Here’s Why Women's Sports Belong At The Center Of Your Marketing Strategy
When brands invest in women's sports as part of their core marketing strategy—not as a trendy add-on—they unlock incredible business potential. Kamal Bhandal, SVP of Global Brand, Consumer and Americas Marketing for the Invisalign brand, has pioneered this approach, positioning the brand's women's sports partnerships as integral to their success rather than as peripheral initiatives.
Under Bhandal's leadership, Invisalign has built meaningful connections with athletes ranging from Olympic gold medalists to high school competitors, all centered around authentic confidence journeys that resonate with their target audience. These partnerships showcase how people choose and trust Invisalign to shape their smiles, with athletes sharing inspirational stories of how their confidence blossomed throughout their treatment journey.
Overlooking Her Influence
Many brands still view women's sports investments as charitable initiatives rather than strategic business decisions, creating a significant missed opportunity.
Bhandal recognized that Invisalign was perfectly positioned to enter the women's sports space and use it as a core part of their marketing strategy. Invisalign tackles confidence issues which are inherent in women's sports, creating an organic and natural fit.
"Teenagers specifically are also choosing Invisalign for their smiles, including so many teen athletes," Bhandal notes. "The link to elevating confidence is more urgent than ever given the broader confidence crisis that is going on."
This positioning allows Invisalign to connect authentically with consumers where they're already engaged. "Women are leaning into watching women's sports,” Bhandal says, citing an undeniable trend in women participation in sports. “She's playing the sport. She's filming the sport, posting about it, talking about it. The numbers speak for themselves."
By failing to recognize women's sports as a core channel, brands miss the chance to engage authentically with their target audience in spaces they're already passionate about—particularly during pivotal confidence-building moments in their lives.
Introducing The Confidence Cycle
Rather than relying on traditional "logo slaps"—simple brand awareness plays without deeper connections—Bhandal’s strategic approach provides a blueprint for brands looking to integrate women's sports effectively into their marketing efforts.
"Gone are the days when brands could expect consumers to come to them directly. We have to go to them, talk to them on their terms, co-create the story with them and figure out how we earn the right to be a part of their lives," says Bhandal.
This methodology, consists of five key elements that move beyond surface-level sponsorships to create meaningful business impact:
Find Your Natural Champions: Identify athletes already connected to your brand. "We've always partnered with athletes who have used our product," she adds. "Athletes, male and female, were using our product and loving the experience." This authentic connection forms the foundation for credible partnerships.
Tell Real Stories: Showcase authentic journeys that resonate with your audience. "We want to tell her story, who she is on and off the field, on and off the court, in and out of the pool," Bhandal explains. These stories focus on how people choose and trust Invisalign to shape their smiles, with athletes sharing inspirational narratives of how their confidence blossomed throughout their treatment journey. This kind of storytelling creates emotional connections that standard advertising cannot match.
Create Community Moments: Develop experiences that bring athletes and customers together. The marketing SVP says her team at Invisalign always want to ensure that anything they do has a community-centered component — whether that’s activations within the community, social for content capture, or media footage for earned media as well.
Measure What Matters: Track consideration and emotional connection, not just visibility. "We are very, very focused on those quantifiable metrics," Bhandal affirms. "What's driving engagement? Conversely, what is not driving engagement? We then learn from that."
Evolve with Your Audience: Let customer feedback guide your next partnerships. "Our community will tell us... ‘when is Invisalign going to work with person xyz?’And once you hear that over and over again, you realize your community is telling you where to go."
Breaking Down Walls
Implementing The Confidence Cycle requires organizational transformation, starting with how teams are structured and operate.
"A lot of teams are structured vertically,” Bhandal adds. “You've got a digital team, a social team. And really for us, what we think about is the person we're trying to reach. We think horizontally, not vertically."
This horizontal structure allows teams to consider the complete customer experience rather than focusing on individual channels. She also notes that “it allows each person to think about: Is this content going to be impactful in social? How am I going to capture this content in real time?"
The transformation extends to how partnerships are approached—seeking co-creation rather than transaction. "We look for partners who are willing to co-create that storytelling and bespoke partnership with us because we're not looking for just brand awareness.”
With a horizontal structural shift, brands are enabled to move at "the speed of culture," as Bhandal puts it, which is essential for authentic engagement in women's sports.
5 Core Success Drivers
Building on last week's strategic framework, these guiding principles shared by Bhandal provide a roadmap to success:
Start with your customer, not your product
"My advice first would be: start by understanding who your customer is," the marketing veteran advises. "That's first and foremost."
Understanding your customer's preferences, behaviors, and values allows you to identify where women's sports naturally fits into their lives, creating organic opportunities for meaningful engagement.Seek authentic connections
"Think about who are the athletes you can work with who are buying your product already today and are going to have authentic stories to share."
Invisalign's partnership with Bay FC, college athletes such as Flau’jae Johnson, pros like Diana Flores, Lizzi Smith, exemplifies this approach—building relationships with athletes and teams who share values around confidence and community, resulting in multifaceted activations that resonate with fans.Integrate into your core strategy
"I think there's a misconception that women's sports is this separate thing that should be separated from your marketing plan.”
Instead, make it central to your approach. When women's sports becomes part of your fundamental marketing ecosystem rather than a standalone initiative, it transforms from a tactical execution into a strategic pillar.Participate in community
"You've got to get out and actually understand who your customers are — you can't feel and see culture sitting in an office. Get into the community to truly understand why people are buying your product.”
This requires brands to show up authentically in spaces where their customers gather, engaging directly with fans and athletes to build genuine connections that transcend traditional advertising.Listen and learn continuously
"Look at who is buying your product. Understand the data. What are they saying? I think the answers lie within the community."
Successful brands develop robust feedback mechanisms that allow them to track not just engagement metrics but also sentiment and behavioral changes, creating a virtuous cycle of improvement.
When executed through The Confidence Cycle, women’s sports partnerships become transformative business drivers that reshape how brands connect with consumers, how teams structure their operations, and ultimately, how companies grow.
By centering women's sports in your marketing strategy, you're not just sponsoring teams—you're investing in authentic relationships that create lasting value for everyone involved.
