Buick’s March Madness ads link to live women’s games

General Motors-owned Buick is again using a March Madness campaign to point to the viewership disparity between men's and women’s games–but this time it is trying to fix it with ads. Continuing its “See Her Greatness” campaign from last year’s tournament, the brand will run banner ads on ESPN’s website that when clicked take viewers directly to ESPN’s streaming app, where they can access live women’s basketball games. The ads will run at the same time the women’s NCAA tournament is played. The games will be broadcast across ESPN channels, as well as on ABC. Viewers can click anywhere on the ads to be transported to ESPN’s online streaming site. The ads feature women who play college basketball including Aliyah Boston, Cameron Brink, Caitlin Clark, Azzi Fudd and Kiki Rice. Buick’s digital-only campaign also includes two ads featuring those players, and five documentary-style videos focusing on each athlete. The ads tell viewers that “to support the greatness of women athletes, all you need to do is watch.” They will run on Buick’s own channels, according to a brand representative. “As the automotive brand with the highest percentage of female buyers, Buick has an inherent responsibility to advocate for women’s rights and equality,” Molly Peck, chief marketing officer for global Buick and GMC, said in a statement. “As a brand, we have a history of supporting companies and causes that empower women. This year, we’re being even more aggressive in our effort to drive recognition for these amazing athletes.” Leo Burnett is behind the campaign. Ad Age Leading Women and Rising Stars Last call for the annual awards Enter here Buick, an NCAA sponsor since 2011, began the “See Her Greatness” campaign during last year’s tournament with ads that only featured audio—not video—of great moments from women’s NCAA sporting events. The approach was designed to illustrate how those moments only got 10% of the media coverage received by their male counterparts, according to the ad. This year, Buick is also leveraging TikTok by creating a #SeeHerGreatness hashtag, asking people and professional athletes to post about their favorite sports moments with videos showing them doing basketball tricks, for example. Buick will also host watch parties at Portland’s The Sports Bra, a lesbian-owned bar described as “the only bar in the country to exclusively broadcast women’s sports.” The NCAA in recent years has been called out for gender inequalities including unequal gifting practices, underfunding and less equipment for women’s teams. The NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship for years was not even allowed to use the trademarked March Madness phrase, until the NCAA reversed course. Sign up for Ad Age newsletters From influencer marketing to agencies, get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox Click here

Buick’s March Madness ads link to live women’s games

Featured Stories