Her Voice Blog

There's nothing manlier than a bunch of guys sitting around a plate of chicken wings, gulping down pitchers of beer and yelling at the closest TV, cheering on their favorite football team.

Or is there?

Football is the most popular sport in America, and to achieve that distinction, it hasn't relied solely on appealing to the machismo of men. In fact, according to a Forbes article, women now account for 44 percent of the NFL's fan base. In 2011, 80 million women watched the NFL on TV and about 310,000 attended games each week. That means there are a lot of ladies out there who want to wear their favorite team's colors.

One of the great strides the National Football League has made is by revamping its women's apparel offerings. A quick look at its online store shows products ranging from sports bras to maternity wear available to women. Prior to that, your best bet was borrowing your brother/husband/boyfriend's jersey or shelling out the cash to purchase a (sigh) pink jersey.

As successful as the NFL has been at marketing to women, it isn't done. It has launched an ad campaign, titled "It's My Team," featuring celebrities, including Serena Williams and Condoleezza Rice, sporting the new, fashionable style of clothes. This campaign has purchased ads in fashion and sports magazines alike to reach both the sports fan and the fashion-conscious woman.

This is a great example of how a once male-dominated brand has managed to make huge strides in the female market without alienating its original core customer.

FletcherPR is a national communications firm that specializes in reaching women through the power of media. Headquartered in Knoxville, TN with staff in Nashville & Los Angeles, we are a full-service agency providing strategic public relations, social media and marketing communications services to our clients throughout the U.S.