Winner
Andrea Brimmer
Chief Marketing and PR Officer, Ally Financial
How This CMO Is Bringing Big Dollars and More Viewers to Women’s Sports
In 2022, National Women’s Soccer League sponsor Ally pledged to put an equal amount of advertising dollars behind men’s and women’s sports within five years. The financial services firm is already expected to reach that milestone by the end of 2024 — and Andrea Brimmer is a big reason why. The CMO and PR chief at Ally, Brimmer was also the marketer behind record-breaking viewership for women’s soccer. While renewing Ally’s sponsorship deal with the NWSL, Brimmer made a deal with CBS, the broadcaster of the women’s league championship game: Ally would increase its ad spend on the condition that the network air the championship during prime time for the first time. When the Portland Thorns took home the title in October 2022, some 915,000 people tuned in. It was a record-breaking 71% increase from 2021. The company is committed to bringing others on board, too: Ahead of this year’s Super Bowl, it helped bring together a group of more than 100 CMOs, media execs, and sports leaders to talk about investing in women’s sports.
By Cristina Cala
