- Google Pixel will develop into the official cell phone of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) as a part of a multi-year partnership, per details shared with Marketing Dive. It may even function presenting sponsor of the league’s Playoffs and Championship games.
- Additionally, Google will introduce a latest “Pitchside with Pixel” program that may leverage the Pixel’s artificial intelligence (AI)-powered camera and features to capture exclusive and behind-the-scenes social media content.
- Google also will sponsor and lead a contest giving U.S.-based fans the prospect to be a part of the Pitchside with Pixel program at an everyday season match. Google’s latest move follows other efforts by the tech giant centered around supporting women in sports.
Through its tie-up with the NWSL, Google is upping its efforts to support women in sports, with other moves including additional partnerships, media spend and investments in women’s teams globally, per release details.
Along with serving as presenting sponsor of the NWSL Playoffs and Championship games, Google’s Pitchside with Pixel program will put the AI capabilities of its Pixel phone into full focus. The program will leverage NWSL superfans and skilled content creators alike as a method to collect exclusive and behind-the-scenes social content through the league’s matches. Featured content, which could include footage from tunnels, sidelines and press conferences, shall be shared in real-time on NWSL and Google’s linear, digital and social media channels.
“As the official cell phone of the league, Google Pixel puts the perfect of Google – including its leading camera and AI-first technology – directly into the hands of NWSL fans,” said Kate Johnson, director of worldwide sports, media and entertainment marketing partnerships for Google, in comments shared with Marketing Dive. “We’re excited that Pitchside with Pixel will give fans much more NWSL content to enjoy and a latest approach to connect with the league and one another.”
Additionally, Google will sponsor and lead a contest for U.S.-based league fans, offering 14 winners the prospect to be a part of the Pitchside with Pixel program at an everyday season match, based on press details.
It seems clear that Google Pixel considers its AI capabilities because the phone’s differentiating feature, a positioning that comes as a slew of other advertisers look for ways to money in on the continuing AI hype. The brand’s recent Super Bowl LVIII business similarly highlighted the AI-enhanced accessibility features of the Pixel 8, showcasing how the tech will help individuals who’re visually impaired.
Google Pixel’s sponsorship of the NWSL may be viewed as part of a bigger trend amongst advertisers to develop into more involved in women’s sports, and particularly women’s soccer, amid growing consumer and media interest.
Other moves by the tech giant centered around women’s sports include a multi-year partnership, launched in 2021, to be a WNBA Changemaker for the league, helping to extend visibility and coverage of ladies’s sports. Google has also been a world partner of ladies’s basketball under the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and has marketing partnerships with the ladies’s teams affiliated with Arsenal Football Club and Liverpool Football Club as a part of a broader sponsorship of those teams.
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