Ally Financial's 50/50 pledge reaches 1-year milestone

The GIST: Talk about celebrating a milestone in style. Yesterday, Ally Financial marked the first anniversary of its 50/50 Pledge to spend equally on men’s and women’s sports media by 2027 with a positive status report and a new brand ambassador program.

The details: Ally ramped up its women’s sport media spend by 300% last year and will approach a 60-40 split by EOY, ahead of schedule. The banking company is already reaping the pledge’s rewards — a spokesperson told The GIST that Ally saw growth in brand preference (27%), likeability (12%), and consideration (40%) among consumers.

• Some of Ally’s major moves in year one include its assist to shift the 2022 NWSL Championship to a primetime slot on CBS, as well as a multimillion dollar deal with Disney focused on ESPN’s women’s sports programming.

The program: The company also unveiled Team Ally yesterday, a brand ambassador program that includes the USWNT’s Sophia Smith and WNBA’s Nneka Ogwumike (pronounced NECK-uh Oh-gwoo-muh-kay). This all-star team will provide guidance on strategic investing to make women’s sports more visible. Allyship at its finest.

Zooming out: For brands like Ally, Anheuser-Busch, and Mastercard, spending big on women’s sports has been a surefire way to boost brand affinity. A recent study shows that short-term purchase intent from consumers jumps 24% and the likelihood of a stronger, long-term brand relationship rises 28% for companies who score high gender equality marks.

• It almost comes as little surprise since women influence 83% of all U.S. consumer purchases, which translates to a cool $6.4 trillion in spending annually. Who run the world?