going to the wnba and last year we got to experience a really cool experience with the Chicago sky, you all know I'm from Chicago and that is my WNBA home team. And today I have the perfect guest for this conversation we're going to have. Tonya is the chief marketing officer at the Chicago Sky. I know you all. I told you that I'm bringing the best of the best this season. Right. Of the guests that we are bringing on this year. And before leading the change and elevating women's basketball, y'all, Tonya was out here making waves at Pepsi with brands like Quaker and Tropicana. So when I say she knows a thing or two, I mean she knows a thing or two about building iconic brands. And today we're going to be talking all about how women's sports is changing the game. I don't know if you've been paying attention, but you should. And how the Chicago sky specifically is leading that change and what your brand can learn from her marketing. All right, Tanya, welcome to the show. How are you today?
- [03:21]
Tonya
Thank you, Michelle. I am great. Thank you for the warm welcome. And I'm a huge fan of Riley as well. So great to see her growth in the game. And I know she's going to make the league someday.
- [03:30]
Michelle Thames
Yes. Maybe she can play for the Chicago Sky. Wink, wink.
- [03:33]
Tonya
We would love that we start our recruiting early.
- [03:35]
Michelle Thames
Yes, we are. So I want to get right into it. Let's talk about the rise in women's sports. It is about time. Okay. The WNBA has been around a long time, but let's be real, women's sports hasn't always gotten the respect that they deserve. But things are shifting in a big way. And what's driving the moment for women's sports right now, from your point of view?
- [03:58]
Tonya
Sure. Yeah. You know, the growth has really just been explosive. This is my fourth season with the Chicago sky, so I joined right after the sky won the championship in 2021. And just even over that time, three seasons, essentially, the growth has just been phenomenal. Our ticket sales were up 125% last year. Social media, which I know is your bread and butter, we tripled our followings for well over 1.2 million followers just in. You know, think of the Chicago market and how big that is and what a huge audience that is for us. And we're seeing new partners come in. So Microsoft, Olay, Ford, like big name brands that are supporting women's sports. Our Merch sales were up 4x just in one year since the draft. So we're seeing it in the numbers first and foremost. But also, I think you asked what's driving it. Number one, I think, the growth of the college game. So we all hear about Nil and all these recognizable names, whether it's Angel Reese on the sky or Caitlin Clark. We're bringing fans from the college game to the wnba, which I think is really critical because we have a whole new audience and that is even helping drive our social media following. So that's really important, I think, the growth of the game in general. So you mentioned it, but the WNBA has been around for a while now and we have some superstars that have been here for a long time, like Asia Wilson, Brianna Stewart. We've got some stars in the game and they are really upping the basketball game. And I have nothing against the NBA. We all love the NBA and basketball in general. But if you do think about the women's game, just the basketball strategy involved because they're playing below the rim, you need offensive and defensive schemes, pick and rolls. It's just really interesting to see how the game unfolds. And I think especially new audiences are really appreciating just the strategy behind the women's game and how interesting it is these days. So it's not just, you know, men shooting threes and dunking all. All day. It's a very different game. And I think we used to think, oh, well, we need to be more like the men. Now we're saying, wait a second, this is a really interesting game in and of itself and it's unique and we need to celebrate that and bring fans to the game. And then the last thing I would say is it's still a really good value. You know, fans can come win Trust arena, you know, this. Get close to the action, be close to the floor and really be up close and personal with the players, even meet the players, as Riley did. And so I'm not sure that's happening necessarily in other sports where it's a. You're a. So I think all those things combined is just leading to tremendous growth.
- [06:23]
Michelle Thames
Yes. And the wintrust Arena Chicago listeners, because Chicago is a very large listening portion of this podcast. Go to a game, okay? You're going to hear Tanya share some gems. Go to a game and experience it, like, in person. The food is good. They have Garrett's popcorn, and you can be like, really in the action. The players are nice, the staff and the team is nice. So go to a game, okay? And it's right in our neighborhood and.
- [06:49]
Tonya
It'S not hard to get there. You can take the train, you can take the bus, you can walk, whatever it's really easy to get there.
- [06:56]
Michelle Thames
Absolutely. And you talked about how the WNBA is growing fast. You dropped some major names that's been in the game, viewership, attendance and even social media engagement. And from just a consumer point of view, from myself being a consumer, I've noticed that the Chicago Skies, at least Instagram page, I know has drastically changed. I used to always say that I didn't feel like the WNBA or any of the teams were really showcasing like the real fans and like the experience. But you have changed that. You all have changed it and it's on the rise. So what do you think has been the biggest factor or some of the things that you all have done to make that change?
- [07:32]
Tonya
Sure. So from a social media perspective, first of all, we've hired really good people and you know, it's a different language, it's a different culture on social media. So we have some amazing social media managers who are a lot younger than I am, who understand the younger generation, the lingo, how to speak to fans. They understand culture and that's I think, really, really important. So hiring the right people and making sure they, they're understanding culture and developing content that resonates with our fans. Number two, storytelling. And I know we'll probably be talking a lot about that, but clearly fans want to learn more about the players. And I think maybe in the past we tend to focus on, you know, one or two players or the stars. And now our goal is really to tell the stories of all the players and help our get to know them. These are like 150 of the world's best women's basketball players. And each one of them has a unique, interesting story. And so we want to use social media to share some of that content. And especially as we have new partners coming in helping to fund and invest in these, these storytelling features. Whether it's forward, we did a lot of that last season where you could see sort of long form and short form storytelling. And whether it's forward, you can see our players pull up in a new Bronco and then at the same time tell their stories. Right. And so I think that's really interesting for fans. And then we're always looking for those viral moments. Hopefully we can be a little unique. But having those moments, obviously angel does it really well on TikTok, whether it's bringing in music or having those conversations with other players. And so we really want to tap into that as well because it's not easy to find unique ways of telling the player stories and finding ways to resonate with fans. And then the last piece is just news. Right. We're always looking to share the latest and greatest, whether it's, hey, fans, tickets are on sale, or here's the latest theme game that we're working on. And so we want to use it as a vehicle to share the latest and greatest from the Chicago.
- [09:19]
Michelle Thames
Oh, and you've done an amazing job. I love the theme nights. Last year, we went to the Barbie night. I mean, it was all pink, y'all. It was all pink. It was amazing. You really got the experience. So, like you said, I think you all have done amazing with the social media. I can definitely see a change. I don't know if y'all have been watching, but it used to be like, blah, right? And now it is really engaging. It is really like, I feel like I'm there. Right. And you said storytelling, which is super important. And I want to talk about the number one thing. I know that the Chicago sky has super passionate fans. And how does the team's marketing approach tap into that energy and build a real community? Because when I say I talk about on this podcast, how community is so important. Right. And so how do you build a real community around the brand?
- [10:05]
Tonya
Yeah. So, first of all, it's really important that we have discipline in our marketing approach. And you mentioned that I worked at Pepsi and I actually worked at Kraft. And so I'm very proud of the fact that I learned sort of the marketing fundamentals beyond just social media. But really, how to think about you're driving revenue. What are your marketing objectives around driving awareness, you know, increasing fan consideration and loyalty and engagement? And so we start there and having very specific marketing objectives. And then we move into, okay, what are the specific strategies that are going to help build community? And you mentioned some of those theme games. Like, I think it's really important for us. We're doing, I think, 15 or 16 theme games this year, which I don't want to say it's the most than wnba, but I think we're up there, and it's really important because we can do everything from the Barbie game, as you mentioned, to mental health to gaming to hoops for troops. So we. We try and find themes that resonate with our community, and I think that taps into new audiences. You know, the wnba, of course, is first and foremost about basketball, but it's also about music and culture and art and community. And it's really important to us that we give back to that community and that we find themes and, you know, relevant opportunities. We have Nike Basketball camps as an example for young girls. We do a lot in the community. We have a Beyond Basketball boot camp where we're support small businesses and we give them an opportunity to win a grant and showcase their small businesses, and then we try and showcase their work through our social media even. And so, again, we are here to empower women and also to serve our community. And so that hopefully comes through in everything we do from a marketing standpoint.
- [11:39]
Michelle Thames
Yes. And how could I forget to tell you that me and Randy were actually a part of the beyond basketball program? I believe it was 2022. And so we. We pitched our business and we actually did get a grant. We didn't win it big. It's okay. It's okay. But we did get amazing opportunity. And that, I would just say, was a really amazing thing. Right. To be supported by your city. We got to go up on stage. I got to meet other business owners. And so thank you to the Chicago Sky. I don't know if I've ever thanked the Chicago Sky. I know you weren't there at the time, but thank you, Tonya, for that.
- [12:13]
Tonya
Yeah, no, I love that. And I love that you've been so passionate all the way through and sort of exploring the different avenues, whether it's with Riley or in the past with Beyond Basketball. Like, that's what we're here to do. Connect with our fans and connect with our community. And you're a real life example of how that's coming to life. So I love that. And the only other thing I want to say is we're actually working on a new ad campaign, and I won't reveal too much yet, but it's all around connecting with the city of Chicago because we talked about player storytelling, but we also want to make sure that we're connecting with the city of Chicago because you know the city well. It's all about authenticity and the grind. We actually call this concept Glory to the Grind, where we're sort of this fighting city where everyone works hard. We also come together as a community and we have fun and we trust each other and we work together as a team. And so we're going to bring a lot of that language to life and hopefully showcase the neighborhoods and Chicago in a new way. While we also focus on basketball in the Chicago Sky.
- [13:08]
Michelle Thames
Ooh, I cannot wait to see this. You all make Stay tuned. Stay tuned. Yes. So let's talking about marketing in the sports. Right. It's a whole different ball game than selling a product. Okay. You may be listening, and you may have A product or there are a lot of listeners here who also work in different marketing industries. So what are some of the biggest challenges in sports marketing that people may not even realize?
- [13:32]
Tonya
Yes. So, number one, coming from two companies that are multibillion dollar companies with gigantic budgets, it was definitely a little bit of a shock on, you know, it's sports and you don't have those big marketing budgets partially because it's a small market. So you're not marketing to the entire country. So think of it as just sort of one city versus the nation. But we have to be scrappy and creative with our marketing budgets and that, you know, we talk a lot about social media, but as we continue to increase our following, it means that our marketing's that much more efficient because we can use our primary channel and we don't have to pay for that channel to push out the news and activities and contests and fun engagement and storytelling, you know, without having to buy media. You know, we also do buy media as well so that we can reach new fans and, you know, increase our relevance with fans that maybe aren't currently following us. But that was one surprise to me, maybe that we didn't have. I didn't think we were going to have multimillion dollar budgets, but I think it's a little more challenging to kind of be efficient with the dollars. Number two, our season's very compressed, so we only have sort of that May to September, October time frame. A lot of the season the players are on the road traveling to road games. And so when we talk about player storytelling and how important that is, it's really hard to schedule all the times when we need them to be part of our content. Whether we're shooting a. Or we want to do a storytelling feature, the scheduling is very challenging. They practice. We have to find days that maybe they also get off days where they don't want to do anything and just want to rest. And so planning in that short period of time while also respecting their basketball routine is very challenging because, you know, at a big company like PepsiCo, for example, we would plan one to three years out and there was no barrier to getting the content that we needed. So here we just have to be very strategic and more disciplined in how we do planning from a marketing standpoint.
- [15:25]
Michelle Thames
Those are some good gems. I hope, I hope you all are taking notes because Tanya's dropping some really good gems. Okay. And yes, you all have a really short time frame to plan things and so that, you know. Yeah, we usually in most companies. Right. You plan it One, two, three years out. And, like, that's the plan. But I love how you shared that and how you all are very strategic, which is important. And so that is amazing. I want to talk about how women's sports is not just about the games. Right. It's more than that. And I've seen that the Chicago sky has been, you know, just empowering women and representation and breaking barriers. How does Chicago Sky's marketing reflect the bigger mission of what you all are doing?
- [16:06]
Tonya
Yeah, so I talked about how important community is, but I think so. And I mentioned the theme games. Let's take even the Barbie game as an example. So I know a lot of fans thought we designed that specifically for Angel Reese, who has deemed herself the Barbie. But we actually started that planning process the year before when we didn't even know angel was gonna be on the team. And the reason we did that is because Barbie, as an example, stands for women's empowerment and is an iconic brand that really could help us spread our message of women's empowerment. So I think we do a lot of things. One can we find partners that help us amplify that message, whether it's our corporate partners or, you know, an entertainment brand like a Barbie. That's really important. The theme games, as I mentioned, so we do everything from mental health. So we are actually on year three of a mental health campaign, we call it the Net, which is a network of mental health support in sports. This last season, we focused on combating cyberbullying. So we know, you know, there are a lot of great things about social media. We also know there's a lot of negativity on social media. And so we wanted to help use the players to spread a message of positivity and hopefully cut down on some of the online negativity that maybe impacts not only the players, but also fans who maybe want to comment, but then they get turned off by some of the negativity. And so that's been a real focus for us. And I know it's a focus for the WNBA as well to come up with some anti hate messaging. And so we also look for community members that can help us. And I know there are quite a few out there that have those positive messages in the community. And so how do we find those partners who can be spokespeople for us and also help the sky to get out in the community and spread that message? So just one example, but I think, you know, across the board, we're always looking to get out in the community. I mentioned the Nike Basketball camp. So for all the young girls out there, they can join. Avi Story, who's our executive director of community, he also played in the NBA and he runs these camps in partnership with Nike. And so it's a huge opportunity for young girls to get the skills they need. And there's even extra training, whether it's mental health or just how to be a better leader. In addition to basketball training, and we also work with the Sky Basketball Academy, which is affiliated with the Chicago Sky. And that is not only basketball training, but also leadership and sportsmanship. And so there are a lot of different avenues where we're trying to help grow young girls and give them new opportunities to develop and be part of the Chicago sky franchise.
- [18:27]
Michelle Thames
You all are doing amazing, and I am all about women's and girls empowerment. So I will continue to support everything that you all are doing. This is amazing. I hope that you all listening, you know how I feel about women empowerment. And we need to support the wnba. Okay. And that's what I want to talk about. Now. Brands are starting to invest more in women's sports because it has been very little, and now they are starting to. And I feel we have such a long way to go. But what is your message right here today to companies that are not putting their dollars behind women's sports yet?
- [19:01]
Tonya
Sure. First, I want to say a huge thank you to all of our existing sponsors. And there are some of them, like Magellan, University of Chicago Medicine, that have been with us from the beginning, before it was cool and popular to invest in women's sports. And so you have to thank those partners that really got us off the ground. But what I would say is, to the new partners, it's not too late and get in now, because I think it's still really affordable to have a partnership with the Chicago sky where you get access not only to this very diverse fan base. Our fans are, number one, very tech savvy, because in the past, they had to be to find the WNBA games, especially when they were streaming and finding them online. And number two, they're extremely loyal to brands, so they're recognize when companies and brands are coming in to support and invest in women's sports. And so then they feel very positively towards those brands. And so, you know, I came from Pepsi, where everything is about ROI and you don't want to do anything unless you're seeing the return on the ad spend or the marketing spend. There really is that return now. So this is no longer just sort of charity of like, oh, I better give Some money to the women. This is actually a good business investment and you're going to see a return on your dollars because it's an affordable sponsorship. We work very closely with our corporate clients to make sure we're hitting their brand objectives. So it's not just as much as everyone wants a logo on a jersey. It's much more than that. It's how do we come together to do some of the player storytelling that we talked about in a way that also benefits those brands? How do we invest in the community? How do we figure out what our partners care about in the community and align with them? And so we spend a lot of time really crafting a proposal that works for our partners and each one is customized and different to meet their needs. And so. So I would say, if you're not already with us, please, we love our partners. We would love more. And there's a chance to get in now while the packages are still affordable. And also, a lot of our brands want exclusivity in the categories. And so you don't want to wait too long before some of those categories are locked up, especially like in the beauty and sports drink spaces. You want to get in now while you can and then establish those long term relationships with us.
- [21:03]
Michelle Thames
Oh, that was so good. And I know there are brands listening, so get in now.
- [21:08]
Tonya
I hope so. Yes. The more the merrier. We love to expand our Chicago sky family.
- [21:14]
Michelle Thames
Yes, absolutely. This has been. Oh, these. This has been so good, you all. I am so excited to be talking to Tanya, who is a marketing guru. So I hope you are taking some notes and let's talk about small businesses. Okay? If a brand or small business wanted to take a page from the Chicago Skies marketing playbook, which has been on fire, you, I'm telling you, it has been phenomenal. What is the one thing that they should start doing right now?
- [21:42]
Tonya
Yes. So I think the one thing is really, you need to be disciplined. Right. You need to understand your fan base or your consumer base. And you need to create strategies, you know, both short term and long term that will allow you to deliver on your business objectives. So I think a lot of brands sometimes are like, let me just do a social media post or let me just issue a newsletter or let me just do a contest. And if you're sort of all over the place, you're not really hitting your objectives. So number one, you really want to be strategic in how you create, you know, your, your plans. And then execution is really important too. So you can have the best strategy in the world. But if you can't execute against that, you're really not going to achieve your objective. So I think those are the two things I would recommend, like plan, understand who your audience is, create those strategies that are going to resonate with those fans, and then execute against it and find partners. Because you mentioned small brands, find partners who can help you afford some of these marketing initiatives. We actually did a really small promotion with a juice company, Frogtown Juice, out in Evanston. They're usually at farmer's markets. We did a simple social media post with them where it was, you know, follow the sky, follow Frogtown Juice. We had a whole prize package for fans with this that involved juice and. As well as sky tickets and so on and so forth. So there are easy little things you can do on social media that also don't cost a lot of money as long as. Again, again, back to those strategies. They align with your overall vision and objective. And strategies.
- [23:07]
Michelle Thames
Ooh, that was so good. Those type of partnerships are always too. Some of the best partnerships.
- [23:13]
Tonya
Absolutely. Yes, yes. So you just need to get creative and find your community. Most brands and community members are willing to help and you can just really amplify and stretch your dollars that way.
- [23:23]
Michelle Thames
Absolutely. Tonya, this was such an amazing conversation and I know that so many people listening are pumped. They are ready to support women's sports, but also to think differently about how they're marketing their own brands. Before we go, we want to know, where can we connect with you? We want to follow the Chicago sky and stay plugged in on everything that they have going on, y'all. I am a Chicago through and through person. Okay. I'm going to support my Chicago sky this year and beyond. Want to know where we can stay plugged about everything happening with the team?
- [23:55]
Tonya
Absolutely. So if you are not already following us on social media, please do. You literally can find the Chicago sky on every platform, whether it's TikTok, Instagram. I'm not sure we're on Blue sky yet, but I think we will be soon. LinkedIn, that's another good place, especially for all of your small business listeners. We put a lot of content on LinkedIn and we also put some of our community events on LinkedIn. We issue email newsletters generally on a bi weekly basis. So we have about 250,000 in our database. So I would encourage everyone to just go to our website and you can sign up for our newsletter, get all the latest content. So that's another way. And come to a game, as you said, because that's I think, where you're going to see the magic happen. And for the most part, we've heard when anyone attends a game, they kind of fall in love with the sky in the WNBA and they definitely come back. So even if you have some maybe misperceptions about the team or the wnba, just give us a shot. Come enjoy it, follow us and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
- [24:54]
Michelle Thames
Oh, you will be pleasantly surprised, y'all. If you love this episode, make sure that you take a screenshot, share it in your stories, and make sure to tag me ichellellthames and the social media decoded pod and let us know what was your one takeaway today from this episode? Cause it was good. A lot of gems are dropped. You know, go back and listen, take your notes and implement. Okay? Because you don't implement, nothing will happen. Right? So thank you so much Tonya for coming on today. I really appreciate you. I will be at the game. I hope to see you all at a game too, and I will talk to you all in the next one. Peace.
- [25:30]
Tonya
Thank you so much, Michelle. Really appreciate all your support.
- [25:33]
Michelle Thames
Thank you. All right, that's a wrap on today's episode. I hope you got some valuable insights and real strategies you can apply to your business right now. If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love for you to do two quick things. First, take a screenshot, share it on Instagram and tag me ichellthame so we can keep the conversation going. Second, if you found value in this podcast, it would mean the world to me if you left a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your support helps this show reach more entrepreneurs just like you. Oh, and if you want to support the show and fuel my Matcha obsession, you can always, always buy me a coffee at the link in the show notes. Thank you for tuning in. Until next time. Keep showing up, keep growing and I'll talk to y'all in the next one.
- [26:26]
Tonya
Peace.
- [26:33]
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