A decade ago, This Girl Can redefined sports marketing to women by understanding their lived experience. The brutal insight that it was fear of judgment that stopped women from exercising was the spark for a groundbreaking campaign that inspired millions of women to move more. Ten years on and the campaign retains that authentic energy for change in a campaign which feels both fresh and as recognisable and welcome as an old friend. 

As marketing legacies go, This Girl Can’s impact is one that underlines the enduring power of purpose in marketing.

A decade on, and while so much has changed, so much stands still. The negative impact of social media on women and girls' mental health and body image continues to punish women for the unavoidable crime of simply existing in their own bodies. 

At a time when the answer to many of the structural issues we face as a society is seemingly solved by women doing more, This Girl Can’s rallying cry for women to do something for themselves and move more is more relevant than ever.

The multimedia campaign is designed to redefine what getting active can look like. The work was created by the ‘TGC Collective’ formed by 23red, which is part of Capgemini, House of Oddities, MMC and the Outsiders. Media strategy, planning and buying was handled by EssenceMediacom, OmniGOV at MGOMD and Unite. 

The campaign successfully shows that every woman belongs in the world of physical activity. It is rooted in insight from Sport England, which shows a persistent gap in activity levels amongst women from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. In addition, women from South Asian Muslim and Black communities, women aged 55-74, pregnant women and mothers with babies under one are all moving less.

The campaign leans on This Girl Can’s strong heritage of authenticity, rooted in casting real women. This latest campaign street-cast women from across England, celebrating the many ways they already move in their daily lives before pivoting to more intentional forms of exercise – from walks and family bike rides to using free outdoor park gyms, wheelchair rugby, walking football, boxing, pregnancy yoga and laughing yoga.

Energy is successfully injected into the campaign courtesy of a creative new rendition of BodyRockers’ track I Like the Way You Move, reworked as We Like the Way You Move by composer Amy McKnight and featuring vocals from rising UK artist, Morgan.

The campaign’s creative team was led by Sachini Imbuldeniya, CEO and Co-Founder of House of Oddities, and Tristan Cavanagh, Creative Director from 23red. The TV ad was directed by Priya Ahluwalia through RSA Films, with photography by Madeleine Penfold.

Audience insight was overseen by Steven Lacey, founder of The Outsiders, while community engagement and the South Asian Women and Black Women Audience Advisory Panels were led by Patricia Macauley, founder of MMC.

Kate Dale, Director of Marketing at Sport England, explained: “Since 2015, This Girl Can has inspired millions of women to get active, yet inequality persists. This advertising campaign from the TGC Collective is the culmination of a holistic approach to tackling this challenge using in-depth research to uncover the barriers and motivations of the women we now need to engage with and partnering with the sport and fitness industry to make the provision of opportunities to be active more inclusive.”

A decade on, This Girl Can’s ongoing impact is testament to the sheer determination of the teams behind it to keep challenging the status quo. Simply sensational.