Sports
Game changers: how MassMutual’s ‘Stay Ready’ campaign sets a new standard for authentic athlete partnerships
Written by Deborah Lawal, senior strategy executive at The Goat Agency and part of the DigiLearning cohort 2025, this article is part of a DigiLearning series from POSSIBLE, where mentors and mentees report for The Drum on marketing’s biggest ideas. Here, we unpack how MassMutual’s campaign uses authenticity, relatable athletes, and financial empowerment to connect […]
Written by Deborah Lawal, senior strategy executive at The Goat Agency and part of the DigiLearning cohort 2025, this article is part of a DigiLearning series from POSSIBLE, where mentors and mentees report for The Drum on marketing’s biggest ideas. Here, we unpack how MassMutual’s campaign uses authenticity, relatable athletes, and financial empowerment to connect with audiences.
In an era where consumers crave authenticity and cultural relevance, many brands still default to celebrity endorsements that feel more scripted than sincere. But MassMutual’s “Stay Ready” campaign flips the script – proving that real, relatable athletes can be powerful brand storytellers, especially when the message goes beyond sport.
Unveiled during March Madness, the campaign is a case study in how brands can use purpose-led storytelling, female representation, and financial education to build deep emotional resonance and social impact. At the POSSIBLE conference in Miami, LSU Tigers guard and hip-hop artist Flau’jae Johnson joined MassMutual’s head of brand strategy and customer growth Kristin LaFemina and Deep Blue Sports & Entertainment founder Laura Correnti to break down what made the campaign land – and how other marketers can follow suit.
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The campaign features Johnson alongside U.S. soccer star Christen Press and tennis player Madison Keys, drawing parallels between athletic preparation and financial readiness – highlighting strategy, teamwork, and discipline as essential elements in both arenas.
“We as a brand have always invested a lot in women in sports, and it just was the right opportunity that came along for us to put a message in the market about how MassMutual is a trusted financial partner to women,” LaFemina explained during the panel.
MassMutual’s proprietary research revealed a significant 40% gap in financial confidence between women and men – a “meaningful” difference, according to LaFemina, who emphasized the importance of trusted financial guidance and advice for women.
The campaign marks a milestone in women’s sports marketing, with LaFemina noting that MassMutual is “the first brand to put three female athletes in a hero cinematic film like we did other than Nike.”
For Johnson, whose NIL (name, image, and likeness) success has made her a standout among college athletes, the partnership represents an authentic alignment of values. “MassMutual, they’re all about the future, protecting your future, but also protecting the people you love and securing your financial future,” Johnson explained.
As a Gen Z athlete with significant influence across multiple platforms, Johnson believes financial literacy has become increasingly important to her generation. “A lot of our generation are becoming entrepreneurs, and they’re using social media… people want to learn about financing,” Johnson said, adding that she tries to use her platform to emphasize how “these four years can set you up for your next 40.”
Deep Blue’s Correnti, whose agency is dedicated exclusively to bringing more commercial investment to women’s sports, highlighted a critical “systems issue” that has historically limited investment in women’s athletics. “Women’s sports still today in 2025 continue to be transacted on a CPM basis,” Correnti explained, noting that until recently, most women’s sporting events weren’t even broadcast in primetime. “How can you evaluate, invest in, and measure something on a basis of which it hasn’t had a fair opportunity to even compete?”
The campaign’s distribution strategy purposefully extended beyond just women’s sports, with LaFemina confirming that they have “a full schedule of this work running in men’s sports as well.”
This approach recognizes the significant economic opportunity, with LaFemina noting that “women control a huge amount of economic activity today, and they’re set to inherit… trillions more. So if you’re a brand that’s not there in service of women, then you’re going to miss a big opportunity.”
The campaign’s female-led approach extended behind the scenes as well, featuring an all-women marketing team at MassMutual, a female director, and a woman-owned agency. This representation has generated significant positive response, with LaFemina sharing that when they showcased the work internally, “they had a standing ovation. People were crying.”
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For Johnson, whose song “Ready or Not” was featured in the campaign, the partnership offered another platform to tell her story authentically. “I think me being vocal and me being confident is, like, 100% of the reason,” she said of her involvement.
As for measuring success, LaFemina explained they’re tracking “all of the things – the brand awareness, brand meaningfulness, brand equity, attribute growth, customer growth.” But the most significant impact may be in inspiring behavioral change, with research showing that when women start to learn more about investing and “how you can make your money work for you even when you’re not working for it, they gain confidence.”
Female athletes, who according to Correnti are “3 to 4 times that of their male counterparts in NIL deals,” represent a significant new generation of wealth creation. The MassMutual campaign aims to ensure these athletes have the infrastructure in place for long-term financial success beyond their playing careers.
As women’s sports continue their explosive growth, partnerships like MassMutual’s “Stay Ready” campaign demonstrate how brands can authentically connect with this audience while addressing real needs – creating what Correnti calls a move “out of necessity to opportunity” for the next generation of female athletes.