Dive Brief:

• Procter & Gamble's Olay brand will air its first in-game Super Bowl spot this year, per details shared with Marketing Dive. 
• Olay worked with agency Saatchi & Saatchi on the commercial, which the brand says takes an "unexpected and humorous" turn. The ad is scheduled to run during the first half of the game. 
• As part of its Super Bowl campaign, Olay is giving away two tickets to Super Bowl LIII via its Skin Advisor platform. To enter, consumers participate in a Skin Advisor survey online or through its app. The Olay Skin Advisor offers skin analysis and personalized product recommendations based on a selfie and a questionnaire.

Dive Insight:

Procter & Gamble continues to come out with initiatives that try to break down outdated gender stereotypes and push for equality. Running an in-game ad for its Olay brand aligns with that commitment and is an effort to start new conversations around the Super Bowl, which has been traditionally dominated by male-centric messaging with women depicted in highly sexualized roles. Olay is also aiming to create a connection with the 45% of NFL fans who are women, according to AdAge, citing a 2018 NFL Fan Insights Study by Taylor. 

Olay’s Super Bowl campaign could resonate with female football fans by offering a memorable experience, and the ticket giveaway will help the brand boost engagement on its Skin Advisor platform and reach new consumers. Olay has doubled it sales conversion rate, reduced its bounce rate for online visitors by one-third and increased average basket size since launching the artificial intelligence-powered Skin Advisor in 2016. The brand unveiled several new Skin Advisor features at the recent Consumer Electronics show, including the Future You Simulation, which uses an algorithm to age up photos of users to predict what their skin may look like over the years. 

Brands don't always have an easy time of it when they try to break down gender stereotypes. This week, P&G's Gillette brand launched a new campaign and short film about toxic masculinity that has been the focus of a backlash from some consumers. The Olay effort may be more welcomed by its target audience. Women comprised about half of last year’s Super Bowl audience, and were 26.1% more focused on the ads than men and 27% more likely to be paying attention to the game, according to a Forbes report on TVision Insights data. Despite being football fans and more engaged with the big game, women tend to be overlooked by Super Bowl advertisers. Last year, the number of Super Bowl ads featuring women increased from 62% to 73%, but the ads with women in significant roles dropped from 43% to 34%, according to ABX research.

Olay isn’t the only female-focused brand to launch a Super Bowl campaign this year. Dating app Bumble is teaming up with tennis champ Serena Williams on a yearlong campaign, “The Ball is in Her Court,” which is launching during the Super Bowl. The push carries a message of women’s empowerment, urging them to make the first move, like Bumble app users, in all areas of life. The campaign will run across multiple platforms, including an ad during the game.