The WNBA is Employing a Bold, Innovative New Marketing Strategy: "Sex Sells"

Jennifer Pottheiser. Getty Images.

Briefly, let me tell you about a great American success story. It's an underdog story about a little free, Boston newspaper. It was staffed by its founder and three other guys writing 1,000-word articles twice a month, focused on sports, lifestyle, and humor for no money. This paper gained a small but fiercely loyal following of young professionals from the area. But then a new element was injected into the mix. 

Attractive female models on the cover. 

The first one was an Olympic athlete. The photo was likely lifted from a men's magazine at the time in a copyright violation. But it helped the paper gain traction in the market. Soon, models and a fashion photographer were hired, and original cover photos became a vital ingredient into the secret sauce of the outlet's success. Soon, it evolved into a daily blog. A new writer calling himself Uncle Buck was hired. He brought with him an unrivaled genius for putting together photo galleries of beautiful celebrities, both famous and obscure. Eventually the company's owner added a feature in which local women would submit photos of themselves. Then, over the course of the years, this Little Sports PageThat Could became an internationally recognized media conglomerate and the founder an icon in the business, entertainment, and pizza review worlds. The end. 

That company's na-- OK, I think we can skip the big reveal. You get it. Barstool didn't invent "Sex Sells" as a marketing strategy. But I defy anyone to come up with a better example of how effective it can be. You could say the Playboy Empire, but that's different because sex was the whole point. Hefner never tried to build his brand around interviews with Norman Mailer and reviews of luxury watches. The postwar generation bought it to look at nekkid ladies, period. The rest was all just to give it an air of respectability. Barstool was going for respectability, added an element of PG-13 T&A, and became part of business history. 

And now it's fair to say the WNBA is ready to take that same step. As they're enjoying unprecedented attention, attendance, and TV ratings, it appears they are seizing the moment with a "Sex Sells" strategy of their own. Exhibit A is this post from the Phoenix Mercury:

That "hot new bombshell" (those are the words from their Don Drapers, not me) is veteran Sophie Cunningham:

Cunningham is no stranger to modeling, making her as good a candidate as any to sex up the Association's social media:

Sage East. Getty Images.

So good for the league, the Mercury, and Cunningham. It's a smart move from a business sense. It can only help elevate the brand. They chose someone who's obviously comfortable in front of the camera. It's a win all around. 

Even if we acknowledge that you can't make a move like this, and giving the people what they want, without running into the usual suspects from the country's Perpetually Offended by Something-or-Other Class:

But that's to be expected. This subset of the population is vocal, but small. And in the end, irrelevant and powerless. Young Dave Portnoy faced the same opposition, and now he's unpacking matching outfits for him and his dog in a $42 million beachfront mansion. The business model the WNBA is employing is time-tested and public-approved. The future is as bright with this strategy as the midday sun on actual Mercury. Keep the good work, Boss Lady.