Azzi Fudd details why CashApp’s investment in her brand has long-term benefits

The GIST: Dallas Wings star Azzi Fudd spoke with The GIST last week about her recent community court activation brought to life by CashApp. Last Tuesday, the payment app hosted a community basketball clinic and donated $35K to a local nonprofit that provides sports equipment and programming for young girls.

• CashApp previously activated with Fudd during her UConn days and recently backed a Dallas mural in her honor, but this is one of its biggest investments in her to date. She told us why this partnership is “super special,” and it comes back to this buzzword we’ve heard from Flau’jae Johnson and Cameron Brink: intentional. Let’s dive in.

💸 Know your audience. There are multiple applications with the same premise as CashApp, including Venmo, which launched four years earlier. Paypal is actually the most widely-used platform overall, but CashApp is more popular among Black Americans and its biggest share of users are people aged 18 to 29 (39%), followed by those aged 30 to 49 (35%).

• Considering that Gen Z hardly uses cash anymore, this is a rising demographic that CashApp can reach. Partnering with popular, cool athletes like Fudd — who says she genuinely uses CashApp the most — can win over these potential young users.

🤝 Know your athlete partner, too. Fudd cherishes being able to give back to the community by supporting local kids in need, something she remembers her family doing for her teammates. Letting Fudd design the activation also gave her creative control over how her brand is represented. And when athletes are happy, fans take notice.

• Since she’s touched down in Dallas, Fudd hasn’t had much time to interact with the community and chat with fans. This activation allowed her to more deeply connect with the local fanbase. “This being with CashApp, and then my first time really being out in the community, it made it even more special,” Fudd added.

💫 Embrace the whimsy. Everyone loves free money, but CashApp went the extra mile to make people smile. Fudd loved how they sent out “fairy godmothers” to surprise people with a little magic at UConn a few months ago. “Whoever thought of that needs a raise,” Fudd said, noting this was “a great example of what happens when brands invest in people and not just moments.”

• That matters to Fudd, who says as she’s gotten older, she’s been able to be “more intentional” about her partnerships. Gone are the days of one-time social media collabs — now it’s all about partners investing in the journey. Well worth it.