Dove will air a 30-second commercial, ‘The Game Is Ours,’ during the second quarter of the Super Bowl on February 8. Created in partnership with Ogilvy, the spot spotlights girls’ confidence, strength and joy in sport.
The film features more than 90 young athletes across disciplines, including swimming, track and field, American football and mixed martial arts. Rather than relying on music, the ad uses the real sounds of movement, footsteps, breaths and impacts as its soundtrack. Those sounds build in intensity, symbolically overpowering the negative body talk that often surrounds girls in sport.
Marcela Melero, chief growth officer for Dove Personal Care and Masterbrand North America, said the campaign responds to the growing number of girls leaving sport due to appearance-based criticism.
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“Girls are leaving sports at alarming rates due to body confidence pressures,” she explained. “Now, more than ever, they deserve environments and support systems that celebrate who they are and what they can do – not what they look like. This campaign is about more than a single moment; it’s part of an ongoing, long-term effort from Dove to remind every girl that her joy, confidence and love for sports is louder than any criticism she faces.”
Dove-backed research shows that nearly half of girls who quit sports have experienced criticism about their body type – feedback that erodes confidence and enjoyment in activities proven to support self-esteem.
As part of the campaign, Dove is expanding its Body Confident Collective, bringing together high-profile athletes, coaches and advocates to help protect girls’ confidence on and off the field. Partners include Billie Jean King, Dawn Staley, Mia Hamm, Alyssa Thompson, Kylie Kelce and Odessa Jenkins, alongside rising tennis talent Victoria Mboko.