[译]一个品牌如何借力明星杀出一条血路

引言

你可能听过I WILL WHAT I WANT这句话很多次，很想问这句话不是有语法问题吗，可还是忍住了。

Under Armour—I Will What I Want

文章译自Harvard Business Review | March 2016

How One Brand Uses Celebrities to Break Through

一个品牌如何借力明星杀出一条血路

Under Armour’s recent campaign “I Will What I Want” shows how to combine celebrity sponsorships and cultural branding to create content with impact. Under Armour originally became an iconic brand by swiping Nike’s cultural strategy—then doing it one better.

安德玛最近的宣传活动I WILL WHAT I WANT很好的诠释了如何糅合名人光环和品牌文化来打造有影响力的内容。安德玛先通过力压耐克的品牌策略让自身成为一个符号性品牌，然后做得比对手更好。

Nike’s approach, launched in the 1970s and perfected in the 1990s, was to tell stories of athletes who overcame societal barriers through sheer willpower. But a decade ago Nike abandoned its competitive-underdog ideology to go all in on branded content, using famous athletes to make entertaining sports films. Under Armour stepped into the void, producing arresting new ads, such as “Protect This House,” that championed the same ideology and took off on social media.

耐克的营销策略兴于上世纪70年代，90年代达到全盛，以讲述运动员靠坚韧不拔的意志战胜社会上的阻力的故事为主要内容。但十年前，耐克放弃原来表现弱者对胜利孜孜以求的主调，以让知名运动员拍有趣的运动视频这些带有很强品牌烙印的内容取而代之。安德玛以诸如“Protect This House”这些引人注目的广告填补了这方面的空白，宣扬相同的理念，并在社交网络上火起来。

Under Armour also followed Nike in dramatizing how übercompetitiveness, traditionally associated with masculinity, applied equally to women, broadcasting spots that showcased female athletes. The latest effort, “I Will What I Want,” pushed gender boundaries even further, challenging conventions in arenas where traditional ideals of femininity still reign.

安德玛采用跟耐克类似的手法拍摄女运动员的短片，来彰显女性也可以跟男性一样渴望胜利。传统观念中，这种气质须与阳刚之气挂钩。最新力作I Will What I Want把性别差异抛到九霄云外，冲击那些依然认为女性必须柔弱的传统竞技场。

Ballet star Misty Copeland—who grew up in poverty with a single parent—is an athletic, muscular dancer in a profession that celebrates waifish, reed-thin women. Under Armour made a video about how she rose above adversity (the voice-over is from a rejection letter saying that her body was completely wrong for ballet), showing her dancing in a formfitting sports bra and pants that reveal her curvier physique.

在贫困的单亲家庭长大的芭蕾舞明星米丝蒂·柯普兰[1]是一个体格健壮肌肉发达的舞者，可偏偏这个专业偏爱柔弱的，像芦苇一样的女子。安德玛拍了一个视频讲述她如何在逆境中奋起（一段读她拒绝信的旁白说她的身体完全不适合练芭蕾），片中的她穿着一套合身的运动内衣翩翩起舞，展现她的优美体格。

A Gisele Bündchen film followed the same convention-breaking formula but mashed up incongruous crowdcultures to provoke a social media response. The former Victoria’s Secret star is usually portrayed within the glamorous world of runways and celebrity hobnobbing. Under Armour broke the frame by placing her in what was essentially an old Nike ad: a backstage video of Gisele in an intense kickboxing workout. The company announced the partnership ahead of filming. It immediately stirred up the crowdculture: Sports fans were cynical, Gisele fans were curious, fashionistas were puzzled, and feminists simply loved it. Under Armour’s agency scraped all this commentary from the web and projected quotes from the digital discussion on the walls behind her. The resulting video shows Gisele sweating and kicking the bag, ignoring the litany of digs surrounding her: “Is posing now a sport?” “She’s not even pretty.” “What’s her sport, smiling?” “Stick to modeling, sweetie.”

一部由吉赛尔·邦辰[2]拍摄的短片延续了相同的打破常规的套路，而且加入了别具一格的大众文化元素来激起社交媒体的反响。这位前"维密"名模通常现身于光芒万丈的走秀舞台和名流聚会。安德玛打破条条框框把她放置在一个从前耐克广告司空见惯的场景：一段在阴暗房间拍摄的录像中，吉赛尔正在进行紧张的跆拳道训练。在短片拍摄之前，安德玛公司公开了他们的合作关系。这迅速引起大众的关注：运动爱好者们嗤之以鼻，吉赛尔的粉丝们兴致勃勃，时尚达人们疑惑不解，女权主义者纯粹的喜欢。安德玛的工作人员截取下网上的评论，并将这些数字化的 讨论投影在吉赛尔身后的墙上。最终呈现的视频里的，是一个吉赛尔汗流浃背地踢着沙包，无视环绕着她的冷嘲热讽的场景：“摆姿势也是一项运动吗？”“她一点都不漂亮。”“什么是她的运动，笑？”“继续做模特吧，小妹妹。”

Under Armour succeeded because it innovated with ideology—using female celebrities to provocatively push against gender norms. The company aimed its communiqués directly at the crowdcultures that held those norms, which set off a firestorm of debate.

安德玛的大获成功基于它理念的创新：借助有名的女性来冲撞所谓的“性别规范”。这家公司的挑战对象直指那些抱残守缺的普罗大众，而这就点燃一场群体性的大讨论了。

翻译：Chowin

如果译文有误，或者你有什么想法，欢迎留言~

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[1]米丝蒂·柯普兰Misty Copeland

Misty Copeland出身贫寒，也没有天生的完美身段，但通过自身努力打破宿命，短短几年间就成为了芭蕾界的耀眼星光。

[2] 吉赛尔·邦辰Gisele Bündchen

名模。“吉赛尔·邦辰不以独特或另类的风格取胜，源自南美的热辣身躯里面流淌着严肃自律的德国血液，傲人身材就是她的先天优势，修长的双腿，健康的肤色，脸上长着南美女孩常见的雀斑。与很多瘦弱的“衣架子”不同，吉赛尔·邦辰健康、自然并且乐观而强悍。自出道以来吉赛尔不仅负面新闻很少，更从未令狗仔缴出任何激突露点作业”