Posted on November 14, 2024 by Juanita Chavarro Arias

Photo credit: Slaven Vlasic, Getty Images for E.W. Scripps Company

ION, a TV network known for its crime and justice procedural programming, recently underwent a rebrand, that not only updated its color palette and key art, but also added a slate of women’s sports. What started with broadcasting WNBA games has grown to include the NWSL, accessible to fans without a paywall. To reintroduce ION as a robust entertainment network and continue building its community of sports fans, the brand staged a multipronged campaign that kicked off at Advertising Week New York last month with a panel that featured WNBA legend Sue Bird and executives from the WNBA and NWSL, as well as OOH that promoted its women’s sports programming.

Continuing the momentum, ION popped up in Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall in New York City on Oct. 24 with a Fan ConnectION activation made up of four different vignettes. Highlighting the WNBA, a photo op gave attendees the chance to step in front of a hardwood basketball court backdrop and position their hands under rotating basketballs anchored to the wall to create that iconic spinning-basketball-on-the-finger pose. Attendees could also test their basketball knowledge with trivia games and take photos with life-size images of WNBA stars Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.

“It’s been an amazing year for women’s sports, and I wish I could say the timing was completely planned, but we went from the NCAA Women’s Final Four with record-breaking ratings that led into the WNBA draft and then into this incredible season. And so at every single touchpoint, we were able to take advantage of it,” she says. “We did earlier in the year with a big event for our upfront, and we realized that we hit our trades and our clients, but we really needed to reach our fans… Having Sue and Megan tied into our campaign of ‘Watch greatness every day’; they’re doing amazing things and breaking boundaries, and that’s the message we wanted to send with this activation.” Agency: Civic.

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