Leo Burnett and Always Encourage Girls to ‘Keep Playing’

Leo Burnett launched the latest in its ongoing “Like A Girl” campaign for Always with the sports-themed “Keep Playing,” released ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Based on the insight that, according to the brand’s research, half of girls quit sports during adolescence, the 60-second spot follows several girls who are determined to stick with the games they love.

“A lot of boys have told me I can’t play rugby, because I’m a girl,” says one such athlete at the opening of the spot, as she’s pictured tackling an opponent. “Keep Playing” goes on to depict a young female weightlifter, shot-putter, boxer and more. “Girls could actually play rugby and they could also be the team captain…” adds the young rugby enthusiast. The spot concludes by inviting viewers to “Show the world how you keep playing #LikeAGirl.”

The timely ad benefits from taking its subjects out of the controlled “social experiment” environment of “Unstoppable,” allowing the girls to tell their own stories in their own environments. Its message is something of an evolution of “Stronger Together,” which celebrated girls’ accomplishments in sports, without dealing as explicitly in the negative attitudes such young female athletes have to overcome. For an example of such attitudes at the their most noxious, one need look no further than the video’s comments on YouTube (or, for your own sake, just take our word for it).

“The Olympic Games are a time when, all around the world, female sports participation is elevated in the public eye. And for that reason, we could not think of a better moment to drive awareness of the critical role sports play in building girls’ confidence,” Always associate director Michele Baeten told Adweek

The brand partnered with American soccer star Alex Morgan to promote the spot. She tweeted it out with a message regarding her own story of discouragement, saying, “At age 13, one of my coaches told me that I wasn’t good enough. As a young girl just wanting to play and do my best, that was difficult to hear. It would have been easy for me to quit, but I wouldn’t be the confident person I am today if I had.” 

Credits:

Client: P&G Always
Agency: Leo Burnett Worldwide

Creative
Mark Tutssel – Global Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett Worldwide and Creative Chairman, Publicis Communications
Judy John – Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett Toronto
Nancy Hannon – EVP Executive Creative Director, Leo Burnett Chicago
Isabela Ferreira – VP Creative Director
Natalie Taylor – VP Creative Director
Amanda Mearsheimer – Associate Creative Director
Gloria Dusenberry – Associate Creative Director
Anthony Brooks – Senior Copywriter
Jillian Lamb – Senior Art Director
Garrett Vernon – Copywriter
Pete Kellen – Copywriter
Luis Marques – Senior Art Director
Darlene White – Creative Resource Manager

Production
Vincent Geraghty – EVP Executive Director of Production
Mary Cheney – SVP Group Executive Producer
Tony Wallace – VP Executive Producer
Adine Becker – Senior Producer
Chris Clark – Director of Music
Alex Stern – Assistant Music Producer
Linda Yuen – Senior Talent Manager
Julie Lewandowski – Production Manager
Nanette Burnstein – Hungryman/Director
Kevin Byrne – Hungryman/EP Head of Production
Julianne Maloney – Hungryman/Producer
Tami Rieker – Director of Photography
Nikki Vapenski – Whitehouse Post/Editor
Luke Morrison – Mill/Colorist
John Binder/ David Gerbosi/ Peter Erazmus – Another Country/Audio Mix

Planning
Kristin Hayward – VP Participation Strategy Director

Account
Annette Sally – EVP Account Director
Katie Nikolaus – Account Director
Sarah Kaminsky – Account Director
Ashley Sawatzke – Account Supervisor
Suz Sward – Assistant Account Executive
Raleigh Ward – Assistant Account Executive

Legal
Michael Sirota – SVP Associate General Counsel
Tracy Scimeca – Commercial Clearance Manager

 

Always Urges Girls to 'Keep Playing' and Not Quit Sports in Olympic 'Like a Girl' Spot

When it comes to sports, girls are often discouraged from continuing to play because of their gender. That’s a message that’s not worth listening to, says this new Olympic-themed spot from Procter & Gamble’s Always. 

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Leo Burnett, Always Tell Girls They Are ‘Unstoppable’

Leo Burnett’s “Like A Girl” spot for Procter & Gamble’s brand Always, which redefined the phrase with a feminist spin, was one of the most viewed, discussed and highly-awarded ads released last year. This March, the agency released a follow-up spot for International Women’s Day showing girls’ impressive accomplishments and calling on viewers to submit what they do “Like A Girl” on social channels. Now the agency has revealed the true sequel to “Like A Girl” with the 2:30 online spot “Unstoppable.”

Like its predecessor, “Unstoppable” deals with the loss of confidence girls feel during puberty, accompanied by a sense of limitations imposed by gender stereotypes and expectations. It begins with the question “Do we limit girls?” appearing on screen, followed by “We asked them.” Interview subjects confirm that girls do in fact feel limited. The girls say they feel pressured to be happy, traditional, to avoid challenges, while one points out that boys are always the heroes who rescue someone in stories. After sharing the statistic that 72 percent of girls feels society limits them, they instruct the girls to write the limitations they shared on boxes, which the girls then attack. Unfortunately, Leo Burnett and Always didn’t honor one girl’s wish to blow up the boxes. The ad ends by calling on viewers to “Share how you are unstoppable #LikeAGirl.” While it doesn’t have quite the same impact as its predecessor, “Unstoppable” is still a fine sequel, exploring the same themes as “Like A Girl” and taking on societal gender stereotypes. It’s unlikely to reach quite the same level of virality as “Like A Girl,” but “Unstoppable” is already well on its way to being its own phenomenon, already racking up almost 2.5 million views on YouTube since its release yesterday.

Always also announced a partnership with TED to release confidence-boosting content for girls through the Ted-Ed educational platform. They also released a video by twelve-year-old filmmaker Zuriel Oduwole exploring the brand’s 30-year commitment to puberty education, which we’ve featured below.

Leo Burnett Delivers ‘Like A Girl’ Sequel for Always

Last year, Leo Burnett released one of the most celebrated (and certainly one of the most watched, with over 56 million views on YouTube) spots of the year for Always with “Like A Girl.” That ad explored the drop in confidence girls face at puberty, along with the negative effects of the phrase “like a girl” when used as an insult, before redefining the phrase in a more positive light.

Now, in time for International Women’s Day this Sunday, the agency has revealed a follow-up that exclusively deals with the phrase’s new positive definition, entitled “Stronger Together.” The spot shows young girls around the world demonstrating some amazing skills in basketball, hockey horseback riding, martial arts, tennis, ice skating and more. Picking up where its predecessor left off, the spot is inspiring, continuing to turn the phrase into an expression of girl power. The spot ends by inviting viewers to “Share what you do #LikeAGirl,” making for a nice social extension which will make viewers feel included and may even lead to future content. Even if the new spot doesn’t reach the same viral success as the first (it won’t), it carries the same important message and expands on it with specific instances of the term’s redefinition that, especially coupled with the social initiative, can help make a positive impact for pubescent girls.

“The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is ‘Make It Happen,’ and that’s exactly what girls are doing by rewriting the meaning of #LikeAGirl,” Fama Francisco, global vice president of Always, told Adweek. “The new video celebrates amazing young girls around the globe and encourages everyone to continue the movement every day and everywhere, because together, we’re making #LikeAGirl mean amazing things.”

Always Unveils 'Like a Girl' Sequel Showing Girls Redefining the Phrase for Real

The original Always “Like a Girl” commercial—which broke last summer and got 56 million views on YouTube before getting a plum Super Bowl ad slot last month—was primarily a challenge. It urged girls to redefine the phrase from one of weakness to one of strength.

Now, with International Women’s Day on Sunday, the Procter & Gamble brand has released a follow-up video showing how the meaning of the phrase is already changing.

P&G also released some new stats around the campaign from its Always Puberty & Confidence Wave II Study, conducted pre-Super Bowl. According to that study, 76 percent of women and 59 percent of men ages 16-24 said the video changed their perception of the phrase “like a girl.” Also, 81 percent of women said the video can change the way people think about the stereotypes surrounding women’s physical abilities.

This spot—created by Leo Burnett, as the original was—won’t go megaviral like the first one, simply because the first one had that magical insight. But it’s a good way to keep the campaign going.

“The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is ‘Make It Happen,’ and that’s exactly what girls are doing by rewriting the meaning of #LikeAGirl,” said Always global vp Fama Francisco. The new video celebrates amazing young girls around the globe and encourages everyone to continue the movement every day and everywhere, because together, we’re making #LikeAGirl mean amazing things.”



'Like a Girl' Is No Longer an Insult in Inspiring Ad From P&G's Always

In a memorable scene from The Sandlot—which you must watch if you were somehow nowhere near VHS tapes and a VCR in the early ’90s—baseball players hurl a slew of insults hurl back and forth. One player blurts out the unthinkable. “You play ball like a girl!”

What does that mean, anyway? In a social experiment led by documentarian Lauren Greenmarker, the Procter & Gamble feminine products brand Always asks that question, and declares its mission to redefine the phrase “like a girl” as an expression of strength.

The video—inspired by a study from Research Now, sponsored by Always, that found more than half of the girls surveyed claimed to experience a drop in confidence at puberty—starts off by asking a variety of people to act out phrases like “Run like a girl” and “Fight like a girl.” As you might guess, there’s a lot of exaggerated limp arm movements and goofy facial expressions. Then they ask the same question to a group of young girls. I felt a swell of pride—as if I were their parent, maybe—as I watched them dart across the screen with purpose and power.

There’s great discussion (“Why can’t ‘run like a girl’ also mean ‘win the race’?”), and I like this shift from social experiments about beauty (how many times am I going to mention the Dove campaign? At least once more) to one about empowerment.



The Client is Always Right Posters

Ayant pu noter ou inventer des phrases et remarques que des clients capricieux auraient pu lui communiquer, Jonathan Quintin s’est amusé à les réunir et à en faire des posters réunis sous le nom de « The Client is Always Right ». Une idée sympathique proposée par le directeur de StudioJQ à découvrir dans la suite.

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Check check

Advertising Agency: Leo Burnett, Lebanon
Chief Creative Officer: Farid Chehab
Executive Creative Director: Bechara Mouzannar
Creative Director: Danielle Rizkallah
Copywriter: Rana Khoury, Paul Osayande
Agency Producer: Rayanne Smayra
Planner: Zeina Joujou
Account Supervisor: Cynthia Abdelkarim, Shayna Suidan
Production Company: GOLDEN PLANES Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA
Director: Sven Harding
Producer: Herman Le Roux
Editor: Postoffice Lebanon
Sound Design/Arrangement: Wounded Buffalo Johannesburg
Music: Artist/Title: Wounded Buffalo Johannesburg
Art Director: Caroline Farra, Roula Asmar
Lighting: Eric Maddison
Post Production: Postoffice Lebanon
Via [DubaiLynx]