The Gender Care Gap is at the centre of Vorwerk and the DFB's communication activities
The German Federal Statistical Office’s latest survey on the Gender Care Gap found that women in Germany do an average of 79 minutes more unpaid care work per day, compared to men.
Under the campaign slogan “The time is now”, Vorwerk and the DFB women's national team used the visibility surrounding the DFB women's international matches to draw attention to the unequal conditions.
In this Success Story:
The idea
Vorwerk has been a partner of the German women's national team since 2023. United by the common values of passion, team spirit and the persistent pursuit of development, the household appliance manufacturer has utilised the partnership to underline their commitment to a strong community of consultants, customers and employees.
While women spend an average of four hours and 16 minutes per day on care work, men only spend two hours and 57 hours. Under the motto “The time is now”, Vorwerk and the DFB women's national team are using the visibility surrounding the women's national team's matches to create more attention on the gender care gap and the traditional division of labour.
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The solution
Ahead of the qualifying match against Iceland for the UEFA Women's EURO 2025 on April 9, 2024, Vorwerk utilised the power of training kit sponsorship to portray an eye-catching message on the women's national team's anthem jackets and warm-up shirts, showcasing the inequality in the gender care gap.
In front of a strong home crowd in Aachen, and with hundreds of thousands of viewers watching from home, the campaign got off to a great start. The activation with the accompanying social media campaign, a dedicated landing page and on-site activities caught the eyes of the nation and the DFB Women added the cherry on the cake by securing a 3-1 win.
The results
Representative SPORTFIVE survey in Germany (May 2024):
Approximately one quarter (27%) of those surveyed, including a third of those interested in football (33%) and almost half of those interested in women's football (45%) were aware of the joint campaign by the women's national team & Vorwerk on the Gender Care Gap during the Iceland match.
The campaign was predominantly seen via social media as well as during the live broadcast of the game, where approximately 40% of all target groups came across it on social media, and 35-40% during the live broadcast.
The campaign was predominately positively received across all target groups. In the nationally representative sample, 66% of respondents who were aware of the campaign responded positively, and among those interested in women's football, this figure rose to 78%.
45 %
of those interested in women's football in Germany have noticed the Vorwerk activation
78 %
of those interested in women's football liked the activation very much
86 %
of those interested in women's football find it important that sponsors are committed to socially relevant issues
“Many women want victories on the pitch and draws at home. We believe that this topic deserves long-term attention and are delighted that we have found the ideal partner for this in the German women's national soccer team.”
Dr. Bettina Graf, Head of Vorwerk customer marketing Germany
Campaign impressions
What's in it for you?
Authentic, down-to-earth, socially competent and professional: female athletes have the perfect qualifications to represent their sport and their sponsors.
The rise of women’s sport in recent years has caught the attention of brands and consumers around the world.
With data experts such as Nielsen reporting that women’s sport is being perceived as more family-friendly, fairer, more authentic and more honest than many men's sports, it’s perhaps no surprise that the space is getting more coverage than ever before.
Coinciding with a growing trend amongst brands to use more value-oriented messaging, women’s sport has become the perfect platform for forward-thinking brands to reach their target audiences.
