Let’s Talk About the Elephant Stomping in the Room (2024)

It has been an epic season for the WNBA. Record-breaking attendance, viewership, and engagement; all signs pointing up and to the right for overdue investment fueling women’s sports.

In New York City, the stars are shining bright, fresh off the heels of the New York Liberty’s first-ever franchise championship win. And while we expect to see on-court performance drive excitement, rarely do we see the mascot of any team have the same draw and garner the same fandom as the team or sport itself. Unless your mascot has become famous and beloved in her own right.

Enter Big Ellie. Wherever she’s stomping, heads are turning. This larger-than-life mascot is the epitome of what it means to be a multi-hyphenate: Her day job may be mascot, but her empire state of mind is about building love for the game. Ellie is opening up the WNBA to new fans and welcoming the world to new parts of culture. She is authentically doing what no one else out there can do—being Ellie. And that’s where her star power shines.

Athlos Is Not a Race. It’s an Anthem

Born to defy, built to inspire

Somewhere in the bold and brazen, never duplicated, impossible to imitate, Ellie is one of one.

Her origin story is rooted in strength, inspired by the elephants that marched across the Brooklyn Bridge to prove its sturdiness to skeptics. Ellie thrives in that spirit, making the seemingly impossible possible and inspiring all who enter her orbit. She is defying the parameters of what it means to be a mascot and what it means to be a fan of women’s sports.

Much like the athletes on the team, Ellie is showing the world the duality of what it means to be both beautiful and fierce. She is New York and a masterful reflection of the women who made her: CEO Keia Clarke, chief brand officer Shana Stephenson, and senior director of entertainment Criscia Long.

Her day-in, day-out support squad is comprised of these “aunties,” as she refers to them, the marketing team who keep her fresh, relevant, and real in all the ways we know have made Ellie an undeniable success.

Transcending the court

Mascots aren’t new to sports or marketing. Most mascots live in the world and lore they’ve been attributed to; very few break the fourth wall and are personified in a way that’s akin to an influencer or celebrity.

There’s no doubt we’ve seen mascots having a moment over the past several years: the Duolingo Owl, Strawberry Pop-Tart, and more recently Grimace. Icons in their own right, none of them hold a candle to the trunk show Ellie delivers.

To make it from being part of the conversation to being the topic of conversation, brand fame is measured by:

  • Intrinsic appeal: how attractive or sticky the product or performance is to the public.
  • Mass audiences: the ability to reach people far and wide.
  • Distinctiveness: the uniqueness that identifies the brand.
  • Social diffusion: how actively the public shares and engages with the brand.

Ellie’s ability to flawlessly check each of these boxes shows brand marketers that you can make your mark on the masses while staying true to your brand.

She’s creating content that taps into social trends in the moment like This or That, What’s in My Bag, and Get Ready With Me. She’s making appearances on Good Morning America and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, walking the red carpet at Glamour’s Woman of the Year event, starring on the cover of Time Out NY, teaching Eli Manning how to strut, and performing with Ciara. She celebrates other trailblazing women and cultural moments in her performances, like her epic ode to Beyoncé’s Renaissance for Pride as Elliyonce or her special Barbie choreography for the movie’s release.

Her fans, the Herd, run the gamut. From the A-listers sitting courtside on CeLiberty Row to kids and grown adults alike jumping out of their seats when the announcer bellows “Ohhh Ellliieee” as she gets ready to hit center court for her signature Stomp. Ellie is for all.

Culture queen

Ellie has struck that perfect balance between culture-first and culturally expansive, with crossover appeal that honors the culture and welcomes newcomers.

Stylists are dressing her for tunnel walks. Designers are sending her fresh products. Nike created a custom Ellie Sabrina 2 PE sneaker. Ellie can rock MSCHF Timbs, a Telfar bag, or an Off-White jacket. Every fit check includes a list of what designer she’s wearing and who styled her, just as any fashion icon would.

She brings forward brands that are hot and highly covetable. Her impact isn’t just in who she wears or what she’s sporting pregame; it’s now spilled into designers wanting to create for her and brands eager to partner with her, with the desire to build off of her influence and be a part of the energy she commands everywhere she goes.

More than a trendsetter, she’s a trend accelerator, lending her influence, popularity, and style-first swagger to brands big and small. Ellie operates beyond the mascot’s purview and expands into more of an influencer role. A personality all her own, a content creator, an ambassador, and with over 300,000 followers and counting on social media, she is that girl.

Influencing the growth of women’s sports

The Caitlin Clark effect had an undeniable impact on the rise in popularity of women’s sports. Now, we’re entering our Big Ellie Era and finding new ways to welcome fans to the W.

Merchandise sales alone signal that fans want more Ellie and are willing to spend, with in-arena game day sales up 99% and online sales up 135% year over year. But it’s also about embodying Ellie.

Little kids wearing Ellie braids in their hair, twirling them around as she walks into the stands. Celebrities like Alicia Keys and Spike Lee taking pictures with her. Being a part of the experience, the excitement, and the culture that surrounds women’s sports grows as fans of all ages find ways to connect to the sport and to each other—Ellie is a big part of making that possible.

Bringing in new fans means finding an attractive way to reach new audiences through meaningful brand partnerships. The number of sponsors has grown more than 60% year over year for the Liberty, and Ellie has been a part of the action when it comes to clever creative with early brand partners Bumble and Lyft casting her as talent, which is exactly what she is. Bumble featured her looking for her match, and Lyft promoted a price lock feature and gifted her a cute pink bag.

Ellie’s broad appeal and social stickiness make her the perfect conduit between casual fans, culture, and entertainment. It gives brands looking for unexpected ways to open the door to women’s sports the clear opportunity to be a part of the momentum, let the brand personality shine through, and show real business gains from the investment.

Ellie’s got next

Ellie is the NY Liberty, and the NY Liberty is Ellie. She is fully locked into the team, the sport, the brand, and the bigger cultural experience. She is the ultimate hype woman and a woman we love to hype.

Whether it’s future deals with beauty brands like Fenty or a special edition glossy magazine featuring her best looks akin to Vogue’s September issue, there’s no doubt that Ellie’s commercial potential, spurred by her fan appeal, may set her on the path to becoming the most revered and relevant mascot we’ve ever seen, in sports or anywhere else.

The NY Liberty are WNBA champions, and they’ve got a teammate who has left a mark on our hearts far beyond the final buzzer. As we close out this record-breaking, fan-making WNBA season, we look to who’s got next. It’s Big Ellie, and she’s ready.

Let’s Talk About the Elephant Stomping in the Room (2024)
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