Katie Sowers is a woman of firsts. She is not only the first woman to coach for the San Francisco 49ers, she is the first woman to coach in the NFL Playoffs, and on February 2, she will become the first woman to coach in the Super Bowl. Her story is empowering and inspiring for the next generation of girls and women, and for anybody who aspires to lead. But unlike Jackie Robinson, Billie Jean King, and other game-changing leaders in sports, too few people know Sowers’ story. That is why Microsoft and McCann New York worked with director Peter Berg of production house Film 47 to show Sowers telling her own story, from a backyard in Kansas City all the way to the pinnacle of the NFL, in a way that will inspire us all. And she will tell it in this commercial on the NFL’s biggest stage—the Super Bowl.
The Big Game spot is an extension of the “We All Win” campaign from 2019, which featured the line “When everybody plays, we all win.”
Credits
Client Microsoft Agency McCann New York Sean Bryan, Tom Murphy, co-chief creative officers; Shayne Millington, EVP, global executive creative director; Dabo Che, creative director; Gabrielle Shirdan, Geoff Bentz, Nick Howell, VPs/creative directors; Nick Ciomperlik, Ricardo Munoz, David Perea, Nickie Thongton, associate creative directors; Chris Mitton, EVP, executive creative director; Michael Aimette, executive creative director; Ash Farr, EVP, global director, strategy and research; Jordan Berger, strategy director; Carolyn Johnson, SVP, head of integrated production; Rebecca Magner, Nina Roussarie, sr. producers; Morgan Edstrom, producer; Caroline Sollmann, art producer; Eric David Johnson, SVP, executive music producer. Production Film 47 Peter Berg, director; Helga Gruber, exec producer; Taylor Steadman, line producer; Vic Palumbo, president. Editorial No6/Rock Paper Scissors James Duffy, editor (No6); Frank Snider, Damion Clayton, editors (RPS). Post/VFX Method Studios NY Graham Dunglinson, exec producer; Hayley Wallach, Alyssa Giuliano, producers; Randie Swanberg, VFX supervisor/ECD; Margolit Steiner, Chihcheng Peng, Kevin Quinlan, Brandon Danowski, Yoshiko Hirata, Mark Woit, Matt Welch, Cecilie, Aaron Neitz, Pilan Lectez, VFX team; Steven Lee, AE animator. Color Company 3 LA Stefan Sonnenfeld, colorist; Gabriel Wakeman, sr. producer; Ashley McKim, exec producer. Music JSM Joel Simon, CEO/CCO/co-composer; Nathan Padgett, co-composer; Jeff Fiorello, VP/exec producer; Norm Felker, Andrew Manning, producers. Audio Sonic Union Rob Ballingall, audio engineer; Justine Cortale, exec producer; Patrick Sullivan, producer.
Stain remover Vanish presents this emotional short film--created by BETC Havas, Sao Paulo, and produced by LOBO--that explores the profound consequences of bullying and highlights the importance of open conversations between parents and children. Titled The Bully Monster, the animated film premiered at the Maquinaria Festival in Rio de Janeiro on February 15 in a special edition featuring family-focused programming.
The film’s protagonist is a boy who experiences bullying at school but keeps silent about his suffering. Isolation turns sadness into insecurity, creating invisible emotional scars that only grow in the absence of dialogue. When his mother notices stains on his uniform, these marks become the starting point for a revealing conversation. As words find space to make themselves heard, the stains begin to fade.
This initiative aligns with the Vanish Saves Your Uniform campaign, which, for the past three years during the back-to-school season, has engaged with parents by positioning the brand as a trusted partner in preserving school uniforms. This year, Vanish decided to broaden the conversation, bringing bullying into the debate as the real stain that can impact a child’s life.
The Bully Monster is being screened as preshow material in movie theaters starting February 20 and will also be available on streaming platforms and digital channels. In addition to the film, the campaign will include out-of-home activations and school initiatives through a partnership with Abrace – Preventive Programs, the founding organization of the “Bullying-Free Schools” program, which has been equipping institutions with resources to combat school violence for 12 years.
“Research indicates that stains on a uniform can... Read More
