Axa launches podcast for women's soccer

"Steilpass" is the name of Axa's newly launched podcast. It deals with topics relating to women's football and is part of a global campaign that aims, among other things, to increase the visibility of women in sport.

Axa has been actively supporting Swiss women's football since 2020 and has now launched Switzerland's first podcast on the topic together with Winterthur-based Podcastschmiede. Former footballer Sarah Akanji has been recruited as the host and is an expert on the topic. Topics of the first season include equal opportunities, female empowerment and the compatibility of a career in professional sport with a simultaneous career. The first season of six episodes will be released by January 2024. Further seasons are planned until the European Championships in 2025.

Campaign to promote the visibility of women in sport

The podcast is part of a large-scale global campaign by the Axa Group to promote equality for women. Being a woman should not be a risk, nor should it lead to unequal treatment of any kind. The latter is still an issue in sport in particular, and also in Switzerland. According to a 2021 study, only 13% of Swiss sports coverage features women.

The local campaign aims to draw attention to this by means of a mega poster at Zurich Airport, among other things, but also via social media.


Responsible at the Axa Group: Ulrike Decoene (Group Head of Communication, Brand & Corporate Responsibility), Virginie Berçot (Global Brand Director), Ida De Catuelan (Brand Expert), Emma Oumeddour (Global Brand Project officer), Jêrôme Amouyal (Media, Performance & Insights Director), Marine Gissy (Global Media Manager); responsible at AXA Switzerland: Antonia Lepore (Head Marketing Communication), Claudia Suter (Head Brand & Advertising), Jennifer Bächtold (Advertising Manager), Nadja Gysin (Content Manager), Heike Gross (Content Manager); Lilian Schmidt (Brand Manager), David Blust (Social Media Manager), Alex Wegmann (Multimedia Producer), Joëlle Jeitler (Communications Manager), Marcel Rubin (Communications Manager); responsible at Publicis Conseil: Patrick Leclercq (Global Client Lead), Sylvain Michel (Client Services Lead), Anne Schneider (Senior Account Director), Maude Gourrier (Account Director), Manon Rabette Gache (Account Manager), Alastair Maclean (Head of Strategic Planning), Antoine Collignon (Strategic Planner Lead), Marco Venturelli (President Overseeing Creativity), Steve O'Leary (Global Executive Creative Director), Laura Aondio (Art Director), Francesca Vitello (Copywriter), Alexandre Perdereau (Art Director), Lucie Puybonnieux (Art Director); responsible at Prodigious Conseil: Alexia Besnarous (Post producer), Zoé Sassier (Editor Dircut), Yves Beloniak (Editor), Simon Bourne (Grading artist, Company 3), Dan Niculescu (Flame artist), Dan Niculescu (Graphiste after effect), Armelle Sudron (Print & Post Production), Peter Funch (Photographer), Guillaume Nadaud (Photographer Image Bank), Artifices (Retouching), Cécile Cuzin (Process Manager); responsible for the sound track Girls just want to have fun: Robert Hazard (Writer), Buzzy Lee (Singer), Adam Gunther (Producer), Sasha Spielberg (Producer), Christopher Caurret (Creative director Sound Publicis France), Carsten Krueger (Sound producer), Sony Music Publishing for 100% of the publishing rights; responsible at Publicis Zurich: Matthias Koller (overall responsibility), Philipp Klink (Senior Copywriter), Sebastian Danielsson (Senior Art Director), Cedric Fuchs (Art Director), Flurin Hardt (Senior Account Director), Stefania Bertolo (Account Director); responsible at WPP Global: Agathe Pacault (Global Client Lead), Sacha Bury (Global Strategy Lead); responsible at Mindshare Switzerland: Matthias Wandel (Director Client Leadership), Tanja Kreyenbühl (Group Head Client Leadership), Jule Heckler (Manager Client Leadership), Rahel Buchser (Team Lead Digital, Exchange), Awais Ghumman (Digital Executive) and Jonas Haberthür (Digital Executive); responsible at Podcastschmiede: Sarah Akanji (Host/Editor), Franziska Engelhardt (Production Manager/Editing), Cheyenne Mackay (Project Coordination), Christina Baron (Mix/Mastering).

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