As International Women's Day nears, Sportsgirl CEO Colleen Callander reveals how female empowerment continues to be at the centre of the brand's messaging.
It’s not every day you come across a fashion retailer that has been running with the same campaign and messaging for two years.
Yet, Sportsgirl’s ‘Be That Girl’ campaign has entered its second year in 2020, with 2020’s theme; ‘Be Heard.’
It’s no surprise that the business has continued the campaign for this long, with the messaging garnering 20 million hits across various channels so far.
Sportsgirl CEO Colleen Callander says ‘Be That Girl’ is no longer just a campaign for the business but is ingrained in the way Sportsgirl operates.
“‘Be That Girl’ is more than a campaign, it is a movement and is part of our brand DNA.
“We hope the latest chapter of ‘Be That Girl’ gives our customer a platform to have a voice, engage in conversation, be inspired and inspire others.
“We hope the cast of ‘Be That Girl’ inspires and gives our customers the confidence to be their true self in everyday life and speak up.
“Our customer is at the epicentre of all our brand decisions and we know they wants more than just a place to shop, they are looking for an emotive connection and we hope ‘Be That Girl’ offers our audience that,” she says.
The new cast of 10 includes an environmentalist, indigenous rights advocate, Australian Paralympic athlete, makeup artist, writer/artist, financial advisor, beauty entrepreneur, body positive advocate, content creator/LGBTQI+ rights advocate and a journalist/presenter.
This year is also the first time it features a male, with Callander saying this was an important milestone for the campaign.
“2020 is the start of a new and exciting decade that celebrates inclusivity, diversity and creativity. The cast have been selected to not only be the face of the campaign, but act as a voice and barometer for generation Sportsgirl.
“This year’s ‘Be That Girl’ cast are from all walks of life each have their own journey full of unique stories and experiences.
“In doing this we hope that our customers can relate to one or many of our ‘Be That Girl’ cast, be inspired and give them the confidence to share their story. This year is the first year we have a Sportsboy in our cast as it is important to us as a brand that we inspire all genders,” she says.
‘Be That Girl’ 2020 has already made a splash since launching this year, with multiple channel executions.
“The campaign launched with a two-minute film on YouTube, our own channels and an out of home campaign around Australian cities,” Callander says.
“It featured on pedestrian.tv and integrated editorial article as well as all the talent posting to their own audiences.
“Our 150-plus stores also launched with impactful windows utilising images of the cast wearing ‘Be’ t-shirts.
“On the t-shirts each of them has written an aspirational word that is true to them, for example ‘Be determined’, ‘Be driven,’ ‘Be kind,’ ‘Be empowered.’
“The ‘Be That Girl’ messaging continued throughout the store through integrated displays and point of sale. We also have a social campaign with animated filters so all our customers can decide what word best describes them in 2020.
“On our website we have a ‘Be That Girl’ blog which houses Q&As with past and present ‘Be That Girls.’ Here our customers can find an in-depth insight to the talent, the journeys they have experienced and how they have turned their obstacles into triumphs,” she says.
Since its initial inception in 2018, the campaign has evolved, with the latest social elements inspired by current popular filters on Instagram Callander explains.
“The world is constantly evolving and we must evolve with it to ensure we stay relevant. I strongly believe that customers today want brands that they connect with on a much deeper level and ones that have similar values to their own.
"It is very important we listen to our customer and co create with them to ensure we have a symbiotic relationship.
“We are always looking for new ways to connect with our customer and this year we have seen an increase in the ‘who am I’ Instagram filters, so for this campaign we have introduced a ‘Be That Girl’ Instagram filter which will be installed within the Instagram app so our customers can have some fun checking out which ‘Be That Girl’ they are,” she says.
Despite its evolution, the campaign still draws inspiration from its core values. During 2020 the campaign will continue to build engagement with the Sportsgirl audience, inviting them to be unapologetically themselves.
“The ethos of ‘Be That Girl’ will always be around empowering and inspiring our girls to feel confident, strong and capable in their own identity and to share their voice, however each chapter has a slightly different lens. ‘Be That Girl’ in 2020 is all about turning up and unapologetically saying what is on your mind.
“As we continue ‘Be That Girl’, the momentum only grows stronger and with that our customers are becoming more confident in engaging with us on a personal level.
“By providing a platform for young Australians to have a voice and share their story, empowers others to do the same.
“It is important for us to have two-way conversations with our customers which builds strong connections and engagement,” she says.