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.
The Ad Council, partnering with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and AdoptUSKids, launched a public service campaign, created pro bono by Edelman, which aims to inspire prospective parents to consider adopting a teen from foster care.
This centerpiece PSA titled “The Rewards”--directed by The Hudson Dusters (Michael Kuhn and Niles Roth) via Greenpoint Pictures--spotlights real adoptive families who have personally experienced the mutual benefits of adoption. This longer form PSA (and cutdown versions) begins with a touching display of openness and vulnerability as adoptive parents reflect on their adoption journeys and their initial questions and hesitations about adopting a teen. Then, in a deeply emotional turn, the adoptive parents witness their children recounting the profound rewards of adoption in their lives. The teens speak of the love they share with their parents and how the decision to become a family is reciprocal. The campaign directs viewers to the AdoptUSKids website to learn more about adopting a teen from foster care.
