It’s the broadcast where the average cost of advertising is $5 million for a single 30 second spot. It’s the holy grail in television advertising and for the past few years The 3% Conference, the movement which is focused on females comprising far more than 3% of creative directors in advertising, have hosted a parallel event: A Super Bowl Tweetup.
How do you know if we’re #notbuyingit during the #SuperBowl ? Apply the 3% Test. What’s the 3% Test? So glad you asked.
1. Is there a woman?
2. Is she defying stereotypes?
3. Is she the hero? #3percentsb— The 3% Conference (@3PercentConf) February 2, 2018
Yesterday in the 5th annual SB tweet up, female creatives from all over the states tweeted in real-time their reactions to the ads, using the hashtag #3percentsb.
So far Super Bowl ads look like @realDonaldTrump cabinet: not a woman in sight. #3percentsb
— Katherine M. Gordon (@katgordon) February 5, 2018
The thinking is simple: women watch equally and buy and share socially in greater numbers than men on Super Bowl Sunday.
Ads with female appeal are, evidently, going to generate the best return and who better to judge that than female media-makers who know exactly what goes into making a Super Bowl TV ad?
Who do you think buys most Pringles, @pringles? There's a huge amount of money to be made out of taking women who actually do the purchasing seriously. #3percentsb #SBLII #NotBuyingIt
— cindygallop.eth (@cindygallop) February 5, 2018
Women exercise most of the purchasing power in the US but advertisers still cater – largely – to men. Unsurprisingly, female appeal doesn’t seem to be a focus point for many making the Super Bowl ads and thanks to #3percentsb this did not – and will not – go unnoticed.
The fact there were more dinosaurs as leads than women? Disappointing.
https://twitter.com/marandaryser/status/960311640397893632
Judging by the volume of tweets shared using the #3percentsb hashtag females – creatives and consumers – are all too happy to call out the gender disparity in advertising. Where most ads were aimed towards men, women wanted to call it out.
Final results: 4 female directors, 2 #POC directors (male), and everyone in the room loves @Tide #SB52 #SuperBowl #AdBowl #3percentsb @FreeTheBid #advertising #diversity #DontForgetPOCProductionCompanies pic.twitter.com/Mw6n5HOaWY
— Cortez Brothers (@cortezbrothers) February 5, 2018
On Twitter Cindy Gallop, a prolific and ferociously committed advocate for gender equality, asked whether the powers that be in advertising had missed the memo about #MeToo, #TimesUp and even #3percentsb.
“Anybody who doesn’t realize that it is time to abandon the old world order and be part of the new is going to get run over in the wake,” she said recently.
This is the first time that I've felt included in a #SuperBowl ad tonight AND it was woman directed @CocaCola @WiedenKennedy #3percentsb #MediaWeLike pic.twitter.com/x3WpH8TyAN
— Parker Shea (@parker_shea) February 5, 2018
The flipside to calling it out when companies get it wrong, people wanted to praise the ads and companies that got it right.
https://twitter.com/kristinamonllos/status/960552999335661570
Advertisers ought to take note: women are not niche and they’re increasingly reluctant to accept the status quo. The same old is no longer going to cut it.