Tight Shirt Production Launches ‘Book of Will’ for Under Armour

Production company Tight Shirt Production Films has launched a new campaign for Under Armour, entitled “Book of Will,” an effort the brand claims is its largest advertising push to date.

NOTE: AOR Droga5 played no role in this campaign.

The campaign, which launches with a couple of ads featuring actor Jamie Foxx, really is an ambitious effort. In “Charged By Belief,” Foxx quotes William Shakespeare‘s famous “All the world’s a stage” line from As You Like It before saying “But Mr. Shakespeare never met Stephen Curry.” Propelled by a mix of in-game and on-set footage of Stephen Curry (who Adweek recently declared “the NBA’s New Marketing Megastar”) and a solid soundtrack in Run The Jewels’ “Close Your Eyes,” Foxx champions Curry’s rise from unheralded high school player to NBA phenom, saying, “You’ve got to find the person with the new story to tell.” The spot introduces Under Armour’s Curry One sneaker, as well as the “Book of Will” campaign and its larger-than-life approach.

Another spot, “Erase All Doubt” seeks to inspire by re-imagining a quote from Aristotle. Foxx waxes philosophical about what it takes to achieve excellence and persevere through hard times, concluding that “The excellent ones just step up to the line and ask, ‘What’s the record?’”

Droga5 made waves with its advertising for Under Armour in 2014, winning praise for its “I Will What I Want” campaign, which featured some unexpected celebrity endorsement choices such as Misty Copeland and Gisele Bündchen. But “Book of Will” ushers in a new era for the rapidly growing brand, and while the choice of Stephen Curry in “Charged By Belief” is a nod to the brand’s past, Under Armour and Tight Shirt seem to be looking toward an ambitious future with the new campaign.

While Jamie Foxx is a newcomer to Under Armour’s advertising efforts, he’s no stranger to the brand. Foxx wore Under Armour uniforms in the 1999 Oliver Stone football flick Any Given Sunday, which Under Armour Senior VP, Creative Steve Battista described as “…so pivotal to our growth.” Foxx doesn’t only appear in the ads, but, according to Battista, had an important role in the creative process, helping to write the ads as a “creative partner.”

“We’ve never had a non-athlete in one of our campaigns to such an extent,” Battista told AdAge. “But it felt like this just wasn’t hiring a face. [Mr. Foxx is] a friend of the brand who was also coming on as a creative partner.”

Gisele Bündchen Stars in Droga5?s Latest for Under Armour

When Under Armour signed Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen for an advertising contract, she received quite a bit of criticism over social channels.

In the latest from Droga5?s “I Will What I Want” campaign, quotes from these social media critics are shown in the background (along with some support) as Bündchen tunes it all out and proceeds to kick and punch a heavy bag. She looks more like an athlete than a model in the spot, proving she has abilities beyond the runway. Her kung fu and yoga moves are also on display at http://gisele.underarmour.com/ — set to the backdrop of more real social media comments. While Gisele may have seemed like an odd choice for Under Armour, the collaboration works, even if it lacks the same narrative power as the campaign’s previous spot with Misty Copeland.

“We wanted to show a new side of Gisele—the unguarded, raw, real and brave side that shows what its like living in the public eye,” Droga5 Creative Director John McKelvey explained to Adweek. “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.”

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Caviar Content Signs Beauty & Lifestyle Director Charles Mehling

Caviar LogoCaviar Content has just announced the signing of beauty and lifestyle director Charles Mehling for worldwide representation.

Mehling made his commercial debut with a campaign for Earl Jeans featuring supermodel Gisele Bündchen, with whom he has become a regular collaborator, including a recent Pantene campaign. In addition to Bündchen, Mehling’s enviable celebrity and supermodel portfolio includes work with Kate Moss, Jessica Alba, Gwyneth Paltrow, Zooey Deschanel, Jennifer Aniston, Naomi Watts, Natalia Vodianova, Karen Elson, Angela Lindvall and Georgia May Jagger. He’s worked with brands including Rimmel, Dove, BCBG, Budweiser, David Yurman, Garnier, Olay, Pantene and Smart Water.

Mehling launched his directorial career with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s debut music video, going on to work with artists including The Kooks, Emeli Sandé, The Script, Stereophonics, Kasabian and James Morrison. He also directed several music documentaries, most notably an in-depth biography of the Scottish singer/songwriter Paolo Nutini, as well as a short film entitled “For The First Time.”

“We are very excited by the signing of Charles to our roster! His work demonstrates a fantastic blend of beauty and fashion with strong natural performances,” said Sorcha Shepherd, EP at Caviar London. “He has a deep understanding of how to capture subtle human nuances that can really elevate a beauty & lifestyle piece into something truly engaging. The fact that he is also such an accomplished photographer makes him an even stronger contender in the world of advertising, where more and more brands are looking to find a solution for both stills and film in one great package.”

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Tom and Gisele Strut and Sing Their Way Through Their Latest Ads

It's a good week to be the Bündchen-Brady offspring. Their already-considerable trust funds likely just got even fatter, as their telegenic, brand-bait parents—that would be supermodel Gisele and football star Tom—busted out their latest advertising work for H&M (hers) and UGG Australia (his).

In Gisele's singing debut—or digitally enhanced talk-singing debut, if you will—she does a cover of the Kinks' iconic "All Day and All of the Night" to promote H&M's rocker-rific fall clothing line. (There's a Unicef tie-in so you can feel good about buying her version on iTunes.) The teaser video of the 33-year-old Brazilian bombshell landed just ahead of the TV, print, online and outdoor ads debuting next week.

Brady, meanwhile, continues his UGG for Men sponsorship with a mini-walk through his career from high school gridiron standout to Super Bowl champ. The spot, "For Gamechangers," from M&C Saatchi in Los Angeles, will rotate for four months with other ads starring guys whose better halves haven't graced the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. Still, they're being billed as inspirational dudes (who wear UGGs?).

Check out both spots below.

UGG CREDITS
Creative: M&C Saatchi
Media: KSL Media
Social Media: 360i
Public Relations: M&C Saatchi PR