The Baltimore-based sportswear brand is rolling out a new female-focused global digital campaign, called ‘Unlike Any’, celebrating the incomparable physical exploits and mental strength of a set of six athlete ambassadors that includes ballerina Misty Copeland, stuntwoman Jessie Graff, world champion sprinter Natasha Hastings, long distance runner and Harlem Run Crew founder Alison Désir, and Chinese taekwondo champion and actress Zoe Zhang (Lanxin Zhang).
Over the next six months, Under Armour plans to roll out as many as 350 pieces of content created with Droga5 (which has worked for the brand since 2013) and the campaign has kicked off with a series of individual videos for Copeland, Graff, Hastings, Harlem Run Crew founder Alison Desir and Chinese taekwondo champion and actress Zoe Zhang.
To portray these women as ‘Unlike Any’ the spots capture 360-degree rotations of their athleticism from every angle – paying homage to the movements that have driven their achievements.
The films, which vary in length, tell stories of ‘Will’ and form a set of tributes that are each set to the spoken word of customized poetry that honors trailblazing female athletes whose achievements are often minimized through gender comparisons
The poems narrated through the spots celebrate and honor the unprecedented achievements of female athletes that rise above gender comparisons and stand on their own as marvels of athletic prowess.
The spoken word artists were invited to each craft a lyrical work in honor of each athlete’s story – created specifically for each athlete at the peak of their performance – and transcendent ability: eg Hastings’ explosive sprints, Graff’s gravity-defying aerial cartwheel, Désir’s unwavering endurance, Zhang’s rapid-fire high kick and Copeland’s awe-inspiring pointe technique.
The poets for this campaign are Saul Williams (a New York rapper, singer-songwriter, actor and poet known for his distinct fusion of poetry and alternative hip hop) and longstanding patron of ballet brings personal insight to American Ballet’s principal dancer Misty Copeland’s story.
The core film is supported by a behind-the-scenes video too.
Aja Monet – an American contemporary poet, writer and activist of Cuban-Jamaican descent – uses her craft as a platform for social activism and brings Alison Désir’s story to life.
London-based musician, rapper and spoken-word poet Kojey Radical is known for his sharp, deft lyrics and energetic performance style: his rhythmic quality suitably captures Jessie Graff’s acrobatic abilities.
Dominique Christina – an award-winning American poet, author and political activist – holds five National Poetry Slam Champion titles and her striking poem for Natasha Hastings puts us inside of the accomplished sprinter’s mind, revealing an inner struggle and subsequent conquering of self-doubt.
Aristophanes (also known as Pan Wei Ju) is a bilingual Taiwanese rapper who collaborated with Grimes and crafted lyrics that speak to the story of Chinese actress Zoe Zhang, who fought her way into the spotlight with her taekwondo abilities.
It aims to add a spot featuring champion alpine skier Lindsey Vonn in the Fall.
The videos will roll out on digital and social platforms ranging from YouTube, Facebook
Twitter,
Designed with the edge and confidence for you to push boundaries. #UnlikeAny #IWILL pic.twitter.com/DItvjULYCm
— Under Armour UK (@UnderArmourUK) July 23, 2017
and Instagram,
to Pinterest, Snapchat and Refinery29, Well + Good and Soundcloud.
Plus, for those who wish to experience the full campaign and shop the Fall/Winter 2017 Women’s collection, they are encouraged to visit UA.com and download the UA Shop App on iTunes and Google Play.
Under Armour is also hosting a pop up ‘Unlike Any’ experience for consumers at Chelsea Market in New York City on 20 July.
The campaign is rolling out across a wide range of global markets: particularly the USA, Europe and China.
Last August, during the Rio Olympics, the Under Armour team notices something unsettling.
“Every time a woman won, she got compared to men,” said Adrienne Lofton, Under Armour SVP of global brand management, at the campaign launch event in New York’s Chelsea Market.
“We had to start thinking about how to change this conversation. Why is there always a framing that when a woman does well, she’s compared to the greatness of a man? We needed to remove gender from the conversation,” Lofton said.
“I believe in the power of inner strength and how it can push you to accomplish the seemingly impossible. This campaign is a celebration of the inner strength that lives in every single person. It’s a reminder for every woman out there who feels less than because of unnecessary comparisons, that they are strong, unique and truly Unlike Any,” said Copeland in the campaign’s PR release.
“These stories resonate — they’re human truths and whether sport or life, the learnings are powerful. We can all relate,” says Under Armour’s Attica Jaques (VP of global brand marketing for women).
“We’ve built the women’s category at Under Armour on a foundation of innovative products and storytelling that champions her athletic performance. We will continue to break new ground with our women’s business by consistently recognizing the ways in which women are re-defining the athletic experience and by creating great product that meets her evolving needs,” adds Pam Catlett, SVP & General Manager of Women’s, Under Armour.
“Each of our athletes in this campaign have shattered expectations and challenged the status quo on their respective playing fields. For Unlike Any, we set out to celebrate and elevate our athletes to where they belong – above gender roles, above labels, and above convention,” comments Adrienne Lofton, SVP Global Brand Management, Under Armour.
“Our unique approach was to create these unexpected films that honor our athletes with powerful poems from the hearts and minds of some of the most thought-provoking artists in the world. Our brand aims to inspire women everywhere to continue making history in their own lives and this campaign is a reminder that we stand for and with her.”
The initiative was developed in harness with creative agency Droga5, the films were helmed by Georgia Hudson of Agile Films, with editorial by WORK, post production by Blacksmith, 3D Tracking by QL Beans, music by Q Department and sound by Gramercy Park Studios.
Activative Comment:
We feel these films don’t really feel like most adverts: they aren’t loud, or shouty and they don’t includes prescriptive messages about how you should live, what you should and shouldn’t do, what problems you might have and how to solve them.
The blend and juxtaposition of athlete, poet and film allows flexibility in length – which works well for a digital-first campaign as opposed to the standard length of TV spots.
The poetry also enables editors to isolate one or two particularly apt lines and create powerful cut ups.
This ambitious female focused campaign spearheads Under Armour’s fresh approach to going hard after women consumers.
According to Under Armour Attica Jaques, VP of global brand marketing for women’s and youth ranges, the women’s sp[ace is ‘a huge opportunity’ and the idea for the campaign was conceived during the 2016 summer Olympics when much of the news from the Games constantly saw record-breaking women compared to their male counterparts.
While the brand’s women’s marketing team was set up around a decade ago, in terms of staffing numbers the division has held steady at 10 people since 2012.
Nike is the current leader in both men’s and women’s activewear and, according to the latest NPD Group data, Under Armour only commands 7.1% of men’s and 3.8% of women’s sportswear business in the USA.
Women’s products represent $1bn of Under Armour’s $4.8bn revenue – which the company interprets as a sign of robust potential to grow.
This could be a shrewd move for what many have long considered a primarily masculine brand.
UA CEO Kevin Plank recently announced the brand plans to increase its marketing and ‘rely more heavily on its athletic endorsers’.
The company spent $10.8m on measured media in the U.S. last year, according to Kantar Media.
Links:
Under Armour
@UAWomen
@UnderArmourWomen
#UnlikeAny.
Droga 5
