We are celebrating our 5th birthday!

It has been five years since the launch of This Girl Can, which not only encouraged millions of women to get active, but also fundamentally influenced how women are marketed to. Having previously tackled the individual ‘fear of judgement’ and practical barriers, the fourth phase of This Girl Can brings to life the ‘fear of judgement’ around topics and groups that require wider society to change if all women are to be given the opportunity to get active. These topics include the menopause, the role of support networks, disabilities, LGBTQ+ and periods.

The Insight

Although individual motivation is essential to overcome the ‘fear of judgement’, there are wider societal barriers that are preventing certain groups of women from getting active.

The Idea

Celebrate the defiance of the women who have had to overcome societal barriers to get active and inspire those around to be part of the solution.

Campaign TV Launch

The TVC, directed by Ali Kurr, features the distinctive vocals of British Rapper, Little Simz’s Offence track to reinforce that it really is time women stopped feeling judged and unrealistically defined by society. It is also a call to arms to get those who can make a difference, to be part of the solution. The TVC launches on 17th January and is supported by a multi-channel campaign including a series of content films that deep dive into the stories of the women and girls featured.

Individual Stories

The campaign features new cast members such as Kirsti, a mother of three, who finds time to be herself by playing netball regularly, and is able to do so because of the support of her partner and the people around her and Glynnis who has been able to rediscover her love of swimming and build up her self-confidence in the pool thanks to facilities and family members who support and cheer her on. These stories are interwoven with women who’ve prominently featured in past This Girl Can campaigns, showing that there is still as much of a need to overcome the ‘fear of judgement’ in all of its guises today as when the campaign first launched.

Press Coverage

This Girl Can is back for a fifth year, this time confronting how society must change so that all women are able to be active. We launched the new TV ad and posters around the campaign’s five year mark – and we’ve certainly gotten people talking. The ad reached over a million views online before we went on air and entirely through digital word of mouth. Celebrities like Jameela Jamil, Dina Asher Smith, and Lizzie Simmonds have tweeted or posted about it, as have international press and the United Nation’s Gender Equality arm. But most importantly, women in England and beyond are absolutely loving it. Bring on 2020!