Oxygen Media debuted its women's cable network in February 2000, three days after hyping the introduction with this Super Bowl spot showing babies asserting their strength. It was created by Mullen, which had been acquired by Interpublic's Lowe unit the summer before.
“Rather than tell women what Oxygen does and why it’s good for them, we’re telling women what Oxygen believes in and inviting them to join us, help shape those beliefs and become co-creators in the process,” Edward Boches, executive creative director at Mullen, said before the game.
The network was founded by CEO Geraldine Laybourne, a veteran of children's cable who helped introduce Nickelodeon in the early 1980s. Early programming included shows from Oprah Winfrey, who would go on to create her own Oprah Winfrey Network, and Candice Bergen as well as some WNBA games.
More than a year after its introduction, the network was still working toward national cable distribution and enduring other growing pains, but it would gain a foothold among some viewers with a programming shift toward reality programming such as "Girls Behaving Badly," "The Bad Girls Club" and "Tori & Dean: Inn Love.” NBC Universal bought it in 2007 for roughly $925 million.
By 2016, however, the parent company was discussing with "Law & Order" creator Dick Wolf the prospect of refocusing the network on hot genre of true crime.
Ads for Super Bowl host networks' own programming are exceedingly common in the big game, but ads for other TV outlets are rare. Other exceptions include TruTV's spot for "NFL Full Contact" in 2010 and History Channel's commercial for "Swamp People" in 2012.
Production company: Tate USA.
Copywriters: Spencer Deadrick, Kara Goodrich. Art director: Amy Watt.
BRAND: Oxygen Media
YEAR: 2000
AGENCY: Mullen
SUPERBOWL: XXXIV