I've been spending a lot of time recently researching sports ads featuring women and I have to say, I'm very impressed. In the last few years there's been a real trend of releasing 'girl power' ads where brands have used their support of women to advertise their brand. You've seen them, the classic Dove love yourself the way you are variations, Pantene's Sorry Not Sorry, Always' Like a Girl, etc.. They're no longer specifically advertising a product but support of a movement and while they're not terrible ads, they're not great either because for the most part they're just not that realistic. Particularly because they're coming from the beauty industry which has spent years convincing women they needed their products in order to be strong and wonderful and beautiful. Here's a thought: How about instead of an ad, why don't these companies make sure there's equal pay and paid leave? How about 50% women on boards and in leadership positions? How about instead of paying for a fancy, expensive ad, why not just send out a press release about how they're showing support for women by making themselves examples of how women should be treated professionally. Like I said, just not that realistic. But I digress, back to sports brands.
Sports brands in many ways are similar to beauty ads - they make you think you're capable of becoming a star. And maybe you are! Generally speaking, sports ads have an air of inspiration, which makes you want to get up off that sofa and go for a run you know you'll never finish. But we love them anyway because they also often tell us a story of hardship about some of our favorite athletes who we love as if they were our own skin and blood. And man, do they look cool. But that's just it - they look so cool. The reality is that 99% of people in the world will never amount to be even a fraction of the athlete these people are for a number of reasons, the first being that fame and success never happens overnight (it's a common misconception). Being a professional athlete takes years of practice, hardship, blood, sweat and tears and that's just the beginning. Once you're good you then have to be better than all the other really good people and prove that you're the best. And what if you get injured? Try beating those odds when you're pushing your body to limits that shouldn't be humanly possible. So basically you have to be a unicorn.
If I were a sports brand company, I probably wouldn't promise them that they'd turn into Serena Williams (my personal fav) but I would promise them that if they get up off of their asses every now and again that they might improve their health and overall well-being. Maybe that way they would buy more than just the one pair of running shoes that they wore one time and proceeded to leave at the back of the closet unused for several more years. Maybe instead, they might need to buy several pairs of shoes and several workout outfits because they use them so frequently. Being fit takes time, and that's just the plain old truth - and that's real.
You know what else is real? These women:
Under Armour and Droga5! You're killing it! And finally! I see a campaign promoting women in a way that doesn't talk about them looking confident or telling them to believe in yourself because that's the way you're going to succeed. No! No one ever got famous because they wished it. These women made it happen for themselves because they worked at it and worked really hard by the looks of it. I love also the way these are filmed - so stark. They are beautiful and so so real. And I have to say it...they're better than Nike's women sport ad...Yeah, I SAID IT. Their ad goes along with how I would approach it except I think the execution is still too pretty. Those girls ARE the pretty girls at the gym. See what you think:
Here's the approach that I like best (and I think you'll agree):
That has got to be one of my favorite ads of 2015. Ugh, so good. So believable! So inspiring. I just want to get in there and sweat like a pig right there with them. And there's your winning reaction so thank you FCB Inferno. Let's talk results:
Under Armour
- Improved their standing of top selling sports brand to be #2 behind Nike (if they keep going like this they might get to #1)
- In the 12 months after the release of the first I Will What I Want video, Under Armour increased revenue at three times Nike's pace
- North American women's apparel sales is on pace to reach $1.8 billion by 2019, up from 410 million in 2014
Sport England
- Has inspired 2.8 million women to do more exercise (its objective)
- The number of women ages 14-40 who now play sports and keep active at least once a week every week is up by 148,700
Nailed it.