Uni4m Case Study: Promoting Women in Sport

By Joel Nekooie

There is no doubt that the number of women in sports is growing rapidly worldwide, particularly in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). This makes equal opportunity one of the key areas to focus on for sports organisations, like our long-time client, the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF).  

With the industry expanding at the same time, the inclusion of women in MMA is crucial to the development of the sport. Recent achievements from female competitors across the globe have helped underline the importance of this movement and why we needed to get involved. 

After raising the question of how we can effectively market women in a male-dominated industry, we began to devise a content plan which would integrate higher levels of female representation and draw greater interest into this side of the sport. 

Promoting sport doesn’t mean promoting the sport only; it is equally important that we promote values and themes that capture the sports sphere like safety, equality, and unity. 

So, with all of that in mind… we got to work! 

The Objective 

The Board of Directors expressed to us their strong wishes to promote women ahead of the IMMAF World Championships, the biggest Amateur MMA event of the year. 

The main objective leading up to the event was to uplift and empower female athletes, to encourage more female entries. We also wanted to send the underlying message to those aspiring that their talent would be widely recognised, thus promoting equal opportunity.

IMMAF / Michelle Montague

The Plan

So, what exactly was Uni4m’s role in pushing these campaigns? We began by hatching a bulletproof plan to deliver messages to women in sport, and in turn, established that the most effective method of doing so would be through a micro social media campaign. 

A micro social media campaign is quite different to a large-scale digital campaign. A larger campaign requires a richer, intricate strategy which focuses on hitting specific KPIs and marketing goals; a small campaign tends to concentrate on the awareness and engagement portion to achieve a clear-cut goal. 

We decided that the starting point would be delivering a higher frequency of female-specific content and building stories around selected athletes, to create a spark. Such posts were the foundation for an impactful social campaign which would soon inspire women around the world. 

Following this, we determined that the best way to meet our objectives was to produce a series of poster-style graphic assets to embody a bright future for those getting involved. This would use a concept that was completely fresh and would comprise eccentric, ‘funky’ elements to really stand out.

The Execution

When we promise to deliver, we deliver. 

Asset breakdown 

Heavily influenced by colourful tropicalism, a returning art and graphic design trend which relies on colour vibrancy and ‘groovier’ components, our captivating collection of assets took a country-based approach due to the significance of IMMAF’s national federations around the World Championships. The athletes hailed from many different countries around the world, most who viewed IMMAF events as a chance to really celebrate their origins — in the same way as the FIFA World Cup. Hence, flag colours were incorporated into each design to emotionally connect with audiences who could feel at home in IMMAF and embrace their culture.

Part of the reason we chose this style was to ensure our assets would be visually appealing to the younger demographic — the athletes who have the most room for growth and development. It was also chosen to parallel current design circles and up the content relevancy. 

Keep scrolling for a closer look! 

The inclusion of vibrant colours and quirky elements captured the spirit of our campaign and presented the women as strong and unique. If you look closely, our posters tend to include unique features for the individual, usually linked to their country of origin.

For example, this asset created for the USA weaves stars around the athlete to match with the nation’s famous flag.

To reiterate: bold and vibrant colours and elements grasp attention. This encourages engagement including shares that can go a long way.

Towards the end of the campaign, we included call-to-actions (CTAs) on the design itself for a final push. Directing it to ‘you’ gave the assets a personal touch to connect more deeply with the viewer. 

Influencers 

The campaign focused on women both past and present, where figures like the undefeated star, Sabrina De Sousa, featured. De Sousa swept the world of Amateur MMA with her incredible skill and, at the time, was on track to become the first three-time female World Champion in IMMAF’s history (she successfully achieved this).

IMMAF / Sabrina De Sousa

Another big name is Nina Nikolija Milosevic, who amassed the highest number of wins in the female category in 2022. After officially switching her national representation to the hosts Serbia, we aimed to build further thrilling content around the champion when our team head to Belgrade.

IMMAF / Nina Nikolija Milosevic

If you checked out our posters, you might recognise a few faces from the professional leagues. The use of top alumni as key inspiration, UFC’s Manon Fiorot for instance, helped us sow the seeds of a successful campaign. In many cases, popular figures show a willingness to cooperate and share assets that include them, which means they act as influencers in this way. Influencer marketing can be incredibly beneficial as it ties in with brand authenticity.

IMMAF / Manon Fiorot

The Outcome

Our miniature campaign saw a strong response from various demographic profiles, with a jump in female interactions. The integration of striking graphics combined with inspirational tales triggered points of discussion and directed praise to the female faces included. 

Statistically, the number of registrants for this year’s World Championships were record-breaking with a total of 462, with the female athletes making up a quarter. Rosters from 57 different countries were stacked with new talent and the Uni4m team is delighted to have provided full coverage of the event. 

In terms of social, our reach was up by 60% with approx. 504,296; our external link taps on Instagram were up by approx. 50% compared to our previous promotional period. In other words, we saw a surge in numbers and website click-throughs. Instagram was our top platform throughout the campaign period with approx. 1.3M impressions. 

Overall, our project explored creativity to the highest degree to deliver satisfactory numbers, and this was only the beginning. Mission accomplished! 

Need help boosting your presence online? Get in touch with us at info@uni4mbrand.com