CarMax holds the keys to success in WNBA marketing

It all started in December 2020, when CarMax partnered with the WNBA and NBA. Sweeping partnerships with the two leagues weren’t new then, but they were often treated as two-for-one deals. Only recently did major brands — even those with longtime W marketing access — start recognizing the distinct value of WNBA marketing.

But CarMax saw things differently — just look at its WNBA logo lockup. Doing the right thing is in its DNA, explained Lane, so when they zeroed in on basketball to “modernize the brand” and appeal to its growing Gen Z audience, partnering with the WNBA and NBA “made a lot of sense.”

“Why would you just do one and not the other?” Lane posited. Plus, the W was smaller then, so the get-in price was lower. The idea of spotlighting both leagues came together “organically,” kicking off with its first commercial with league stars in March 2021. The spot starring Sue Bird and Steph Curry went viral, garnering 809M impressions.

Since then, CarMax has partnered directly with four WNBA teams: the Phoenix Mercury, Washington Mystics, NY Liberty, and Golden State Valkyries. In 2023, they became a WNBA Changemaker — the highest level of WNBA sponsorship. And the league’s biggest stars have appeared in its ads, including Candace Parker, A’ja Wilson, Sabrina Ionescu, Chiney Ogwumike, and Paige Bueckers.

“With the women's side, we found lightning in a bottle,” Lane said. “I think we were right in time for this inflection point where the world finally caught on. I think that the fans knew it all along, and it's been a special property, though small in the beginning. Once the fire lit, it's grown a ton.”

A WNBA partnership scores cool points, and it’s not just because CarMax recognizes the real (now 4x) MVP. From the beginning, Lane noticed a strong connection between W fans and CarMax, an auto resale brand that prioritizes integrity and transparency in the car-buying process.

That’s crucial in a famously deceptive industry. Bait-and-switch tactics affect 71% of used car buyers in the U.S., causing them to spend an extra $11.8B annually. And it’s worse for women: They pay more to buy, repair, and insure cars. They even pay more for auto loans.

Lane noted it’s one of the last industries that requires negotiation, and the cards are often stacked against first-time car buyers. “You can end up with a lot of people feeling disenfranchised in that process,” she said. Many women and young people buying their first ride fall into that category — two of the W’s most prominent demographics.

It makes sense that CarMax would specifically embrace the W athletes communicating trust and authenticity, like StudBudz’s Courtney Williams. Turns out there’s a lot of power in being affiliated with the WNBA’s beloved brand. Lane sees it as a “place full of respect,” so having CarMax associated with the W’s reputation for goodwill “certainly does help, whether it's conscious or subconscious.”

Both hard and “squishy” data seems to back this up. Lane said the ROI on tangible media elements is “getting better season after season.” And when comparing WNBA fans to NBA ones over time, CarMax has noticed more brand association and affinity in the W.

• Per CarMax, fans who know they’re a WNBA partner “show an average 11-point lift across brand health metrics — sentiment, consideration, and purchase intent — compared to fans who don't make that connection.”

The WNBA “fanbase is passionate, engaged, and appreciates the brands that have been here supporting their teams and are going to pay them back in loyalty — and that's what we're doing it for,” Lane explained.

Showing up for WNBA fans is working for CarMax, but how exactly do they do it? Lane said it comes down to leaning in, listening, and reading the comments.

She mentioned its A’ja Wilson spot, which had to be refilmed and rereleased when the 2x WNBA MVP earned her third trophy. CarMax wasn’t caught off guard. “We knew that was going to come,” Lane explained. “We filmed it that way. We knew instantly we could do that, and then we would get some good chatter from that.”

The brand brought that same energy for its November 2025 campaign with Paige Bueckers, which put the Dallas Wings star in a cowboy hat, a Texas look she’s been known to have fun with. “We're paying attention to the stories that are interesting about her,” Lane said.

Having in-jokes and conversations with fans isn’t something every brand is doing, but for CarMax, the goal really is to think like a fan. It’s clear when companies don’t know the space as well, especially as more brands cast WNBA athletes in their commercials.

“What we want to be is a brand that's recognized as having been here, having respected the league for many years, respecting the fans that have been here all along, and giving them content that almost is like a little wink towards them,” Lane said. Cruisin’ together.