Under Armour celebrates women with poetic ads featuring ballerina Misty Copeland and other athletes
Under Armour has teamed with spoken word artists and strong women athletes for a new global campaign, 'Unlike Any'. It celebrates and honors the achievements of select athletes that rise above gender comparisons and shines a spotlight on their unique athletic prowess.
Misty Copeland Unlike Any
'Unlike Any' showcases the talents of six Under Armour athletes, including American Ballet Theatre principal ballerina Misty Copeland, long distance runner and Harlem Run Crew founder Alison Désir, world champion sprinter Natasha Hastings, and two of the brand’s newest athletes; professional stuntwoman Jessie Graff, and Chinese taekwondo champion and actress Zoe Zhang (Lanxin Zhang). Additionally, world champion alpine skier Lindsey Vonn’s 'Unlike Any' film will premiere this fall.
“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.
Created in partnership with creative agency Droga5, the suite of campaign films were directed by Georgia Hudson of Agile Films. To portray these women, she captured 360-degree rotations of their athleticism from every angle, paying homage to the movements that have driven their incredible achievements.
Each story is narrated by poetry crafted specifically for each athlete at the peak of their performance from spoken word artists.
Saul Williams is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, actor and poet highlights Misty Copeland's story of becoming the first African American principal ballerina. Aja Monet, an American contemporary poet, writer and activist of Cuban-Jamaican descent, brings Désir's story to life while London-based musician, rapper and spoken-word poet Kojey Radical elevates Graff's acrobatic abilities. Dominique Christina, an award-winning American poet, author and political activist, reads a poem for Hastings, while Aristophanes, also known as Pan Wei Ju, a bilingual Taiwanese rapper, crafted lyrics that speak to the story Zhang.
"We’ve built the women’s category at Under Armour on a foundation of innovative products and storytelling that champions her athletic performance," said Pam Catlett, senior vice-president and general manager, women’s, Under Armour.
"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."
Adrienne Lofton, senior vice-president, global brand management, Under Armour added: “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,” added
The campaign is Under Armour’s most expansive to date and will feature more than 200 pieces of content that have been created for Under Armour’s digital and social platforms as well as for digital and media partners such as Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, Snapchat, Refinery29, Well + Good and Soundcloud.
The campaign will be released and supported in a wide range of global markets, particularly in the US, Europe and China, further cementing the company’s commitment to supporting athletes of all levels from all over the world.
