Audi is using its Super Bowl ad to promote gender pay equality via a tale about a father and daughter in the latest example of a marketer linking itself to female empowerment.
The 60-second spot, which was released Wednesday, is called "Daughter" and shows a dad pondering how society will value his daugther's worth as he looks on while his young child competes in a downhill cart race. He wonders, "What should I tell my daughter….that she will automatically be valued less than every man she'll ever meet?" The spot ends on a positive note, with the father expressing hope that she will be treated fairly, as Audi pledges its commitment to equal pay for equal work.
The ad, by Venables Bell & Partners, will run in the third quarter.
Female empowerment ads have risen in popularity in recent years. Bud Light, for instance, last year gave a shout-out to equal pay for women in an ad that co-starred Amy Schumer.
What is notable about Audi's spot is that it was directed by a woman -- Aoife McArdle, a top director repped out of Somesuch and Anonymous Content who has directed big-brand work for the likes of P&G (Secret), Under Armour, Honda and Samsung. Last year, McArdle directed a spot for Secret that also carried an equal pay message.
Gender inequity remains a huge issue in the ad production business. Women comprised only 9.7% of the rostered directors of the production companies that made Ad Age and Creativity's Production Company A-List in 2015, according to an analysis Mashable did of the list for a story published last year.
Gender inequality in the industry inspired the launch of the "Free the Bid" movement last year, an initiative calling on agencies and brands to include a female director on any triple-bid production projects.
"As part of the message of equality, Audi felt it was important to use a female director," said a brand spokeswoman.
