Gisele Bündchen kicks butt in a new ad breaking today for Under Armour's "I Will What I Want" campaign by Droga5.
The supermodel and wife of NFL quarterback Tom Brady (a fellow UA athletic endorser) also shows off her kung fu and yoga abilities at iwillwhatiwant.com/gisele, which will stream real-time comments from social media.
Leanne Fremar, executive creative director for UA's women's brand, gave Adweek a sneak preview of the 60-second film, which rolls out Thursday on YouTube. Look for the raw, real video to go viral—much like the previous one with Misty Copeland, which has been watched nearly 6 million times.
Forget designer gowns. This is the Brazilian supermodel like you've never seen her before. With her fists wrapped like a boxer, she's athletic, fierce and formidable. She throws powerful roundhouse kicks and punches at a heavy bag. She looks like she's training for the UFC, not Fashion Week.
As Gisele works up a sweat, we see real-life insults from social media critics questioning why UA would sign her. "Stick to modeling sweetie," reads one. "Protect this blouse," says another." But others are supportive as Gisele tunes out the noise—and keeps punching. "She's a mother and an inspiration," reads one.
"I appreciate her taking a risk, and allowing us to show her in a different light," said Fremar.
"We wanted to show a new side of Gisele—the unguarded, raw, real and brave side that shows what it's like living in the public eye," said Droga5 creative director John McKelvey. "To the world, most people have only seen her in a context of beauty and polish. But when we came to Gisele with the idea, she embraced the truth of the concept and its potential to be a positive message. The campaign shows all the contradicting opinions she is constantly exposed to and the focus and determination it takes to tune out the noise and will what she wants."
Carlos Silva, president of golf lifestyle cable network Back9Network, said signing Bünchen is a smart way for UA to stand out. Much like UA is taking an unconventional approach with model and ballerina endorsers, Back9Network is focusing on golf lifestyles rather than PGA Tour pros.
"It's very similar to how we're approaching the mass market following the game of golf," Silva said.
CREDITS
Client: Under Armour
Campaign: "I Will What I Want"
Film and Interactive Experience: Gisele | Will Beats Noise
Launch Date: Sept. 4, 2014
Agency: Droga5, New York
Creative Chairman: David Droga
Chief Creative Officer: Ted Royer
Creative Directors: John McKelvey, Hannes Ciatti
Copywriter: Felix Richter
Art Director: Alexander Nowak
Chief Creation Officer: Sally-Ann Dale
Head of Broadcast Production: Ben Davies
Executive Broadcast Producer: Matt Nowak
Associate Broadcast Producer: Goldie Robbens
Executive Interactive Producer: Justin Durazzo
Associate Interactive Producer: Ian Graetzer
User Experience Director: Daniel Perlin
Senior User Experience Designer: Lily Cho
Head of Design: Rich Greco
Digital Designer: Devin Croda
Executive Director of Technology: David Justus
Technology Lead: Joachim Do
Group Brand Strategy Director: Donny Jensen
Brand Strategy Director: Zach Foster
Digital Strategist: Candice Chen
Communications Strategy Director: Alex Kniess
Group Account Director: Julian Cheevers
Account Director: Lauren Smith
Account Manager: Scott Sullivan
Client: Under Armour
Senior Vice President, Women’s Executive Creative Director: Leanne Fremar
Vice President, Women’s Marketing: Heidi Sandreuter
Women’s Brand Manager: Kameryn Stanhouse
Guidance Counsel: Meredith Chase
Broadcast Production Company: Smuggler
Director: Jaron Albertin
Director of Photography: Andrij Parekh
Partners: Patrick Milling Smith, Brian Carmody
Executive Producer: Allison Kunzman
Producer: Andy Coverdale
Editing: Work Editorial
Editor: Ben Jordan
Assistant Editor: Trevor Myers
Executive Producer: Erica Thompson
Producer: Sari Resnick
Postproduction: The Mill
Head of Production: Sean Costelloe
Head of Computer Graphics: Vince Baertsoen
Producer: Alex Fitzgerald
Colorist: Fergus McCall
Flame: Aron Baxter
Interactive Production Company: Active Theory
Executive Producer: Nick Mountford
Technical Director: Michael Anthony
Creative Technologist, Designer: Andy Thelander
Interactive Developer: Rachel Smith
Sound
Broadcast: Heard City
Interactive: Plan8
Quality Assurance: Hook QA
