• by Karl Greenberg , July 14, 2015

Under Armour is into the next chapter of its campaign touting under apparel for women. The effort, kicking off at an experiential event at Body by Simone in Los Angeles, with an appearance by UA spokes-athlete Lindsey Vonn, extends the “I Will What I Want” umbrella campaign. 

Centering on UA’s sports bra line, the new campaign features Vonn, model and famous-QB wife Gisele Bündchen, ABT principal dancer Misty Copeland, FIFA Women's Cup champ Kelley O’Hara, and pro surfer Brianna Cope. In the ads, each woman makes inspirational declarations typical of UA advertising: overcoming, achievement in the face of various odds, and (in this case) womanhood: “I will be praised, I will be judged, I will not be distracted,” for example.

“Woven into the Armour Bra product launch is a deeper goal of connecting with women at all levels of sport and all stages of their lives, and changing the way they think and talk about sports bras,” said Adrienne Lofton, SVP, brand marketing at the company, in a statement. “We’re starting a real, organic, and emotional conversation with women about what they want and need in their bras.”

The digital campaign is on UA.com, and it extends to point-of-purchase elements at partner retail locations, per the Baltimore-based company. The brand will also host several grassroots events to educate consumers on proper bra fit, use, and care, per the statement. Social media aspects are @underarmourwomen and #IWillWhatIWant.

The company posted a strong first quarter, but not quite what analysts had expected, because of costs unrelated to sales performance. The company, which opened a new “connected fitness” lab in Austin, Tex. this year, a think tank aimed at mining the wearable tech boom, posted revenue 13.4% below the period last year because of a $560 million bill for its purchase in February of fitness apps Endomondo and MyFitnessPal.