The History Of Sport England’s ‘This Girl Can’ Campaign
Sport England’s “This Girl Can” initiative is a powerful campaign that transformed the perception of women in sports across the UK, and it all came about from research the company did that showed the clear discrepancies of women in sports compared to men.
Evidently, there was more of a stigma around women and exercise, with women afraid of the judgment that would ensue from joining sports.
Sport England noticed this and decided to create a multimedia campaign to inspire millions of women and girls to act.
According to Sport England CEO Jennie Price:
Before we began this campaign, we looked very carefully at what women were saying about why they felt sport and exercise was not for them. Some of the issues, like time and cost, were familiar, but one of the strongest themes was a fear of judgment. Worries about being judged for being the wrong size, not fit enough and not skilled enough came up time and again. Every single woman I have talked to about this campaign – and that is now hundreds – has identified with this, and it is that fear of not being ‘good enough’ in some way, and the fear that you are the only one who feels like that, that we want to address. In This Girl Can we want to tell the real story of women who exercise and play sport. They come in all shapes and sizes and all levels of ability. They have a myriad of reasons for doing what they do.
And it worked — 13 million people watched the flagship video, and more women have jumped into sports and exercise headfirst.
The brand has since expanded this campaign, using it to promote other initiatives and events. One of these was Tennis Tuesdays, which was in partnership with Nike to promote weekly tennis lessons across the UK.
And to do this, they turned to design studio Bear to create a stunning myriad of print posters.
Sport England Used Impactful Messaging To Connect With Audiences On A Personal Level
The designers at Bear had a very specific goal in mind when it came to creating these prints. They wanted to enlighten, inspire and empower. Here is the strategy they came up with to impact their female audiences:
Modern women’s lives are busy, varied, hectic and stressful. Tennis Tuesdays offers a regular slot to keep all for yourself – where you can focus, release the day’s stresses, feel yourself get fitter, stronger and better at the game, and make new friends. All within a short walk of home or work. We wanted to capture that satisfaction of being unavailable when you have another commitment that’s all yours. ‘Tuesday isn’t good for me’, because Tuesday is good for me.
It’s an impactful and stunning messaging goal, and they embodied it fantastically in the messaging used on these print designs. They are short, quippy and to the point but definitely sit with you long after you’ve walked by.
By carefully selecting concise and impactful phrases, branding experts ensure that the messaging sticks with the viewer long after they have encountered the print design.
They are formatted in a similar way across designs — the phrase “Tuesday isn’t good for me” sits as the main text, taking up most of the design. And the word Tuesday itself is scratched out, as if with chalk or paint.
Underneath or next to this is a written out phrase that relates to having other plans — on the tennis court. It’s a very smooth and fluid design visually, and mentally, this message hits home.
The wording is just right — getting the brand and its point across without bashing you over the head with it. It states in simple terms that the busy, modern working woman can take some time for herself. And that on Tuesday’s she's got to let off some steam, have fun and do what’s best for her.
It’s a powerful, positive and enigmatic message that certainly leaves an impression.
These Campaign Posters Emphasize Relatability With Hand-Drawn Elements
There’s a gritty, tangible and creative quality to these print designs thanks to the varying types of typography used. In each ad, the messaging stands strong and impactful — but it also looks the part too.
Sport England partnered with Nike for this Tennis Tuesday campaign. The two brands aimed to bring coach-led, weekly tennis sessions to clubs across the UK. And you can clearly see the Nike influence, which highlights these prints and creates more awareness of the events.
Nike is a brand that is instantly recognizable, in logo and in typography. And these jump from the prints. The colors contrast beautifully with the colorful and photographic backgrounds, and they deliver a message that hits you right at your core.
By going with Nike branding and design elements, these print designs were able to reach more people and impact more women across the country. But it’s not just the thick, block-like elements of the typography that stands out — though they do make a statement.
There’s also the hand-drawn elements of this design that adds a lightness and a relatability that makes you instantly intrigued, moving in for more information.
Why hand-drawn?
Print designers use it to bring a human touch to the design, creating an extra layer of authenticity.
Like you’d scratch out something on a calendar, there are words in this design that are scratched out. This emphasizes that fact that yes, you are busy this Tuesday — you’ve got tennis. It’s very relatable and personal and drives home its point of taking time for yourself and empowering yourself as a woman to do so.
There’s also the line about making your mark on the court — which is written out as well in a curly font — much like it was etched into your daily planner.
The mix of corporate branding and playful softness that comes from the two different styles of font provides a great contrast that reels people in instantly.
Sport England Promotes Positivity With The Use Of Unretouched Real Women
One of the highlights of the “This Girl Can” campaign for Sport England is its innate body positive, female empowerment message. This can be seen in the messaging, but also in the physical images used.
The women who play as characters in these ads are real people with real bodies. These designs aren’t overly retouched or edited. These models weren’t chosen to look like the supermodels of the early 21st century.
These are real women with real bodies and real goals. They are innately empowered and this gives off an exciting and inspiring mood for all who come in contact with these dynamic and modern print designs.
These women embody the modern, working women who have a life and commitments that keep her busy and scheduled. But the point behind this campaign was to allow women to feel empowered to block out time for themselves — thus, Tennis Tuesdays are the days they are doing things for them.
You can see this in the happy expressions, relaxed postures and vividness of these photographs that sit as a backdrop to the messaging and Nike-inspired typography.
Hoping to modernize your visual identity? Check out these branding agencies!
How Body Positivity Is Changing Marketing And Brand Identity
Body positivity isn’t so much a trend as it is a tangible shift in thought and thinking throughout the fashion and beauty industry — and realistically, far beyond. It’s the belief that we should no longer retouch our models and ads to create an image of an ideal body — whether we’re talking men or women.
And it’s a growing movement that’s having a major impact on marketing.
This Sport England campaign is just one of the more recent, and more subtle displays of body positivity and female empowerment with its use of real bodies in real movement — there is no exaggerated retouching or a determination to only use the thinnest of models in this ad. They use real women.
And this brand isn’t the only one.
There have been many open-minded, inclusive and diverse campaigns hitting television screens, billboards and social media feeds recently. One of the most widely talked about is the Aerie Real campaign.
Aerie Real is a campaign that eliminates retouching from their website and advertising imagery, opting for a more eclectic group of body types in their imagery. Here’s what the brand had to say about its campaign:
No retouching. Body positivity. Girl power. Introducing #AerieREAL Role Models! Joining our original Role Model and Body Positivity Activist Iskra is Singer-Songwriter Rachel Platten, Actress Yara Shahidi and Gold Medal Gymnast Aly Raisman. Each of these amazing women inspires us, just like each of YOU inspires us and empowers those around you every single day.
Another iconic example of body positivity and female empowerment is the Always Like A Girl Campaign:
Join us on our mission to encourage girls everywhere to embrace failure as fuel to build confidence & Keep Going #LikeAGirl. At puberty, 50% of girls feel paralyzed by the fear of failure, with 80% of girls feeling that societal pressure to be perfect drives this fear of failure*. This leads to girls avoiding trying new things because they’re too afraid to fail. But the truth is, failing is a good thing! It helps us learn, grow and ultimately build confidence. For more than three decades, we’ve empowered girls worldwide by educating millions about puberty and their cycle, so they can feel confident. Join us in our epic battle to stop the drop in confidence girls experience at puberty by encouraging all girls to Keep Going #LikeAGirl. Share how you try, fail, learn & Keep Going #LikeAGirl to inspire others to do the same.
These are just a few examples of the movement towards inclusivity, diversity and empowerment. But there are more campaigns popping up every day, creating a dynamic shift in the industry which aligns these forward-thinking brands as modern, innovative and relatable — thus, promoting engagement from consumers in a more tangible way.
Want more inspiring print campaigns? Give DesignRush's Best Print Design section a look!
Plus, enlist the help of one of these great graphic design agencies to infuse more personality and ethos into your next campaign!
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