This is a beautifully shot commercial, and yet when I saw it the first time, I really wanted to whine about a few things I felt it did wrong. I use the past tense, “wanted to,” because I have come to the conclusion that I was falling into overthinking, and that it is, in reality, just perfect.
Give it a look, and see if your first viewing makes you think things like:
– Is that girl’s voice reading an actual letter that was sent to Misty when she was 13?
– And if so, why doesn’t the commercial come out and TELL me that?
– Why are they making me work so hard to understand their tagline?
Those were going to be my main complaints – and then I realized that I was about to complain about an advertiser actually giving me credit for having half a brain. Because even as I was wondering these things, I was looking up who Misty Copeland was – I wanted to know more. I was simultaneously thinking about how I didn’t realize Under Armour made athletic gear for women.
That’s when I realized I suddenly knew the answers to all of those questions that had initially popped into my head. I either figured them out for myself or I looked them up. Now that’s engaging your audience.
That’s when I decided to shut up and write this blog post instead, and use it to heap praise on Under Armour, their ad agency Droga5, and on Misty Copeland herself. Bravo.
Adam Schnitzler, Chief Creative Officer, The S3 Agency
