Sydney Sweeney is once again at the center of an advertising controversy.
The Euphoria actress stars in a provocative campaign for sports prediction platform Novig that features her posing with footballs, basketballs, tennis rackets, and other athletic equipment strategically covering her body.
Sydney Sweeney – Novig, YouTube
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The campaign, dubbed “Just Sports,” has quickly attracted millions of views. It has also generated considerable outrage from women who argue that it reduces female athletes to their bodies rather than celebrating their accomplishments.
It has long been a truism in advertising that “sex sells.” However, no single approach works for every product or audience. The question then becomes: What exactly is Sweeney promoting, and who is the advertisement intended to reach? The answers may determine whether the backlash is entirely justified.
Female Athletes Blast Sweeney’s Campaign
Four-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer Ariarne Titmus was among the most vocal critics of Sweeney’s ad.
“I can’t describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this,” Titmus wrote on Instagram. “How do we live in a world where monetizing a woman’s body and sexualizing women’s sport is still a thing?”
Former UCLA gymnast Gracie Kramer similarly responded by posting footage of herself and other athletes competing.
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“I’ve spent my entire life competing in a sport where female athletes have been oversexualized, reduced to our bodies, and forced to fight to be taken seriously for what we can actually do,” Kramer wrote.
British sprinter Amy Hunt delivered an even more direct response after competing in the Ultimate Championship in Budapest on Sunday.
“Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like,” Hunt told BBC Sport. “21.4. Muscles. Hard work, blood, sweat, tears. This is a beautiful evening.”
Who Is Novig Actually Trying to Reach?
Those complaints are understandable, but they arguably misunderstand what Novig is actually selling and whom it is attempting to reach.
This isn’t an advertisement promoting women’s sports. Sweeney isn’t representing a women’s basketball league, Olympic team, athletic apparel company, or organization claiming to advance female athletes. Nor is she rebranding herself as an athletics influencer or promoting a film project related to the subject.
She’s advertising a prediction platform focused exclusively on sports.
And Novig appears to be targeting exactly the demographic one would expect a sports betting company to pursue: men who watch sports and gamble on them.
Sydney Sweeney – Novig, YouTube
Marketing consultant Steve Schonberg made the point rather plainly while discussing the campaign with Business Insider.
“Think of the audience: it is generally younger men, and sex sells,” he said.
Nicky Vita, head of strategy at advertising agency JOAN London, offered an even more succinct description of the campaign’s approach: “Sexy girl talking to men while looking super sexy.”
Sweeney isn’t being presented as a female athlete. The sports equipment provides a visual connection to the product Novig is selling, while her appearance is intended to capture the attention of the predominantly male audience the campaign is targeting.
That strategy already appears to be accomplishing at least one objective. According to data from Peak Metrics cited by Business Insider, Novig’s social media mentions increased more than ninefold following the campaign’s launch.
Sweeney Appears to Respond to the Backlash
Sweeney has not directly addressed the criticism, but she appeared to respond over the weekend by sharing images from ESPN’s famous Body Issue, which featured male and female athletes posing nude or partially nude.
Those athletes included Serena Williams, Ronda Rousey, Sue Bird, Megan Rapinoe, Caroline Wozniacki, Rob Gronkowski, and numerous other prominent sports figures.
Sydney Sweeney – Novig, YouTube
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Whether critics find that comparison persuasive is another matter.
Female athletes understandably want their sports marketed around talent, strength, competition, and achievement rather than sex appeal. But that criticism rests on the assumption that Novig’s campaign was attempting to market or advance women’s athletics in the first place.
It wasn’t.
The company was attempting to attract sports bettors to its platform, and it used one of Hollywood’s most recognizable sex symbols to get their attention.
Considering how much attention Sweeney and Novig have received, that bet appears to be paying off.
Do you think that Sydney Sweeney harms female sports? Sound off and let us know!
