Under Armour yesterday unveiled its new football spot, titled "Ready For August," coinciding with the start of a new phase in its "I Will" global marketing campaign. The ad represents UA's first preseason football campaign since '10 and gives a nod to UA's origin as a football-specific brand. ESPN NFL analyst Ray Lewis, an Under Armour endorser, does not appear in the 60-second spot, but served as Exec Producer. He helped script the creative, spent time on set and participated in editing sessions (
THE DAILY). In Baltimore, Chris Korman notes UA considers the ad “its most ambitious football advertising campaign since 2006.” Lewis helped “expand on an idea originally floated” by Founder, Chair & CEO Kevin Plank to bring the company "back to its gritty football roots with a look at the lives of inner-city players.” UA Senior VP/Brand Steve Battista said, "Ray really added the raw, emotional feel that you see." Korman notes the ad is slated to debut during ESPN's broadcast of the MLB Home Run Derby next Monday. A 30-second version of the spot “and a longer video that tells more of the characters' story will be released next week.” UA hired L.A.-based filmmaker Eliot Rausch to direct the ad. Rausch, known for "evoking strong emotional responses with raw, sentimental works," previously directed the company's ad “for its line of women's exercise apparel.” UA "declined to disclose how much the spot cost to produce" (
Baltimore SUN, 7/9).
