BUMBLE / WNBA PARTNERSHIP

Champion women & the whole game changes

In 2024, Bumble initiated a partnership with both the WNBA and NY Liberty rooted in the belief that when women thrive through shared passions, in relationships, in life, everyone benefits. Our partnership efforts aimed to create lasting, authentic connections between fans, athletes, and the game itself—and did just that (while also being a surprisingly successful foray into sports for the dating app).

  • Creative Lead
    Copywriter

  • Creative Director: Martin Sanchez
    Senior Art Director: Katy Roughton
    Copywriters: Georgia Healey, Salwa Rogers
    Design Director: James Hannaford
    Designers: Misha Hunt, Hanna Norland
    Executive Producer: Allaire Johnson
    Production: Cole Collective
    Video Lead: Laura Rankin
    Editors: John Hughes, Sarah Nouri

  • Business Impact

    • 17% growth in brand awareness

    • 29% increase in brand consideration

    • 54% rise in perceived brand value

    • 175% surge in new & re-engaged customers


    Cultural Impact

    • 210% increase in net buzz amongst WNBA fans

    • Strengthened position in women's sports

    • Featured in top-tier publications like Sports Business Journal, Adweek, The Gist, Vibe, & Sports Illustrated

  • — The Gist (WNBA, Liberty)
    The Next
    — Adweek
    — Marketing Brew (here & here)
    — Create & Cultivate (newsletter)
    — Fortune
    FOX 5 NY

The Challenge

Bumble was looking for a new way to bring its brand values to life, in a way that would tap into culture and feel uniquely specific to the dating app.

The Brand Opportunity

While there was growing public interest in the WNBA, there was also a disconnect in the community: more than 1 in 4 WNBA fans reported feeling isolated from one another, with no one to share their passion for the sport.

Because Bumble was known for uplifting women and helping people connect over shared interests (literally part of the app), the brand could partner with the WNBA & NY Liberty to create impactful experiences that would fuel connection over a shared love of women’s basketball, both on and off the app.

Creative Expression

Help women make moves—
on and off the court

Our team collaborated with internal marketing, social, product, and experiential partners, as well as external production agencies, to develop distinct assets throughout the season—based in an identity and messaging framework that felt specific to the WNBA & NY Liberty partnership, while also naturally falling under the Bumble brand umbrella.

For activation pieces, we ideated and constructed components that could be reused across other key events—from our locker room concept to the “ball wall” on the Orange Carpet, which would then be reused at singles events and in years to come.

Over the course of the season, I oversaw the development of assets in across 3 distinct focus areas:

  1. Exclusive off-court experiences (All Star Weekend Orange Carpet, WNBA Finals)

  2. Season-long opportunities for fans to connect (singles watch parties, VIP finals contests, influencer suites)

  3. Targeted activations (NY Liberty ‘Title Night,’ experiential photo booth, championship parade)