Under Armour launches "Unlike Any" global campaign

By

Obi Anyanwu

Published
Jul 20, 2017

Under Armour launched on Wednesday its new "Unlike Any" global campaign that celebrates the achievements of female athletes.
 
Unlike Any honors the female athletes that rise above gender comparisons. Created in partnership with creative agency Droga5, and Georgia Hudson of Agile Films, the campaign pays homage to each female athlete, with films that capture 360-degree rotations of their athleticism.
 

The stars of the campaign, 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), show their athleticism and prowess to spoken word poetry.

"I believe in the power of inner strength and how it can push you to accomplish the seemingly impossible,” said Copeland. “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."

American rapper, singer-songwriter and actor Saul Williams tells a story of overcoming systemic social structures for Misty Copeland’s film; American poet of Cuban-Jamaican descent Aja Monet lends her voice to tell Alison Désir’s story; and London-based musician, rapper and spoken-word poet Kojey Radical weaves a tale that captures Jessie Graff’s abilities.

 
Finally, American poet, author, and activist Dominique Christina and bilingual Taiwanese rapper Pan Wei Ju recite poems for Natasha Hastings and Zoe Zhang, respectively.
 
In addition to these five athletes, Under Armour will release a film for champion alpine skier Lindsey Vonn in fall 2017.
 
"Each of our athletes in this campaign have shattered expectations and challenged the status quo on their respective playing fields," said Adrienne Lofton, SVP Global Brand Management, Under Armour. "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."

The Unlike Any campaign will be released and supported in the US, Europe and China, and the sportswear company is hosting a pop up at Chelsea Market in New York City on Thursday, July 20 for consumers to get acquainted with the Unlike Any campaign and experience.