Beauty brands continue to capitalize on IRL activations in the sports space

The GIST: The WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries are hitting the runway tomorrow for an inaugural fashion show presented by Sephora. A celebration of basketball, fashion, and beauty, this is just Sephora’s latest foray into the sports arena — a place the brand is thriving in.

• For beauty companies, capitalizing on the women's sports space isn’t just culturally resonant, it’s smart business. By connecting beauty with athleticism to target a progressive audience, brands can create authentic experiences that translate into business value. A thing of beauty.

The details: Building off their partnership announced in April, the fashion show will take place on a custom Sephora-branded runway in the Valkyries’ Chase Center arena and feature 15 curated pieces, including two designed by Valkyries guard Tiffany Hayes. Fans will also see exclusive, fashion-related content across the team’s socials throughout the week.

The trend: Advertising in sports has traditionally included logos on jerseys and commercials with star athletes, but beauty brands have taken an additional approach: IRL activations that purposefully target women fans — a notoriously underserved fandom, despite an estimated 72% of women globally identifying as avid sports fans — with the goal of getting products into consumers’ hands.

• And data shows this type of try-before-you-buy advertising works: 70% of consumers become repeat customers after experiencing a brand in person, while receiving a product sample could increase purchase probability by up to 300%.

Zooming out: In a world where athletes like rugby icon Ilona Maher are advocating for a multidimensional version of empowered feminism, one where beauty belongs in sports, activating within the space using an experiential approach to brand marketing makes sense. It’s part of a long overdue correction to what sports and women who love sports look like.

• And that means rethinking the traditional definition of brand fit: Beauty companies like Sephora and E.l.f. Cosmetics continue to find success in sports — in women’s pro leagues like the WNBA and PWHL but also in historically male-dominated spaces the NFL and NASCAR. Told ’em so.