2023 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

Whether it’s funding, world records or media coverage, the sports world focuses on male athletes as the default, and women athletes as secondary. This disparity in the perception and treatment of men’s and women’s sports is part of a systemic problem affecting representation, media coverage, pay equity and opportunity for female athletes. As the world of sport continues to make female athletes and their achievements less visible, girls around the world struggle to find
female athletes they can look up to.

As an advocate for gender equity, the YWCA saw the power of tackling the issue of gender inequity in a culturally relevant space, like sport,
to start a conversation that could extend beyond it.

They wanted to start a conversation about gender inequity in sport. So, they asked the question: why are men’s sports just called sports, when women’s sports are called women’s sports? The answer: because men’s sports are the default,
leaving women to be considered second, if they’re included at all.

They did something about it. They took the most iconic men's sports league logos and did a simple redesign: they added the M to match the W, which often serves as an asterisk marking women’s sports as separate, different, and less worthy.

They targeted key sports figures who were known for being vocal about gender equity. They recruited Christine Sinclair, Blake Murphy, Jennifer Hedger, Tara Slone and Donnovan Bennett. Early support from these advocates was critical to giving the campaign credibility and expanding our social media reach organically.

The campaign was launched on YWCA social channels with a video that told the story of the initiative, and featured videos of their supporters advocating for the cause. Then they created multiple ways for people to spread the word, with sweaters and stickers in the real world, free downloadable badges, and digital M stickers so people could hack logos on Instagram, all tied together with the call to action and hashtag #addtheM.

Add the M made headlines across the globe in over 170 publications, achieving a total overall reach of over 102 million impressions at the time of writing.

Soon, people around the world started to add the M to more league logos - the Women’s Football Fan Collective, for example, added the M to the English Premier League, as well as other leagues and cups.

A great creative idea doesn’t always require significant investment in order to have impact, and Add the M is a perfect example of that. They started a conversation with absolutely no paid media support behind it, achieving an earned media value
of over 46,000% above our investment.

They let girls around the world know that their achievements, both within sports and beyond, matter. This is the first step to levelling the playing field,
and we've got a lot more work to do.

Credits

Chief Creative Officer: Aaron Starkman
Executive Creative Director: Mike Dubrick
Head of Art: Joel Holtby
Creative Director: Leia Rogers
ACD/Art Director: Skye Deluz, Hayley Hinkley
ACD/Copywriter: Jacquelyn Parent
CSO: Sean McDonald
Strategy Director: Nicole Rajesky
Producer: Teresa Bayley, Kyle Hicks
Studio Artists: Brad Kumar, Todd Bennett
Editor: Tyler Erdalac, Thomas McKeen
Sound Editor: Grayson Music
Developer: Brad Stapleton, Steve Lam
Group Account Director: Kat McKeen
Account Director: Kennedy Crawford
Account Manager: Nicole Kerrigan, Jessie Durand
Strategic Communications Lead: Meredith Montgomery
Account Director: Sara Lemmermeyer
Editorial Lead: Lianne George
PR Coordinator: Kaitlyn Vian

Client:
Amy Juschka, Director, Advocacy and Communications