Golden State Valkyries Awarded Silver Effie for Brand Creation and 2025 Launch Campaign

The Golden State Valkyries were awarded a Silver Effie at the 2026 US Effie Awards in the Sports and Entertainment category for the team's brand creation and launch as the WNBA's first expansion team in 17 years.

“This milestone belongs entirely to the fans, staff, and creators who shaped this identity from day one,” said Valkyries’ President Jess Smith. “Every choice we made, from the name our community voted on to the symbolism in our logo, was a collective victory. The sheer energy behind the Valkyries has launched Golden State into a new era, helping us cement the undeniable cultural and commercial power of women’s sports worldwide.”

The Valkyries' brand creation and launch campaign included:

  • A brand exploration phase analyzing fan demographics, sentiment, and alignment with the Golden State identity, resulting in the “Valkyries” name, a logo rooted in Bay Area iconography, and a bold color palette anchored by the team’s signature violet and intentionally distinct from the Warriors’ blue and gold.
  • A coordinated, cross-platform name and logo announcement, unveiled exclusively on ABC News’ Good Morning America and accompanied online by a dynamic video narrated by Kehlani featuring the rallying cry #JoinOurAscent, introducing the team's identity to fans.
  • A launch-week block party featuring Bay Area artists E-40 and Kehlani.
  • A city-wide scavenger hunt with local businesses tied to the jersey reveal.
  • A viewing party for the 2024 WNBA Expansion Draft at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
  • The "First of a Lifetime" campaign ahead of the inaugural season.

The campaign's quantifiable results in 2025 included:

  • Merchandise sales that ranked sixth in the WNBA within 24 hours of the brand reveal, before the team had jerseys or players on the roster.
  • Merchandise sold in all 50 states and 70 countries in the months following the reveal.
  • 15,000 season ticket deposits within two months of the brand reveal, the fastest pace in women's sports history.
  • Over 10,000 “Founding Guard” season ticket holders in year one.
  • Led the WNBA in revenue during inaugural season thanks to league-leading ticketing, corporate partnerships, and merchandise sales.
  • Sold out all 22 regular-season home games to set all-time WNBA records for both average attendance (18,064) and total attendance (397,408).
  • Reached a $500M valuation after their inaugural season.

Amanda Chin, SVP of Marketing at Golden State, led the Valkyries’ brand creation and 2025 launch in collaboration with Cartwright, leading to more measurable 2026 outcomes that include 12,000 season tickets sold and a $1B valuation, the highest of any women’s sports franchise in the world.

The Effie Awards, established in 1968, recognize marketing campaigns for demonstrated, measurable effectiveness rather than creative concept alone, and are considered one of the industry's most competitive honors across more than 50 award programs worldwide.

Related News