The what? Procter & Gamble has pledged to only use women-made music in commercials for its Secret deodorant brand.

The details The pledge kicks off as of 2020, with Secret searching for 250 aspiring female singers, songwriters and producers to star in campaigns.

The multinational has also teamed up with non-profit Women in Music (WIM) to pair 250 aspiring female musicians with mentors. This aligns with WIM’s mission to educate, empower and advance women in the music industry.

The why? Procter & Gamble is striving to address the gender imbalance and achieve equal representation in the music industry, where women make up just 17 percent of artists, 12 percent of songwriters and 2 percent of producers.

Sara Saunders, Associate Brand Director at Secret, said, “As a brand for women, we consistently strive to elevate other women in all we do. But when it comes to the production of music for our campaigns, it has frankly been a struggle to do so, as women are so significantly underrepresented in the music industry.
“We want to change that. We’ve heard from women that there’s one thing that can make all the difference in their careers, and that’s access to other women in the industry.”