UEFA and German national team sponsor Volkswagen (VW) launched a campaign controversially titled #NotWomensFootball which leveraged spiking interest in the team around UEFA Euro 2022 and criticises the use of the term ‘women’s football’ to describe games played by women’s teams.
Reflecting its commitment to ‘diversity’ – one of the auto group’s seven pillar principals – VW’s activation argues that that adding the word “women’s” gives an impression that it’s somehow not real football pointing out that men’s matches are simply called ‘football’.
The objective was to leverage its sponsorship of the Deutscher Fußball-Bund (DFB), generate support for the women’s side in the tournament while raising awareness of just how much women contribute to football and sport in all its forms around the world.
The campaign was spearheaded by a hero ‘Women Play Football’ spot which dropped on 6 July across TV, digital and social platforms linked to multi-platform supporting content – including more product specific executions focusing on vehicles such as the new ID. Buzz – through the hashtags #volkswagen, #wedrivefootball and #WEURO2022.
The lead ad includes the copy lines: “No women’s passes and no women’s goals. Women play football. #NotWomensFootball We are striving for more equality in football. It’s time for a rethink.”
“Our campaign is a wake-up call to raise awareness and encourage people to question how they use language. It is language that shapes the way people think about the world,” said VW Volkswagen Passenger Cars Management Board Member Imelda Labbé. “At Volkswagen we believe in the power of diversity in all areas, to achieve great transformations together. These include sustainable electromobility, which we committed to at an early stage as pioneers.”
“The discussion about equal opportunities for men and women in professional sports is gaining ground around the world,” added Germany national team captain Alexandra Popp. “I think it’s good that Volkswagen is also driving the discussion in football. The hashtag #NotWomensFootball will generate a lot of conversation. It is an important step towards recognizing the great performances produced by all female footballers, whether they play at an amateur or professional level.”
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VW has a strong track record of supporting and marketing around football: with tie-ups ranging from a long-time partnership of VfL Wolfsburg (a club once considered to be the company’s works team), to a partnership with US Soccer, as well as with UEFA.
Amongst its previous stand out soccer activations were its UEFA Euro 2020 ‘Change The Game’ and US Soccer’s ‘Jump On the Wagon’.
Many in the media and in marketing believe that UEFA Euro 2022 marks the women’s game moving in to the mass market mainstream and the tournament comes after a rapid period of change and growth for the game. Indeed, under the umbrella ‘Time for Action’ programme, UEFA has made major equality investments in European football since 2019 with the aim of doubling the number of female players in Europe by 2024.
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