Women marathon runners: Milk wants to sponsor you

As a Freelance Creative Director, I was tapped to unlock the strategy and creative campaign direction for MilkPEP’s ambition to 1) shift consideration of milk from a breakfast staple to a performance drink; and 2) focus on supporting women and girls in sport. As a female athlete myself, I know all too well the severe lack of resources out there for us, from media coverage to sponsorship deals. BTW, Did you know only 5% of all sports coverage features female athletes?! And only 7% of the $30 billion spent globally on sport sponsorships is directed towards women?!?!

So the obvious answer was to turn Milk’s pledge of supporting female athletes into meaningful action—and sponsor every female athlete of the New York Marathon. A city-wide OOH call-to-action invited female runners to sign up for #TeamMilk and get the pro athlete treatment—from pre-race expert advice to social media/OOH media coverage to raceday swag and post-race recovery.

The great minds and hearts at GALE agency executed the campaign, which took over billboards and 3D OOH across NYC and Times Square. Social media stories highlighted the incredible everyday female runners, and MilkPEP went on to feature only female athletes in their marketing in the year ahead. What’s more, MilkPEP doubled down on their commitment by matching every #TeamMilk member’s registration fee with a donation to Girls on the Run—an organization dedicated to empowering young girls through running—to raise up to $600,000.

Jessica StacyComment