Rolex’s tennis sponsorship offers blueprint for brands looking to gain ground in women’s sports

The GIST: On Sunday, Front Office Sports detailed how luxury watchmaker Rolex has been putting on a decades-long clinic on how to win over tennis fans and become synonymous with the sport. Rolex offers key insights into how brands new to sports (and new brands, period) can capitalize as early adopters in women’s sports. Acing it.

The context: In addition to sponsoring all four Grand Slams and several leading athletes, Rolex doubled down on women’s tennis last year with an expansive WTA partnership. The company is the official timekeeper and timepiece of the tour, supports the WTA Finals, and is collaborating on co-branded social media content at a time when WTA engagement is rising.

The strategy: The Swiss watchmaker has worked to associate its brand with heroism and excellence while catering to a wealthy fanbase. This has included a presence in golf, yachting, equestrian and motorsports — although its famous F1 partnership dissolved once Tag Heuer entered the chat earlier this year.

• Rolex has noted that individual sports like tennis allow a sponsored athlete to stand out more compared to team sports, something that other brands have picked up on as well — women tennis players tend to be top brand ambassadors.

The results: Because of its association with elite athletes, Rolex has cornered 32% of the Swiss watch market, yet there’s still more ground to cover on the women’s side. In 2023, the brand observed 9x higher engagement from women’s sports fans, and by 2024, Rolex was the only jewelry brand with double-digit sponsorships across five major pro women’s sports leagues.

Zooming out: While sponsorship interest is heating up across women’s sports, there are still opportunities for new brands to become the next Rolex. Retail bank Ally is a great example: It came onto the scene amid an established banking industry and has notched increased brand likability, consumer trust, and brand recognition largely driven by its commitment to women’s sports.

• This isn’t just a takeaway for brands new to sports, but also for brand new companies looking to gain ground among an ideal consumer base, like OPill in the WNBA and Unwell in the NWSL. Lookin’ thirsty.