Laura Waters-Brown
Director | The Collective, Wasserman
Decision-making in all facets of business often relies on data analytics, and the industry is putting that data to use to prove that it’s good business to be inclusive.
“2023 was the year of groundbreaking research,” said Laura Waters-Brown, director of The Collective, the women-focused practice within Wasserman agency. “We focused on one of our core pillars — to inform — so that we could help the industry solve for one of the oldest questions in women’s sports: ‘Why should I invest in women?’ It’s simple: it’s smart business.” She has the numbers to back it up, too.
“We know that women’s sports fans are younger, more educated and more affluent than men’s sports fans,” she said. “In our recent study, we not only found that fans of women’s sports are 67% more likely to earn more than $100,000, but they’re also 45% more willing to consider or purchase from sponsor brands.”
At The Collective, Waters-Brown spearheads global marketing campaigns to advocate for gender equality, forges strategic alliances to amplify her organization’s societal impact and employs data analysis to guide effective decision-making. She led internal efforts at The Collective to help secure the safe return of basketball star Brittney Griner, who was detained in Russia in a situation that made worldwide headlines.
“Next generation fans are increasingly more diverse, and want the brands and influencers they follow to support the causes they care about,” she said. “As such, these fans simply don’t understand why you wouldn’t equitably support women. They are more surprised when brands and fans don’t support women.”
Waters-Brown also offers strategic consultation to internal Wasserman talent teams.
“I was fortunate enough to attend the Nike Goddess Awakening fashion show in Paris last year. This was by far the most inclusive women’s fashion show I’ve ever seen,” said Waters-Brown, who previously worked for the PGA Tour and Cleveland Browns.
Crediting strong mentors, specifically Black women including her mother, Waters-Brown says women’s entertainment continues to lead the sports and entertainment landscape and can only grow from here.
“Just recently, the PWHL set a new pro women’s hockey attendance record; the NCAA Women’s Volleyball finals drew a record 19,598 fans; and let’s not forget when the Nebraska-Omaha outdoor volleyball game drew 92,003 in-person fans and 52 million social media impressions,” she said. “In the music industry, Beyonce made history as the first Black woman to lead the country charts, while Wasserman artists such as SZA and Billie Eilish have sold out arenas and headlined the world’s largest music festivals. The shiniest gold lies ahead, and is unearthed as we acknowledge the true power of all athletes and performers.”