BALTIMORE, April 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of
the brand's origin in athlete performance, Under Armour (NYSE:UA,
UAA) showcases the importance of hard work, dedication and
resilience in its new year-long global training campaign. As the
foremost experts in helping athletes unlock their best, Under
Armour recognizes dedicated training and hard work as the essential
ingredients towards mastery of any skill. In its "Will Finds A Way"
campaign, Under Armour sets out to inspire and ignite the world by
taking consumers on a motivational journey spotlighting
Dwayne Johnson as he introduces the
stories of eight trailblazing athletes: world champion sprinter
Natasha Hastings; Olympic swimmer
Yusra Mardini; NBA point guard
Dennis Smith Jr.; actress &
taekwondo national champion Zoe
Zhang; world champion judoka Teddy
Riner; stuntwoman Jessie
Graff; triathlete Johnny
Agar; and state boxing & gymnastics champion Javon
"Wanna" Walton.
Dwayne Johnson is no stranger to
resilience and hard work. As the ultimate motivator, narrator and
spirit of this campaign, he reinforces that nothing is impossible
with WILL. Johnson uses his life as an example to this testament,
sharing examples of beating all odds and becoming the person he is
today by being the hardest worker in the room. He carved a
new path for himself when his dream of becoming a pro football
player was crushed and found himself with less than $7 dollars in his pocket. Through these trials,
he knows first-hand there is something that lives in each one of us
that helps defy doubt, failure or circumstance.
"Over the years, I've failed hard and had my dreams crushed,
which inevitably put my back up against the wall. Through that
struggle on my way back up, I've learned there's one undeniable
constant to success, and that's to always be the hardest worker in
the room," said Johnson. "Our Under Armour 'Will Finds A Way'
campaign celebrates the power 'will' has to overcome the odds and
achieve the unthinkable. I'm honored to work alongside some of the
most hard-working everyday women and men (and kids) for this
campaign, all of which have risen to greatness through unwavering
will, determination and being the hardest worker in the room."
The collection of films was created in partnership with creative
agency Droga5, and directed by award-winning directors The Malloy
brothers and Nathalie Canguilhem of Superprime. In the launch film,
Johnson introduces the unique ways each of the featured athletes
have willed themselves to greatness; from overcoming social anxiety
at a young age, to escaping turmoil and war, or battling the
constraints of physical disability. The fast-paced narrative and
visual style carries the audience through this collection of
inspiring journeys with the same tenacity that fuels these
athletes' training every day. The result is a slew of energetic,
motivating films that leaves viewers with the sense that no matter
their circumstance, with the right amount of WILL, you will find
your way to the top.
Following the launch anthem comes individual films that explore
deeper into the athlete's story of WILL:
- Natasha Hastings missed
out on quintessential childhood experiences to focus all her energy
in running and training and has had to face those who criticized
her strong, athletic build. Those life realities, driven by her
will to reach her full potential, propelled her to become one of
the best and most elite runners in the world, where she's earned
the moniker the '400 Meter Diva.'
- Yusra Mardini experienced
inconceivable turmoil and war in her home country of Syria, but her sheer will for survival powered
her strokes across treacherous ocean waves when she saved numerous
other refugees by swimming their boat to safety. She went on to
compete as a swimmer with the Refugee Olympic Team and continues to
train to meet her next goal: competing in the 2020 Olympics.
- Dennis Smith Jr. suffered
a knee injury that threatened to take his dream away, of making it
to the elite collegiate level and then on to the NBA. After
learning to dunk on the playgrounds of Fayetteville, North Carolina and ignoring the
trappings of outside influences, he made it to the courts of the
NBA where he continues to play with a fury that comes from knowing
how close he was to losing out on his dream.
- Zoe Zhang experienced a
devastating injury that forced her into early sport retirement as a
winning class champion on the National Taekwondo team, but instead
of stopping there she changed courses and took advantage of her
hard-earned skills to become one of China's most famous actresses with a focus in
martial arts. Her flexibility and ability to quickly adapt renders
her a force to be reckoned with, on and off the big screen.
- Teddy Riner devoted his
life from a young age to Judo, and is aiming to become the greatest
judoka ever seen. People think it comes naturally to him, but no
one sees how early he starts his day, how many hours he spends in
the gym and how he keeps his body and skills top-notch to redefine
what's possible in Judo and continue to strive to become the
greatest judoka in the world.
- Jessie Graff is a real-life
superhero; despite her supernatural abilities to navigate prominent
elaborate obstacle courses and handle stunts for prominent films
and television shows, Jessie believes her true superpower is her
will as she continues to surpass her competitors, both male and
female.
- Johnny Agar is an
inspiration to the Under Armour brand, with a unique partnership
that started in 2017 with Johnny starring in his own homemade
version of an Under Armour commercial. Today, his story continues
to be celebrated through the "Will Finds A Way" campaign. He faces
unimaginable challenges daily; with cerebral palsy comes the loss
of ability for basic life skills, like walking or feeding himself,
but he gets up every morning to train for athletic competitions
most people without the constraints of disabilities wouldn't fathom
training for. He ignores the doubt of his own body and strives to
push beyond his physical limits with pure emotional strength,
ultimately training with vigor to walk the last mile of a triathlon
with his father.
- Javon "Wanna" Walton is all too familiar with the word
"no" after hearing it repeatedly throughout his short decade-long
life, from doubters not believing in his dreams. His uncompromising
approach to training and becoming a champion in two sports -
gymnastics and boxing - fuels his vision of becoming heavyweight
champion one day; nothing is standing in his way.
"Under Armour is passionate about driving with a performance
lens in all that we do, spreading our core belief that training,
along with mental fortitude, and sheer conviction, are the ultimate
keys to success," said Adrienne
Lofton, Senior Vice President, Global Brand Management,
Under Armour. "The Under Armour team proudly refers to Dwayne Johnson as the 'Motivator of the Masses'
and together we bring this campaign to the world in celebration of
our fused belief that with the right amount of WILL power, all
athletes – including the UA athletes featured alongside him in this
campaign – can find their way to the top. WILL defies expectations,
beats all odds and propels greatness, and through our 'Will Finds A
Way' campaign we are challenging the world to push beyond their
physical and mental boundaries to manifest the best in themselves
and those around them."
To experience the full "Will Finds A Way" campaign, including
the individual pieces of athlete content, and to shop the Spring /
Summer 2018 UA Training collection, visit
www.underarmour.com/will-finds-a-way and download the UA Shop App
on the App
Store or Google Play™ store. The campaign will be
released and supported globally, specifically in the U.S.,
Europe and China. The "Will Finds A Way" campaign will
feature hundreds of pieces of content that have been created for
Under Armour's digital and social platforms.
To view the campaign films, go to youtube.com/UnderArmour. To
follow the "Will Finds A Way" campaign story and to learn more
about Under Armour Training, visit UA.com, facebook.com/UnderArmour
and join in the conversation on Twitter and on Instagram
@UnderArmour with #WillFindsAWay.
About Under Armour, Inc.
Under Armour, Inc., headquartered in Baltimore,
Maryland is a leading innovator, marketer and distributor of
branded performance athletic apparel, footwear and accessories.
Designed to make all athletes better, the brand's innovative
products are sold worldwide to consumers with active lifestyles.
The company's Connected Fitness™ platform powers the world's
largest digitally connected health and fitness community. For
further information, please visit www.uabiz.com.
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SOURCE Under Armour, Inc.