Want men to drain their wallets? Cast Sydney Sweeney naked in your ad!
Hey ya’ll, it’s Gossip Gal. And this time, I'm back with some hot tea from across the seas, because this has been making waves in the women’s sports industry worldwide. So, are y’all ready? Because you’ll really want a sip of this!
Novig, a sports betting app, has launched its first-ever national marketing campaign with Hollywood starlet Sydney Sweeney, who appears in the advertisement wrapped in, well, nothing.
Now, how does the advertisement convey its point to promote the betting platform? By strategically placing sports equipment like an American football, basketball, and hockey gear to cover Sydney’s modesty, Novig showcases a wide range of sports the app’s users can trade in.
Marketing brilliance? Maybe for a second.
Chic and modern? Absolutely the hell not.
Ever since the ad went on air, netizens have been divided into two groups. In one group, we have activists and athletes critiquing the campaign. Meanwhile, another group, made up of perverts and choice feminists, defends the brand and Sweeney’s honour.
For instance, the retired Olympic swimmer Ariarne Titmus didn't hold back, calling this style of marketing total nonsense from a bygone era. "I can’t describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this," the four-time gold medalist posted on Instagram. World Champion boxer Skye Nicolson also chimed in, noting: "There’s a big difference between looking ‘sexy’ because you do sport, compared to [using] sex to sell ‘sport’.
Sure, all this noise got the app tons of attention, and in marketing, isn’t any publicity good publicity? Well, subjectively speaking, nope, it isn’t. Because in a world where women athletes are finally breaking glass ceilings with their athletic prowess and rigorous training, Novig is relying on tired old tropes that assume sports services only sell if they cater to the male gaze. Quite passé, if you ask me.
And here is the real kicker. Sydney Sweeney isn't just a hired model for an ad, but a strategic partner and equity holder in the company. That means she had real control over the campaign's creative direction. Now, Sydney’s body is not the big elephant in the room. In fact, pointing all fingers at one person, even if she is the face of the brand right now, doesn’t come close to unravelling this hot mess this campaign has unleashed on the Internet. It is about an industry pandering to the lust of some pathetic perverts who believe they can only be drawn to sports involving women when they are stripped for their gaze.
Well, now that I have jumped on the gossip bandwagon and spilt the tea, with some biscuits, here are my candid two cents on this juicy scandal: from a business standpoint alone, Novig is playing the long game.
Now, if I reluctantly humour the notion that ‘sex still sells’, and admit that the people prone to gambling addiction are dime a dozen, then this campaign comes out as a clear winner. The gambling-prone sports bros get their titillation with Sweeney’s visuals; the feminist think pieces (like yours truly) get a ragebait controversy to dissect, and, of course, Novig gets its hands on a successful marketing campaign. So, are we really surprised that a platform built on men draining their wallets on bets is using this audacious strategy to drive downloads? Because as I write this column, Novig gets its user base and Sydney gets her fat paycheck.
So, when a brand and its ambassador benefit from their audience’s lust and outrage, how can we stay cool? I’d say the trick is to look at the loopholes. Novig is just an opportunistic betting platform, not some sports entity with the power to impact female athletes in the industry. And Sydney is no athlete either— she poses, but she doesn't pretend to be one in the ad. Thus, one tacky sensationalist ad doesn’t get to dictate the progress and status of women in sports.
Yet, Sydney, you do not get to silence a conversation that barely has any audience. Your nudity doesn't faze anyone; your audacity does. In a world where women's sports are systemically still treated as a joke, you marketed the greediest machine with the laziest trick in the book. It is neither impressive nor creative. We don't expect solidarity from you, but at least don't sabotage us for every bag of money jiggled at you.
And a gentle reminder: the gaze you're catering to is the same gaze that will not stop to consume you tomorrow when you can't or won't sell nudity anymore. You can only churn out a few reluctant feminists in the economy you have handcrafted.
Money is subjective, but your reputation is timeless, and now you're the woman who attempted a failed parody of sportswomen. To my readers, keep your eyes on the real game, darlings, because your fleeting attention in this economy is the wealth you still have utmost power over. Let's focus it towards women in sports 💪🏼
You know you love me ;)
xoxo
💋Gossip Gal💋
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