Advertising copywriter Anja Muller recently hit one of her career goals, when an advert she worked on was shown on US TV during the Super Bowl ad break.
The ad for Dove is titled Hard Knocks, and features young girls playing sports and experiencing the lows and falls of competition. Anja and her creative partner at ad agency Ogilvy London have been working with Dove for nine years.
“As a brand,” Anja explained, “Dove does a lot to help build the body confidence of women and girls, and this particular campaign is promoting their new Body Confident Sports Program. The aim is to combat the fact that 45% of girls quit sport by age 14 (in the United States).
“The idea for the ad was inspired by seeing how resilient my daughter is when she plays, as well as thinking back to when I was younger playing ice hockey and football. If you fall, you dust yourself off and keep going without thinking twice. But the mental strain of low body confidence is much harder to play through, which is why it’s the number one reason girls quit.
“Knowing that this film was shown during the Super Bowl is a dream when it comes to working in advertising. Although the UK doesn’t get to see the same ads as the US, so, sadly, I didn’t get to see my moment in the spotlight on my TV in Lindfield!”
Watch Anja’s poignant advert here: