I Will What I Want

Under Armour is a rising star in the sports apparel market, but its uber-masculine image was a polarizing barrier to women. Our brief was to connect with 20- to 35-year-old athletic women by establishing Under Armour as a stylish and empowering brand. We looked at the larger cultural context of women today and found that they are surrounded by constant pressure. But will, a woman’s inner-strength, gives her the power to overcome all. I WILL WHAT I WANT celebrates women who defy expectations and ignore the noise of outside judgments. To prove I WILL WHAT I WANT, we signed a woman who was sure to be judged, supermodel Gisele Bündchen. We announced the seemingly unlikely partnership with a teaser film, then used people’s real reactions in our TV ads just two days later. A web experience became a live social experiment. For the first time, the entire online discussion about a single person was happening on one website in real time. Using WebGL, comments were rotoscoped, rendered, and projected instantly, making every view a unique experience. I WILL WHAT I WANT featuring Gisele made uber-masculine Under Armour a symbol of women’s athletic aspiration, generating 1.5 billion media impressions. $15 million in earned media 28% increase in sales 4 minutes average engagement time +42% traffic to UA.com 900% increase in Style and Empowerment score Under Armour 2014 Marketer of the year. I WILL WHAT I WANT awarded by the United Nations Women for the positive empowerment of women and girls around the world. UA has overtaken Adidas now second to Nike in the U.S.