WNBA Sponsor DoorDash Announces National Campaign With LA’s Ogwumike
DoorDash has announced a new partnership with Los Angeles Sparks forward Chiney Ogwumike, a two-time WNBA All-Star and ESPN commentator, in celebration of International Women’s Day.
Ogwumike, 28, is the face of a new national ad campaign for the food delivery company that spans TV, digital and social media—making history as the first solo WNBA athlete to star in a national campaign for a non-endemic brand in more than a decade. Four-time WNBA champion and Seattle Storm star Sue Bird was the last to do so in 2008 when she starred in an American Express spot.
OneTeam Partners, a company launched in 2019 by the NFL and MLB players’ unions and RedBird Capital Partners in order to generate increased revenue from players’ likenesses, served as the commercial representation for the WNBPA, which helped identify Ogwumike as the face of the new campaign.
“I’m thrilled to partner with DoorDash to celebrate and empower women everywhere,” Ogwumike said in a release. “On International Women’s Day, we recognize that women are bosses, and our mission is to open up doors for the next generation to run through. And for anyone that knows me, food is the way to my heart, so working with DoorDash is a dream come true.”
Both parties expressed a shared commitment to empowering local communities—specifically, the women within them. The partnership announcement comes alongside news of DoorDash’s new Made by Women in-app and digital activation that spotlights and supports women-owned businesses and entrepreneurs within the platform’s restaurant community.
As part of the new program, DoorDash will match loans for women-owned businesses, up to $150,000 total, through their partnership with Kiva, a global nonprofit whose mission is to expand financial access.
The Made by Women initiative and funding program tied to it builds upon DoorDash’s $200 million Main Street Strong fund, launched last May to help restaurants survive and adapt during the pandemic. Some $2 million was specifically devoted to women, immigrant and BIPOC-owned businesses through the newer Main Street Strong Accelerator program. DoorDash has also worked with San Francisco Safe House, Sarah’s Circle and Girls for Gender Equity in the past.
DoorDash is an existing WNBA sponsor. The San Francisco-based company recently also announced an eight-figure deal with NWSL expansion team Angel City FC.
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