At the end of last month, we brought you news of Droga5’s campaign for Under Armour highlighting American Ballet Theatre soloist Misty Copeland. The latest from the brand, created by GreenLight Media and Marketing, tells the kind of story more expected from the brand, turning to Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton for a new series entitled “Huddle Up.”
The first episode in the series begins with the Panthers’ disappointing end to the 2013 season. While the season is over, Newton has his work cut out for him in a busy offseason that sees him working towards a college degree, recovering from surgery, and helping the kids at his program. Over the course of around six minutes, viewers are given a well-rounded view of Newton’s life off the field as he prepares for training camp.
Under Armour vice president of creative Brian Boring told Fast Company that the goal of the series is to “create stories that inspire athletes,” adding, “The content series format gives us an opportunity to tell a deeper story through the voice of an athlete, specifically in this case, football players.”
“[We] set out to tell a story of an athlete’s journey and his will along that path, rather than one of an athlete as hero,” said Dominic Sandifer, president, GreenLight Media and Marketing. “We certainly set out with a story and episode arc that we wanted to capture, but Cam quickly took control of his own narrative and worked closely with Grant and our creative team to ensure that the real story of who he is be told as he prepared for his next season–and his life. What we see emerge is not the Superman façade we’ve been sold, but instead a real man, a real leader, and a real athlete that everyone will be watching closely this year.”