The Women’s Football Alliance (WFA), the largest, longest running and most competitive women’s tackle football league in the world, partnered with Havas New York, the North American flagship agency of Havas Creative Network, on a campaign designed to highlight the disparity and inequity that still exists between men and women playing the exact same sport. During the big game, the biggest advertising spectacle in the nation, WFA posed a simple ask to all the major advertising brands: “give us a second”. With a single 30-second commercial costing an estimated $7M – or $233,330 per second, WFA shared how a single second of attention and funding could change their game forever.
“The idea was simple but powerful,” said Dan Lucey, Chief Creative Officer at Havas New York. “We wanted to gain awareness for women’s football and garner some love from the big brands spending millions to advertise at the Big Game. For a fraction of cost, they could have a big impact by advertising with WFA.”
The campaign kicked off with a short tweet:
$233,333 – the average cost of every commercial second in tonight’s big game. That amount could sponsor an entire season of women’s pro football. So we’re asking brands to take a look at the WFA and help us grow this amazing sport. #GiveUsASecond
As brands tweeted out their commercials simultaneously as they aired during the game, WFA joined the conversation in real time by tweeting back at major brands like Avocados from Mexico, Squarespace, Doritos and more-piggybacking on their social media spend, reach and audience.
In under 24 hours, #GiveUsASecond has been retweeted thousands of times and reached over 1 million people, capturing the attention of fans, athletes, and media from across the country.
“We are always appreciative of organizations that are willing to support our mission to push forward the next generation of female athletes,” said Jess Dodge, Chief Executive Officer of WFA Pro. “When Havas New York presented this idea, we were hopeful and confident that a strong message would generate broad awareness for the inequities in women’s sports.”
For perspective, a $200,000 sponsorship could fund a professional WFA National Championship weekend including high quality production, incredible fan experience and player recognition. Similarly, $500,000 could fund all player registration fees with their teams for an entire season, making it so they no longer must pay to play at the highest level of their sport.
After playing, WFA players have used their experience and football knowledge to have successful coaching careers. Over 25 WFA alumni have accepted NFL coaching and scouting positions, including current NFL full-time coaches, Jennifer King, (Washington Commanders), Callie Brownson (Cleveland Browns) and Lori Locust (Tennessee Titans).
“Research shows that 84% of general sports fans are interested in women’s sports, yet women’s sports currently receive less than 1% of global sports sponsorship dollars,” said Pamela Kim, Executive Creative Director at Havas New York and the creative behind the campaign. “‘Give Us A Second’ is so much more than a clever stunt —it’s an important call to action and fight for equality. It’s a reminder of how small a second may be, but how much of an impact it can make.”
For more information on the campaign and to learn more about WFA, visit www.WFAProFootball.com
