Olay is blasting into the cosmos on Super Bowl Sunday, forgoing the expected small steps by man to instead focus on the giant leaps taken by some inspiring women.
The P&G brand’s spot will feature an impressive all-female crew aboard the Olay Space Shuttle, with stars Lilly Singh and Busy Philipps on the launch, alongside retired astronaut, Nicole Stott. A few familiar faces back on Earth round out the cast, as Taraji P. Henson takes the reins at Mission Control, while Katie Couric keeps the viewing audience informed over the airwaves during the journey.
The lady’s mission: #MakeSpaceForWomen
Check out the newly released teaser:
A nod to last year’s all-female spacewalk, the creatively worded campaign looks to impact women of all ages while aiming to close the gender gap in technology fields and inspire the next generation of scientists, programmers, engineers, and beyond.
“We recognize that many industries have yet to reach gender parity,” Eric Rose, Olay’s Associate Brand Director, said in a statement, “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.”
To help spread the mission (back on the ground), Olay has teamed up with Girls Who Code and will donate $1 (up to $500,000) each time someone tags @OlaySkin and uses the campaign’s hashtag between January 15 and February 3.
It’s the second straight appearance for Olay during the Big Game, following last year’s “Killer Skin” ad, a comedically spun, 90s-era horror homage that featured Sarah Michelle Gellar. Like in 2019, the company’s overall vision will work to shift another dynamic, too: Although women make up nearly half of the NFL’s total fan base, the stars of the biggest ads on its biggest day aren’t as equal, with just over a quarter of past spots having starred women.
The reality of such lopsided numbers didn’t deter Olay or its creative partner, Badger & Winters, during the new campaign, though. Instead, they took the challenge head-on.
“The Super Bowl is advertising’s biggest night, which is why we wanted to go big as well,” Madonna Badger, Chief Creative Officer of Badger & Winters, added. “With ‘Make Space for Women,’ we loved combining a bit of word play 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.”
The 30-second spot is slated for blastoff during the fourth break of Super Bowl LIV. Assuming the ladies can find the keys, look for the ad to echo Busy Phillips’ inspiring thoughts:
“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.”
For more details about the campaign, check out Olay’s website here.