Buick Celebrates Great 'Unseen' Moments in Women's Sports

Forty percent of athletes are women, yet they receive just 10 percent of media coverage. That stark disparity explains why you may have missed some scintillating moments in female college sports.

Buick focuses on such inequality in “See Her Greatness,” a March Madness campaign created with Leo Burnett and Jack Morton Worldwide.

But don’t expect to actually see Arike Ogunbowale’s buzzer beater from the 2018 women’s national championship basketball game between Notre Dame and Mississippi in the video above.

That clip and those below juxtapose audio, text and a pointed lack of visuals to illustrate the insufficient play NCAA women’s games receive across most media platforms. This state of affairs robs fans of real-time thrills, while cheating young athletes out of much-deserved recognition that can lead to pro contracts and sponsorship deals.

You can watch those highlights at this dedicated site, and visit the campaign’s YouTube channel for in-depth interviews and Q&A sessions with players and coaches. TOGETHXR, the media and commerce company launched by Alex Morgan, Chloe Kim, Simone Manuel and Sue Bird, helped develop that long-form content.

“As the auto brand with the largest percentage share of female buyers, Buick is committed to inclusivity and equality for women,” says Anthony Biondo, who leads the media strategy, partnerships and experiential marketing at the nameplate. “We hope to see a rise in the viewership of women’s sports and increase their representation in media coverage.”

He adds: “With the upcoming 50th anniversary of Title IX, we want women to see a brighter future for themselves in athletics and beyond.”

ESPN is preparing a raft of Title IX programming celebrating the landmark civil rights law and its enduring impact on female athletes. Last fall, Michelob Ultra pledged $100 million in media time to women’s sports over the next five years. And this week, Degree invited fans to fill out women’s March Madness brackets, noting that men’s teams receive an inordinate share of such attention.

CREDITS

Editorial
Cutters
Editor – Kathryn Hempel
Assistant Editor – Ryann Harrison
Flame – Steve Sweik | Ann Allen
Graphics – Scott Stephens
Color – Eric Mauer
Executive Producers – Becky Smialek | Heather Richardson
Producer – Alison Collins

Sound Design
Finger Music and Sound Design
Creative Director – Dave Hodge
Production Coordinator – Jordan Rich
Executive Producer – Ewa Miller

Agency Creative and Production
Executive Creative Directors – Steve Glinski, Tim Thomas
Creative Directors – Dan Councilor, Tom Topolewski, Chris Handyside, Vinny Dearaujo, Andre Felix
Business Affairs – Sarah Romain
Legal – Cynthia Fannon, Tina Conte
Talent Manager – Deb McCauley-Ellis, Doreen Jones
Director of Integrated Production – Brian Dooley
Executive Producer – Erik Zaar

Agency Account & Strategy
Account – Jim Bickers, Yanlin Sun, Emily Harrington, Lauren Pesta, Angela D’Aristotile, Natalya Sana
Strategy – Matt MacDonell, Julie Wagner, Roshen Mathew, Kaylin Scott
Community Management – John Hill, Mark Grossi