WNBA, NY Liberty launch campaigns to celebrate 30-year anniversary

The GIST: On Tuesday, the WNBA launched its campaign to celebrate its 30th season. The initiatives play into the nostalgia love among W fans, and we chatted with WNBA business growth AVP Keri Lenker last week about the league’s plans, the data that informed the campaign, and why brands are jumping on the bandwagon. All aboard.

The details: The campaign, which marks the league’s first retro-themed programming, will celebrate the W’s 30-year history with storytelling through media, experiences, and merchandise. This includes WNBA Court Origins Nights, where the league will nationally televise games involving the three remaining original franchises.

• And in the Legacy Trail merchandise program, a new licensee collaboration will be unveiled on the 30th of every month, with collections planned until November — but Lenker said interested brands can still reach out, especially since the Court Origins program will be evergreen. “We would love to bring new brands into the fold as we tell those nostalgia stories.”

• Individual teams are also recognizing the opportunity here, like the NY Liberty, one of the OG franchises that launched a similar retrospective. The Liberty’s campaign includes a throwback-inspired logo and a campaign spot with dedicated merch to come. Can’t wait.

The opportunity: Lenker highlighted that the league has rolled out retro items before, but a desire for more dedicated nostalgic callbacks inspired this program. With the league’s explosive growth in recent years, the 30-year mark was the perfect time to look back.

• Lenker added that knowing how engaged W fans are around merch drove this campaign. “It’s really a part of their everyday lifestyle,” she said. “So when we think about the product categories, we’re really mindful [to] introduce new products that can really round out that fan’s lifestyle” by incorporating their fave team, player, or the league itself into their daily life.

Looking ahead: While the full roster of involved brands will come month-by-month, we do know the first three activating: Wine brand La Crema, apparel giant Nike, and nostalgic clothing brand Mitchell & Ness.

• As we’ve seen with the Houston Comets, the Seattle Supersonics, and other vintage-era basketball teams, there’s a real thirst for nostalgia, especially among fans that feel they’ve been overlooked. Here for it.