83,250,000.
Think about that number for a second. Yes, it’s big. Yes, it’s in the millions. It’s more than the population of most of the countries in the world. Believe it or not, that 8-digit number isn’t the population of Germany (they’re still hovering around 80,000,000); it’s American football fans. Specifically, the female ones.
Having long been a sport associated with its male fans, American Football has gone out of its way the past few years to show they care about women, a fan base that covers about 45% of their total viewers. With recent player scandals hurting their image among the legion of lady fans, the NFL has adopted a new organization, NOMORE, to help them repair.
Give a quick look at some of the other commercials that are supposed to air on Sunday (scantily clad woman + hamburgers = Carl’s Jr.), and there’d be reason to doubt their sincerity. But, don’t let hope vanish just yet. The best commercial airing during the Superbowl technically already came out last year.
Last summer, the feminine products company Always started a new ad campaign #LikeAGirl, encouraging people to stop using “like a girl” as an insult and instead, embrace the term to mean something more positive, to really show what it means to do things like a girl. Their original video exploded all over social media, reaching millions of people worldwide. Now? They’ve got a 60 second ad ready to reach millions more.
Football devotees are tuning in on Sunday to watch the game, the half-time show, and the very expensive commercials (seriously, they cost about $4.5 million just to air), and they’re going to notice those ads like #LikeAGirl. 83,250,000 of them are going to really appreciate it.