In Praise of the Greatest Ad in the History of Women's Sports

“We don’t have balls. But we know how to use them.”

Every once in a while, an advertisement just captures a moment in time perfectly. You simply have to tip your hat—so to speak —in admiration of these ads. Many of these ads become iconic in their own right, becoming more remembered than the people in them or the companies behind them. Now that's really not the aim of advertising, but....

Such ads become not just legendary in the AD game and win awards. They also become cultural touchstones. Such advertisements can be deliberately provocative. And indeed, one single AD can spark a wider conversation in society. An AD can also become iconic simply be because it seems to perfectly reflect and capture the mood of the moment, whether that be one of sadness or joy.

The list of such truly famous and groundbreaking ads can get lengthy. And yes, many an article has been written and posted along the lines of the "10 Greatest...," "The 25 Most Memorable...," "The 100 Best All-time..." ADs and advertisements. Whether an AD makes such a list or should not be on an "all-time" list can be the subject of not just academic debates, but some fun conference room and bar debates as well.

Certainly though, we Americans could point to any number of these iconic TV ads, even advertisements that aired only one time, such as Apple's "1984" Macintosh commercial...

... and Budweiser's "9/11 Tribute" AD for the 2011 Super Bowl, commemorating the victims of the September 11th attacks a a decade later—with, quite appropriately, no beer in sight!

It can be an AD that just makes one feel good, such as the 1971 "Hilltop" AD, which taught the world the song, "I'd like to buy the world a Coke..."

Or it can be an AD that does not make one feel good, such as the recent Gillette advertisement that sparked controversy—and conversation—over fusing its longstanding "The Best a Man Can Get" marketing slogan to call for men to be better when it comes to bullying and sexual harassment in the era of the #MeToo movement and concern over "toxic masculinity."

And so that brings us to the AD of the moment. In one advertisement, many of the beautiful—and troublesome—aspects of women's sports have been fused together! And no, despite the beer-fueled chants of "USA! USA! USA! USA!..." and "I believe that we will win! I believe that we will win! I believe that we will win!..." you may hear at your local Buffalo Wild Wings during this year's FIFA Women's World Cup, shouted by once every four years soccer fans who only know Alex Morgan from the SI swimsuit issue and could not tell a Rapinoe from a Ronaldo, the AD is not American!

It is remarkable that despite all the hype behind the US Women's National Team entering this year's World Cup (and yeah, they one their first game in 13-0 "squeaker" against Thailand)...

...which does lead to some unfortunate comparisons of the great success of the American women's national soccer team with their male counterparts.

An American company sponsoring US Soccer and the US Women's National Teamdid not create what will be the most memorable commercial from this global event.

Instead, the AD came from Germany.... and it is brilliant! And so without further ado, here's the commercial for you to watch:

Now there is so much substance contained in this 90 second AD. So many misperceptions about women in sports that are attacked head-on in just a minute and a half. There are touches on the bias against women who play sports, on the lack of acknowledgement of their sports as "equal" to their male counterparts, and on the male patriarchal mindset that fuels much of this. There is an acknowledgement that no matter what they may achieve on the field, they play in relative media obscurity. There is the expression of the female athlete to be respected in their own right, for their own achievements, and yes, for their femininity.

Here’s the full copy from the German Football Association (DFB) and Commerzbank advertisement:

"We play for a nation that doesn’t even know our names.

We’ve been European champions three times, right?

Wrong! Try eight times.

For our first title we were given a tea set.

Since we started out, we haven’t just fought against opponents.

We’ve fought against prejudice.

“Women are just there to have babies.”

“They belong in the laundry room.”

“It’s like watching amateurs in slow motion.”

But you know what…

We don’t have balls.

But we know how to use them.

We’re the ones with make-up on our faces.

We like to wear high heels and knee socks

We like to dance.

We’re into people who know what they want.

When it comes to role models, we just have to look in the mirror.

Don’t worry, you don’t need to know who we are.

You just need to know what we want.

We want to play our own game to our own beat."

The praise for the AD has been nearly universal—well, I think we can say, completely universal! Jenna West, writing in Sports Illustrated—yes, the same publication that covers more of Alex Morgan and other women's soccer stars (such as the aforementioned Megan Rapinoe below) in their swimsuits (well, sort of in their swimsuits..) than on the field—praised the commercial for the fact that in it, "Germany's women's national team is calling out every stereotype they've had to put with in sports."

Likewise, in The 18, Travis Yoestingpraised the commercial —which is, after all, a hype AD for "Die Nationalelf, easily the second-most successful team all time behind the US, for the fact that it "hits back at stereotypes of women’s football, prejudice and facing anonymity in their own country—and with a good dose of humor to boot."

And finally, Fast Company gave their perspective on the German AD, stating that in the commercial:

"It (the German Football Association) admits that it hasn’t invested enough in marketing the team by admitting the public doesn’t know who any of the players are. It openly mocks its own reward for the women’s first European championship: a tea set. It then brilliantly embraces these qualities to illustrate the grit and determination of its team, best summed up by the line, 'We don’t have balls. But we know how to use them.'" (emphasis added)

And the list of praising articles, posts, tweets, and comments for this AD could truly go on and on, an on and on....

And so, in the end, the aim of this article is to elevate this AD to the position and prominence it deserves. One AD doesn't make—and can't make—all things right or "even"—but this commercial does help the cause of women's sports, and not just in Germany or in Europe, but globally!

I think that in time, this AD will certainly be on those all-time "best of" lists, as it is so perfectly matched to the times, and it does serve to spark a conversation on women's sports. Kudos to the folks behind it, as the German association's AD works beautifully—if subtly—in making its points. It is not in your face. Rather, like any really good marketing vehicle, the AD seeks to convey its message in a convincing fashion.

And no, I don't think that anyone outside of a Commerzbank executive will note that they sponsored the AD. But that's not the point. They made their point—beautifully! And in the end, Commerzbank and the advertising minds that created this AD should be lauded for their efforts.

And big-time kudos and credit must be given as well to the folks heading up the German Football Association. They were more than willing to acknowledge their mistakes of the past in an effort to play-up the women who are representing their country today. It is a refreshingly honest advertisement, and in an age of #fakenews and #spin, and yes one where we do #embracedebate, the AD simply works!

So, if you find yourself in a sports bar watching a German women's game in the middle of the day over the next few weeks, it's OK, even if you are in Muncie rather than Munich or in Des Moines rather than Düsseldorf, to cheer just a bit for the German women... unless, of course, their defender takes out Alex Morgan! USA! USA! USA! USA!...

About David Wyld

David Wyld ([email protected]) is a Professor of Strategic Management at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana. He is a management consultant, researcher/writer, publisher, executive educator, and experienced expert witness. He is the founder and publisher of both The IDEA Publishing (The Best in News, Information and Content Marketing) and Modern Business Press (Creating the Readable - and Enjoyable - Academic Journal - Not an Oxymoron!).

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