The 2026 WNBA playoffs tip off this Sunday, September 27, in what's lining up to be a strong bracket for advertisers.
Through August 30, 2026, this year's WNBA regular season had 35% stronger ad engagement than last year's regular season. Even more telling, this year's regular season ads were 4% more effective than last year's WNBA Finals and 8% more effective than the rest of the playoffs.
If the trend holds, the 2026 postseason should reach new heights for ad engagement and impact, especially since this year's bracket is lining up to be a star-studded showcase.
After missing last year's playoffs due to injury, Caitlin Clark leads the Indiana Fever into the postseason, and this year's playoffs will also feature marketable headliners like Paige Bueckers of the Dallas Wings (making her playoff debut), Angel Reese of the Atlanta Dream, and Olivia Miles of the Minnesota Lynx.
To get a sense of what might work for advertisers this postseason, EDO analyzed ads during the 2026 WNBA regular season, as well as the 2025 playoffs. Here's what we found:
WNBA Fans Hungry for Ads
During the 2026 WNBA regular season, five restaurants ranked among the top eight brands in terms of ad effectiveness.
For example, Burger King scored 567% stronger engagement than the average 2026 WNBA regular-season advertiser. The brand's top regular-season creative featured its lineup of chicken sandwiches in an upbeat, 15-second spot, to the tune of 658% stronger engagement than the average regular-season creative.
McDonald's also had a powerful regular season, not only as one of the WNBA's most-frequent advertisers but also achieving 389% stronger engagement than the average. The brand's top creative also took an upbeat approach, but instead of highlighting food, the ad simply featured the new McCafe Strawberry Watermelon Refresher drink.
Stars Show Out in the Playoffs
While the top ads during the 2026 WNBA regular season largely focused on new products and deals, last season's playoffs offer a clue that this postseason's top creatives might also depend on who's in the ads.
During the 2025 WNBA playoffs, before the Finals, two of the top four creatives with multiple airings featured athletes. That included a DraftKings spot, featuring WNBA legend Lisa Leslie, which drove 897% stronger engagement than the average creative during the pre-Finals playoffs.
Yet WNBA viewers also showed receptiveness to cross-sport advertising. Another one of these top ads was a Vuori creative, featuring college football star Arch Manning, which was 800% more effective than average.
During the 2025 WNBA Finals, a similar trend played out. One of the top creatives was a Nike ad featuring reigning MVP A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces (who went on to win the championship). This creative took a 60-second, inspiring deep dive into Wilson's backstory, which resulted in 582% stronger engagement than the average Finals ad.
Wayfair also found success with a creative that featured a slew of celebrities, headlined by NBA star Blake Griffin, along with musicians Kelly Clarkson and Kane Brown. This celebrity-packed ad was 232% more effective than the average.
See the Value of WNBA Advertising
If the regular season was any indication, this year's WNBA playoffs could deliver significant value to advertisers.
EDO will be tracking every ad throughout the postseason and measuring effectiveness, based on the immediate, ad-driven consumer behaviors that are proven purchase indicators.
To get more insights into what's worked well in advertising across the WNBA, as well as the broader women's sports landscape, download our Women's Sports TV Outcomes 2025 report.
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