The Story Wave 33

1: A Partnership with Celebrity Star Power – Case Study

At the end of October 2023, Kim Kardashian’s shapewear and clothing brand, SKIMS, was named the official underwear partner of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).

• Data from QuestBrand by The Harris Poll shows how the WNBA’s partnership with SKIMS impacted consumer perception of the WNBA brand.
• After the SKIMS partnership announcement, the WNBA’s positive brand momentum significantly rose among young adults (Gen Z and Millennials) from 24.3 at the end of October to 28.7 at the end of December.

• After SKIMS and the WNBA announced their partnership, young adults more often described the WNBA brand as “smart” (+9.3), “visionary” (+5.5), and “stylish” (+5.0).

Download the WNBA/SKIMS case study for more information about how the partnership impacted the WNBA brand.

2: Entertainment & Sports: An Industry Snapshot

Our recent report on the state of the entertainment industry explores consumers’ thoughts about radio and paid subscriptions. A few key takeaways include:

• Three quarters (75%) of US adults agree that it is hard for them to justify paid subscriptions to publications because of the amount of available free content.
• Half (49%) of older adults (ages 55+), but 75% of young adults (ages 18-34) would rather watch a video about a topic than read a related article.
• Six in 10 (66%) US adults listen to FM radio frequently (at least once a week), but only 30% frequently listen to AM radio.
• But AM radio has a place – 37% of people of color (versus 26% of white adults) report frequently listening to AM radio.
• The vast majority (82%) of radio listeners agree that they primarily listen to the radio when they are in the car.

Over-Index Report: This snapshot contains the first of our new monthly over-index reports. Each month we will use QuestBrand data to discover which brands resonate with a specific consumer group. In January, we looked at sports bettors, listing 20 brands that over-index with online sportsbook enthusiasts. See a sneak peek of the brands below:

3: The State of Women in AI – The Female Quotient-Harris Poll

You can’t go far without hearing about artificial intelligence (AI) and how it will impact the future. However, AI’s impacts are not felt equally across all demographic groups. A recent Harris Poll study conducted on behalf of The Female Quotient explores women’s use of and thoughts about AI. A few key takeaways include: 

• Life-Shifting Benefits: The majority of women (65%), working women (70%), and mothers (77%), agree that using AI tools in their personal lives have given them back time to do other things.
• Skeptical of AI’s Equity-Shifting Potential: Just over half (55%) of women (v. 45% men) disagree that AI will be an equalizer in society.
• AI Gender Gap: Six in 10 (61%) women (v. 54% men) agree that AI’s gender gap is a pressing problem that must be considered and solved in the next 12 months.

• Confidence Gap: Compared to their industry peers, 40% of men, but almost half (48%) of women, feel behind the curve when it comes to AI.
• AI as a Tool for Success: (70%) of women believe AI will encourage more girls in STEM. Six in ten (61%) working women agree that employees who utilize AI in the workplace will be more successful.

Check out the full “The State of AI + Women” report to learn more about how women think about the future of AI.