Sports has always played an important role in encouraging ideas in people's minds, and the automotive industry has joined the bandwagon on every occasion. Volkswagen is choosing football this time in a bid to raise awareness about the place of women in sports perceived as meant exclusively for men.
It's hard to believe that such campaigns are still needed in 2022, but I personally see it more as a refreshing of memory. The truth is that women have always struggled to demonstrate their qualities and occupy an equal place next to men. Yes, we may not have the same physical strength, but we do have that invincible inner power that helps us move mountains.
Going back in history, it was in 20th century when women gained more courage to stand out for their rights in their fight for equality, starting with the so-called three waves of feminism. In the U.S., women were able to vote for the first time in 1920, when the 19th Amendment was passed.
As far as women's involvement in male-centric sports, Patricia Palinkas was the first woman to play American football, in 1970. Since then, the chatter moved to the controversy regarding women in this sport, including converning their equipment and how it should look on the field to attract more fans.
In 2014, a study by the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport revealed that only 40% of all sports participants are female, and they receive far too little attention from the media, namely only 4%.
Photo: Time
On the other hand, the automotive and racing fields are another traditionally male-dominated fields, yet conquered from time to time by women. One well-known example is Danica Patrick, the first woman to win an IndyCar race, all the way back in 2008. Women have not only excelled behind the wheel, but also at the helm of car companies, like say Dorothée Pullinger, who helped design a car specifically with women in mind, the Galloway.
And because the media is a strong source of influence over people, it is now the turn of women to benefit from its support. In 2018, for instance, Jaguar revealed two campaigns, for E-PACE and all-electric I-PACE, in which the woman is embodied as confident, strong and respected in the automotive field, initiating awareness in the world of car advertising to address both women drivers and men.
Now Volkswagen has decided to join the ongoing movement to support women in male-centric fields, more specifically soccer (they call it football over in Europe), through the current #NotWomensFootball campaign. Strategically scheduled for a significant impact, the campaign was launched on July 6 at UEFA Women’s EURO 2022.
The use of the hashtag is not accidental, since social platforms and people use it as an important tool to initiate discussions, identify themselves and support their interests. For the Volkswagen campaign, the #NotWomensFootball hashtag will catch the eye on the digital boards in the opening match, enlivened by an emotional video in the background.
Volkswagen began supporting UEFA in its goal of giving women equal opportunities in soccer in 2019, when UEFA invested heavily in European soccer in order to double the number of women players by 2024.
Photo: Volkswagen
Needing all available support, #NotWomensFootball campaign is taking place in coordination with the German National Team (DFB), led by captain Alexandra Popp, who said: "The discussion around equal opportunities for men and women in professional sports is gaining traction around the world. I think it’s good that Volkswagen is also driving the discussion in football."
In the end, it's not about who wins the Earth, women or men, but about the freedom for everyone to be themselves, matching in a puzzle what helps us evolve together towards our best versions.
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