• The Washington Post , Monday, August 6, 2007 10:45 AM

Sports apparel brand Under Armour--which wants its logo to be just as recognizable among women as men--is undertaking its biggest advertising campaign to date. It's aimed at high school and collegiate female athletes--or "team girl" in marketing parlance. The company only began selling to women four years ago.

The campaign has been dubbed "BoomBoom-Tap," to represent the sounds women make after breaking a huddle during a game--and a reference to its onomatopoeic "Click-Clack" ads for its men's cleats. Under Armour founder and chief executive Kevin Plank calls it a "rallying cry" for female athletes. The first TV spot aired two weeks ago on ESPN, featuring soccer, volleyball, lacrosse, softball and hockey apparel in the company's signature high-tech fabrics, designed to help regulate body temperature and dryness.

Since Title IX banned gender discrimination in educational activities at public schools 35 years ago, female participation in sports has increased 904% in high school and 456% in college, according to the nonprofit advocacy group Women's Sports Foundation.

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