The Art of Expansion

My Role:

As senior marketing manager, I supported the launch of what we called the year zero campaign that ran for a week leading up to the 2025 WNBA Expansion Draft. This effort highlighted the historic drop of the inaugural jerseys and the architecture of the Valkyries roster while engaging the community and showing what it takes to build a new team, through education and basketball storytelling.

Goal:

Build a globally recognized basketball culture for the Valkyries that mirrors the Bay Area’s ethos of excellence, winning, and innovation, engaging new fans through education, strategic storytelling, and community engagement to foster excitement and a deep understanding of the historic 2025 Expansion Draft roster. Culminating in the 2025 WNBA Expansion draft at the end of the week.

Education: WNBA Expansion Draft Explainer Video

Storytelling: Jersey Unviel

My Role:

During the lead-up to the 2025 WNBA Expansion Draft Day, I was a thought partner in the strategy development behind the jersey launch. This concept amplified a historical moment in the Bay Area, viewing the inaugural season jersey for the first time. Further storytelling, the art behind building an expansion team.

Objective:

In partnership with Valkyries Studio and marketing leadership, we developed engaging social content and built excitement surrounding the reveal of the inaugural season jerseys while showcasing the first-ever visual representation of who the Valkyries are, a fierce new presence in the Bay Area.

Purpose:

Building off the “Art of expansion” concept, the content piece captured the intersection of sport and culture by showcasing strong, artistic shots of the new jersey’s texture. The idea was to treat the uniform as a piece of modern art by shooting the visuals in SFMOMA. Using custom-built locker installations as an exclusive sneak peek at what the future team facilities will eventually look like.

Teaser Video

Unveil Video

Community Engagement: Jersey Hunt

My Role:

During the lead-up to the 2025 WNBA Expansion Draft Day, I was a thought partner and executer in the strategy behind identifying community engagement surrounding the release of 13 authentic jerseys before they hit retail.

Objective:

Hold a jersey scavenger hunt in partnership with JPMorgan Chase and Kaiser Permanente, offering 13 fans the opportunity to find their own authentic inaugural season jerseys before they hit retail. Hidden in local businesses in the Bay Area, fans relied on clues via social media.