Athletic apparel company, Under Armour, is launching a new line of workout gear specifically made for women. They are also rolling out a new advertising campaign in conjunction with the launch, titled "Sweat Every Day." Of course any sort of campaign like this immediately catches our eye.

Over the past few years, women's athletic clothing has become a larger portion of the sportswear market. Under Armour says that women's apparel accounts for about 30 percent of its sales now, which means marketing to women is more important than ever. In addition to the television ads and social media campaign tthe company is also holding its second "What's Beautiful" contest where women can use an app or the Under Armour website to track their workout progress. Under Armour will then choose the 10 most-inspiring stories and offer them an "all-expenses-paid trip to work with top trainers, coaches and nutritionists."

The part we like about the campaign is in the TV commercial, which you can see in the article linked above. We mentioned in a previous post how portraying female athletes engaging in sport elicits more positive reactions from both men and women than portraying them in a sexualized manner, which tends to produce negative reactions.

Under Armour appears to understand this.

The ad shows women working out...hard. They aren't gingerly lifting 2-pound dumbbells like you might have seen a decade ago. No, these women are working out and performing exercises that would be difficult for even the most in-shape man. The woman doing those sit-ups while hanging upside down makes our abs hurt just thinking about it.

Aside from portraying women engaged in sweat-producing, difficult exercise, the ad also doesn't sexualize the women. Yes, they are attractive and in great shape, and yes there is a shot or two of a close-up, spandex-clad butt, but the "sexiness" of the women isn't the focus. The emphasis is on women working hard and "sweating every day."

This is the way you market athletic apparel to women, and Under Armour obviously gets it.

FletcherPR is a national communications firm that specializes in reaching women through the power of media. Headquartered in Knoxville, TN with staff in Nashville & Los Angeles, we are a full-service agency providing strategic public relations, social media and marketing communications services to our clients throughout the U.S.