Saturday Scroll: A love letter to athlete moms

Let’s be clear: Advertisers do portray mothers across advertising, more so than women without children. But the standard portrayal features mothers as caretakers engrossed in domestic tasks and has changed little since the 1950s.

• Today’s moms want advertisements to reflect a more dynamic reality. According to 2023 Mintel research, almost 90% of U.S. moms wish more brands would see that being a mom isn’t their only defining aspect.

This continued gap between the reality of motherhood and the idealized way moms are often portrayed in ads has contributed to the growing “momfluencer” trend — and athlete moms sit at the intersection of these two marketing forces. We already know that women athletes make elite influencers who tend to be more persuasive than other influencers and their male counterparts.

• Combine that power with the dynamism of an athlete who’s also pursuing parenthood, and you have a potent messenger for moms craving more realistic representation.

Athlete mothers are “both inspirational and highly relatable, reflecting the reality of how much today’s women manage across their personal and professional lives,” said Casner. “The discipline, focus, and resilience developed through elite sport naturally extend into who they are beyond competition, allowing them to integrate brands into their daily lives in a way that feels authentic and credible.”

• “Additionally, brands may be looking to…demonstrate a genuine commitment to inclusivity by ensuring that mothers are thoughtfully represented within their brand narrative.”

When athlete mothers are candid about the joys and challenges of motherhood, they’re often celebrated for it. Making parenthood a central part of their public image, alongside their commitment to elite athletics, helps them become optimal brand ambassadors.

Take Italian speed skater Francesca Lollobrigida, who won her second gold medal of the Milano Cortina Games this week. Her first win went viral thanks to an adorable celebration with her son (and his eager interruptions during her post-race press conference, which many moms can relate to), but she had been integrating motherhood into the story of her athletic journey long before that.

• In the lead-up to the Games, Lollobrigida partnered with Procter & Gamble’s Athletes For Good program to help people with disabilities experience the joy of skating. “In sport, as in life, there are always barriers,” she said in a promo video. “For me, it was about finding balance between motherhood and competing.”

• After winning her first gold, she again demonstrated that irreplaceable mix of relatability and inspiration, saying, “I didn’t choose between skating and being a mom...Milano Cortina for me was to show people you can be a mom and come back stronger.”

Other examples of Olympians centering their identity as moms and making a winning branding play? Team USA track & field legend Allyson Felix called out Nike for failing to offer maternity protections, prompting her to launch lifestyle brand Saysh and women-focused management firm Always Alpha. She also championed the first-ever Olympic Village nursery at Paris 2024.

• Tennis icon Naomi Osaka welcomed brands into her pregnancy and motherhood journey, partnering with formula brand Bobbie to advocate for nationalized maternity leave.

• Plus, other famous athlete moms like retired tennis great Serena Williams, retired soccer star Alex Morgan, and hooper Napheesa Collier have offered authentic glimpses into their multifaceted lives through brand campaigns. Been here for years.

These types of partnerships speak to women consumers (parents and otherwise) on multiple levels, but there are many benefits to brands outside of authenticity boosts. Working with mothers isn't just a convincing marketing play — it gives brands an opportunity to do the right thing by supporting maternal and family-friendly causes, winning some brand glow with moms and those who love them.

The aforementioned formula brand Bobbie is a prime example. Their campaign with Osaka portrayed her post-childbirth return to tennis as an integration of motherhood with ambition, while also working with her to advocate for paid parental leave via grants for parents.

• The brand invested heavily in the partnership, taking out a full-page ad in the New York Times and running its first major TV spot on ESPN in the network’s first infant formula commercial.

• The award-winning campaign achieved tangible results, including over 13.5M social media views, over 12K signatures for a paid leave petition, and 19 pieces of earned press coverage totaling 260M unique monthly visitors.

Casner heralded M&T Bank for intentionally including an athlete mom, Lois Cook, on their inaugural athlete roster. When fellow M&T athlete Noelle Lambert recently announced her pregnancy, the brand expressed “overwhelming support and excitement.”

Another Parity athlete Casner works with experienced similar reassurance despite concerns her pregnancy would negatively impact her partnership. Instead, the brand was “even more enthusiastic about supporting her during this chapter,” seeing it as a chance to spotlight “her evolving journey and their broader audience and mission.”

Whether amplifying an athlete’s parenthood journey, having women athletes support maternal brands, or simply integrating an athlete mom’s whole story into a general ad campaign unrelated to motherhood, there are endless ways brands can include moms in the conversation in dynamic ways. Cue the meet cute.