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Katherine Heigl doesn’t mince words, candidly sharing what birthing an 8-pound baby can do to the human body—namely, causing such phenomena as the “coughing-fit panty blitz” and the “giggle dribble.”
Heigl, as the spokeswoman for Kimberly-Clark’s Poise brand, addresses the camera directly in a new ad called “Whisper,” in which she does the opposite, with a wink. The rom-com alum starts out with a brief ASMR-tinged intro—and a nod to her brash reputation—before getting louder to call attention to the issue at hand: bladder leaks that affect at least 50% of women.
The 30-second spot, part of Heigl’s ongoing relationship with Poise, will launch during Sunday night’s 97th Academy Awards on ABC, in the brand’s first appearance in the program in 15 years.
Poise won’t be alone in planting a female-centric flag in the live televised event, which is often called “the Super Bowl for women.”
“When you look at the audience, 60% of Oscar viewers are female, and it’s most popular with women 45-plus, which is the perfect demo for us,” Katie Moran, Kimberly-Clark’s president of adult and feminine care, told ADWEEK.
The Super Bowl for women
Besides Poise, Hershey-owned SkinnyPop, a first-time advertiser on the show, will air a cheeky spot with its new celebrity endorser Jennifer Aniston. Meanwhile, Visa’s cinematic ad centers on a female protagonist living out multiple dreams.
Novartis may re-air its much-loved Super Bowl ad, “Your Attention Please,” with Hailee Steinfeld, with women-targeted brands such as L’Oreal Paris, e.l.f. Cosmetics, and Ulta Beauty also joining the party.
Kraft Heinz, in a subtle nod to Brazilian best actress nominee Fernanda Torres, will drop a commercial called “I’m Still Here Too” from agency David São Paulo.
The Oscars draw a plethora of sponsors, from luxury goods and cruise lines to fashion and tech products, with Disney Advertising selling out its full inventory at $1.7 million to $2.3 million for 30 seconds. The awards fest is often the highest-rated entertainment show of the year on linear television, streaming for the first time in 2025 on Hulu, Fubo, and AT&T TV.
With its 19.5 million viewers in 2024—per the Barbenheimer bump—the broadcast doesn’t reach lofty Super Bowl heights in sheer numbers, but it’s still a significant cultural milestone. Some marketers re-run Big Game ads, while others use the platform to debut new work, underscoring a still-crucial role of water-cooler TV.
Getting real
Amid the female-targeted ads on Oscars night, the tenor of the messages is evolving. Case in point: Poise’s comedic take on bodily oopsies, which also featured a print ad in The Hollywood Reporter with the tagline, “Think of it as wardrobe malfunction insurance.”
That kind of pull-no-punches tone may signal a coming trend of other brands offering an unvarnished view of hot button issues like ambition, aging, stress, and societal expectations in ads featuring and targeting women.
A recent example: the Nike “So Win” spot from Super Bowl 59, one of ADWEEK’s favorites of the day, which could be less an outlier and more a bellwether, even during Hollywood’s most vaunted soiree.
“It’s been so refreshing to see formerly taboo topics around sexual wellness and menopause treated in a destigmatized way,” Liz Aviles, senior vice-presidentof strategy and cultural insights at agency Amp, said. “Brands’ perspectives are starting to align with what we’re seeing culturally around a healthier, more honest conversation around women in general and older women especially.”
With most of the Oscars ads still unaired, industry mavens like Aviles will be closely watching for clues to see “if the cultural and spending power of women over 50 is reflected,” she said. “It’ll be interesting to see how brands navigate that in terms of creative expression, because there’s definitely an energy heading into this event.”
But unlike the weighty marketing of the past several years, Chelsea Kauth, partner and executive creative director at Omelet, thinks there may be a lighter tone to future campaigns, while still tackling crucial topics.
“There’s a need for boldness and optimism in advertising,” Kauth said. “I hope and expect to see a good balance of both on Sunday.”
