Misty Copeland Leads Strong Women In Under Armour 'Unlike Any' Campaign
Thursday, July 20, 2017 at 12:00PM By Barry Janoff
July 19, 2017: In its on-going quest to be the sports footwear and apparel company of popular choice but with an attitude that separates itself from its category rivals, Under Armour lhas aunched a global marketing campaign, "Unlike Any."
The multi-platform effort, under the brand’s umbrella I Will tag, features women who are leaders and/or face challenges and handle them with strength, determination and beauty.
The roster includes Under Armour veteran spokeswoman Misty Copeland, principal ballerina for the American Ballet Theatre; Harlem Run Crew founder Alison Désir; world champion sprinter Natasha Hastings; and two new brand spokeswomen: professional stuntwoman Jessie Graff, and Chinese taekwondo champion and actress Zoe Zhang (Lanxin Zhang).
A spot featuring champion alpine skier Lindsey Vonn will premiere in Fall 2017.
Paraplympic athlete Fleur Jong stars in a spot under the title, "Unwavering Will."
According to Under Armour, "To portray these women as Unlike Any, (we) captured 360-degree rotations of their athleticism from every angle, paying homage to the movements that have driven their incredible achievements."
Each of their stories "takes form in a set of tributes — poetry crafted specifically for each athlete at the peak of their performance — from spoken word artists who were inspired to craft a lyrical work in honor of each athlete’s story and transcendent ability," per Under Armour.
The campaign, to support the company’s Fall / Winter 2017 women’s collection, will see significant activation in U.S., Europe and China, as well as other Under Armour markets.
The effort will include more than 200 pieces of content for TV, digital and social platforms and POP. Under Armour said it is working with such media partners as Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, Snapchat, Refinery29, Well + Good, Soundcloud, iTunes and Google Play to reach consumers.
Lead agency is Droga5.
"We’ve built the women’s category at Under Armour on a foundation of innovative products and storytelling that champions her athletic performance,” Pam Catlett, sip and GM for Women’s at Under Armour, said in a statement.
“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."
In Misty’s creative, we see her dancing and moving with words by Saul Williams. "The systemic structure built to keep me in place is the stage I dance on. Black. And woman. Mothership. My mother’s hips beheld deep space. Astronaut of corporal grace."
Stuntwoman Jessie Graff seems to defy gravity in her spot, with words by Kojey Radical. "I want to know what it feels like to leap from cloud to cloud and not look down once. I want to know how you skip across the stars and use the moon as a landing mode.I looked onwards in awe and said, ‘Teach me. Teach me to fly through the air like the first flight of Pegasus."
Each spot ends with the line, "Remind me what it’s like to to be unlike any."
According to Adrienne Lofton, svp-global brand management, for 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.
"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," said Lofton.
Under Armour "Unlike Any"
• Jessie Graff
• Natasha Hastings
• Allison Désir
• Zoe Zhang
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