"Diversity" parade: How sports brand ambassadors are chosen
In early autumn, social networks broke out not so loud, but still a scandal. Personal trainer Anastasia Chigarinova drew attention to the fact that by advertising the novelty - the sports bra PureMove, the Russian Reebok called actresses Ravshana Kurkova and Daria Malygina for the main roles in her campaign, and the model and TV presenter Maria Minogarova - certainly beautiful, but at the same time representing only one type of figure - "tall and thin." Simply put - conventional model. In the "original" promo was built on the principles of inclusiveness: on one of the shots of the photographer four girls pose - taut, but at the same time of different build. Yes, among them there is a tall thin girl, but there is also a girl of “normal” size, and a small owner - everything is like in life. And it is not surprising: the sconces themselves, existing in as many as ten possible sizes, including five intermediate ones, are in favor of the “diversity” - so that surely no athlete is left behind.
Text: Yana Lukina, author of Superficial space cadet telegram channel
"It looks very strange that it is in our market that we need to impose the same stereotype about the body and that only such a body can be associated with fitness, workouts and health," she wrote on Facebook on Chigarinov, after which she organized an alternative photo session - #reeboknormalnogocheloveka (also called an Instagram account account of the results of shooting), the heroines of which at the same time talked about relationships with their bodies and imposed standards of beauty. And at the same time, they didn’t seem to overestimate their efforts: “When the shooting ended, it seemed to me that we didn’t do enough to make a loud statement and show our civil position. We didn’t show enough different types of bodies, didn’t show enough variety of sizes,” cover letter one of the participants.
Russian Reebok believes that the theme of diversity has worked well: “Ravshana, Maria and Daria are unique, their characters and images are not similar to each other. What unites them is a powerful inner core, natural beauty and femininity - this is exactly what I wanted to emphasize in the campaign dedicated to the launch of a new product for women. " Representatives of the brand recalled that at the global level Gal Gadot, Gigi Hadid and Nathalie Emmanuel represent it - obviously, bearing in mind that the heroines of shooting from different backgrounds, and this principle is observed in the Russian campaign. And there is no bodypositive there either. This story is a reason to speculate on whether it is fair to blame sports brands ambassadors recently.
Today, every major sports brand, in addition to the main account, leads the instagram also the female version (they are usually referred to as: @pumawomen, @nikewomen, @adidaswomen, @ reebokwomeng ...) and regularly fills it with pictures of sportswomen who are professional and amateur. No selfie from the fitness club changing room or "catalog" pictures - these girls run, jump, stand in asanas, box, practice with dumbbells, throw the ball. And such a bet on "authenticity" is probably the best strategic move: so the brand shows that it has not only a clear desire to sell, but also its own mission - to support, motivate.
A year later, in one of her regular snepchat sessions, a girl depicting training in an advertising campaign admitted that she practically didn’t play sports
However, when it comes to “casting” in the role of so-called global ambassadors, the mission is sometimes simply inferior to likes. Three years ago, appreciating the success of her not so much sports as fashionable collaboration with Rihanna, Puma decided to concentrate on the female line - and signed a seven-figure sum contract with Kylie Jenner. And although it was a natural move from a commercial point of view (the girl almost instantly helped increase sales of sneakers), the appointment itself looked ambiguous.
A year later, in one of her regular snepchat sessions, the girl depicting training in an advertising campaign admitted that she practically didn’t practice sports, but was losing weight on freshly squeezed juices. But after serving his contract with Puma, Jenner concluded a new one - this time with adidas. The benefit of the previous experience was taken into account: now the girl is promoting Falcon sneakers, and this is clearly a more sincere and harmonious case. And also family: Kendall Jenner, Kylie's older sister, joined the brand, not to mention the powers that adidas endowed Kanye West with.
Meanwhile, Puma "took in the family" another instagram queen - Selena Gomez. Her followers are, after all, sixteen times more than in the brand’s official account, and the popularity of posts involving the singer and actress is 3-5 times higher than the average. Unlike Kylie, Selena, preparing a couple of years ago for a tour in support of the album "Revival", quite actively and openly engaged in sports with celebrity coach Amy Rosoff Davis. At the beginning of her contract period, Selena defiled a couple of times on Pilates in branded leggings - but that, in general, her relationship with the sport ended.
Unlike Kylie, Selena, preparing a couple of years ago for a tour in support of the album "Revival", quite actively and openly engaged in sports with celebrity-coach Amy Rosoff Davis
In fact, Selena has been struggling with lupus for five years (by the way, part of the proceeds from the sale of the first joint collection with Puma was sent to the fund to fight the disease), a year and a half ago she had a kidney transplant, and this fall the singer suffered a nervous breakdown . While Selena is supposedly not living the best period of her life, new advertising "images" continue to appear on the Web, and "selenators" - as the girl's fans call it - "sign" their emoji hearts: you will not put a 30-million contract for a pause.
In fairness, Gomez Dua Lipa and Ariana Grande, on the field ambassadors adidas and Reebok, respectively, look pretty convincing. Dua is a fitness enthusiast (of which only those videos stand where she shakes her press, hooking her legs over a punching bag!), And Arians are no strangers to workouts. For both girls, sport is neatly integrated into the wardrobe, so they regularly remind of their relationships with brands.
Or take the same Natalie Emmanuel and Gal Gadot, whose names were already mentioned at the beginning of the text. The first one, in her free time, teaches yoga, the second for shooting in “Wonder Woman” gained almost eight kilos of muscle mass - and this fact most likely determined the decision of Reebok to invite an Israeli woman to join her team. And also at the same Reebok in the pickup Nina Dobrev - and the girl who is so keen on sports in Hollywood still has to look.
If sports people cannot win the casting of sports brands just because their ambassadors are obliged to meet the dubious standard, this raises questions
This is the essence: from the cooperation of celebrity with the brand you expect the likelihood. It would seem that athletes are ideally suited to such campaigns, naturally. But the brands themselves, denying the obvious, continue to "casting" singers, actresses and models. This in itself is not bad, especially since some of them are really sports, but when Gigi Hadid looks at you from the walls at the Reebok store, Karlie Kloss is at the adidas store, and Kara Delevin starts to appear in the Puma store, 2006 yard: talk about diversity, body positivity and ageism (as if only people under thirty are going to the gym) is still just on the horizon, and the stereotype “sports means skinny” is very much alive.
Sports brands do not always clearly divide their lines - into lifestyle and clothing designed exclusively for sports (they often hang in the same room on adjacent hangers). We are used to checking with consultants which sneaker models are designed for regular running marathons, and which ones are suitable only for walking. Should ambassadors at least minimally go in for sports and lead a healthy lifestyle if they advertise crop tops and wide okolosportivny pants? Someone thinks that yes, if we are talking about brands whose DNA contains sport and the motivation to move forward, otherwise the buyer may have a feeling of deception. Someone, on the contrary, is sure that sports brands have expanded their audience so much that people who are far from sports achievements can also wear their things. And yet, if sports people cannot win in the casting of sports brands just because their ambassadors are obliged to meet the dubious standard, this raises questions.
Perhaps, for now, the good old Nike is winning. His heroines are Serena Williams, Netherlands football player Lika Martens, gymnast Simona Biles. In order not to feel excluded the tall and thin women - Bella Hadid. But along with it - Paloma Elsesser plus-size model. And these are different types that can resonate with the same different customers. Someone might say that this is not yet an ideal, but at least a good attempt.
PHOTO: Reebok puma
