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How to Make People Actually Care About Your Brand (No Super Bowl Budget Required)
Oh, so long ago, like two weeks ago?! I was watching the Super Bowl—partly for the game, mainly for the snacks, and definitely for the ads.
Some were fun. Some were forgettable. But a couple hit me differently. They weren’t overly flashy or funny but stood for something more.
Two Commercials That Stuck with Me
The Dove commercial opened with a little girl, maybe three years old, running across a field, all confidence and joy.
Then came the gut punch:
“At 14, half of girls will quit sports because they don’t like how they look.”
…Half.
That statistic landed deeply in my heart. Just weeks before, I had been talking with my daughter-in-law about this very thing—how we adore my baby granddaughter, Seylah Rose’s (adorable) chunky thighs, yet somehow, as we grow older, it becomes an art form to criticize our own.
We go from celebrating soft rolls and squishy legs to believing they must be hidden or fixed at all costs.
It’s a shift that happens so subtly we hardly notice—until we see it reflected back at us.
That little girl in this powerful Dove commercial wasn’t thinking about her appearance. She was running, playing, just being. But somehow, between that age and 14…the rules change.
Dove wasn’t just selling soap. They were bravely (and beautifully) challenging a cultural norm.
And then came Nike’s ad—crafted, of course, by Portland powerhouse Wieden + Kennedy—reminding us of the contradictions women in sports hear every day:
- “You can’t be emotional.”
- “You can’t fill stadiums.”
- “You can’t put yourself first.”
And their response?
Win anyway.
Whether you’re an athlete, an entrepreneur, a leader, or just someone trying to make a positive difference in the world—there will always be people telling you what you can’t do.
Win anyway.
So… What’s the Lesson Dove and Nike Have in Common?
Most of us don’t have a Super Bowl-sized budget (if you do, we need to talk). But we do have a platform—how we lead, how we communicate, and how we build relationships.
People don’t connect with what you sell or what you do. They connect with what you stand for – your purpose.
Your purpose is what helps people lean in and listen. Your purpose is the way they connect with you. Your purpose is the way you stand out.
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