This year’s Olay Super Bowl ad features an array of well-known celebs, from Lilly Singh and Busy Philipps to Taraji P. Henson and Katie Couric.
The spot shows Singh and Philipps walking alongside retired astronaut Nicole Stott for a space mission. A voice-over asks, “Is there enough space in space for women?” Couric then responds, “Who wrote that? Are people really still asking that question?”
Inspired by the first all-female spacewalk last year, the camera then cuts to inside the rocket, where Singh says, “Operation: Make Space for Women is ready for liftoff.”
The female astronauts then inform audiences that for every time users tag @OlaySkin and use #MakeSpaceForWomen hashtag on Twitter, from January 15 to February 3, Olay will donate $1 to Girls Who Code.
Singh was part of Olay’s first #FaceAnything campaign, and Philipps was part of Olay’s Sun Care is Self Care campaign (along with Singh.)
Phillips tells Yahoo, “I could not be more grateful to continue to work with a brand that champions me exactly as I am. Olay stands for celebrating women and encouraging them to be fearless in pursuing their dreams. I am thrilled to be part of Olay’s Super Bowl campaign that’s giving girls in STEM opportunities to pursue their dreams. As a mother of two girls, I’m so proud to star in a Super Bowl ad that reinforces the idea that they — and all girls — can do anything.”
The Commercial Addresses the Gender Divide in Many Industries
Yahoo quotes Eric Rose, associate Brand Director of Olay, as saying, “We recognize that many industries have yet to reach gender parity, which is why we’re using our Super Bowl ad to feature fearless women who have been trailblazers in their own industries as a way to inspire people everywhere to get involved and support Operation #MakeSpaceForWomen. Olay believes that when we make space for women, we make space for everyone.”
Madonna Badger, the CCO of Badger & Winters, who created the spot, echoed those sentiments and released a statement that read, “The Super Bowl is advertising’s biggest night, which is why we wanted to go big as well. With ‘Make Space for Women,’ we loved combining a bit of wordplay with the very serious world of science and technology — a world, by the way, that continues to exclude women in large numbers. We’re very excited to partner with Olay to help change that and thrilled to be working with so many talented women behind the camera.”
Stott Says She Was Impressed With Olay’s Campaign Idea
When collectSpace recently sat down with Stott to ask her if she was surprised that Olay wanted to feature a real astronaut for a commercial that would also have actresses and comedians, she said, “Whether it was me they hired or another astronaut, I was really impressed. The others who are involved in the commercial are very strong women and are prominent in their fields. We’ve been using the word trailblazing.”
She added, “But young girls seeing those women present, and then including a real astronaut, too, in this space-themed advertisement, I think it was genius. I think it allows it to be a very legitimate medium for a campaign that is encouraging young women in STEM.”
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