This Girl Can Returns to Smash Stereotypes and Spread Joy
Sport England’s groundbreaking This Girl Can bursts back into the public eye this week with a vibrant new campaign that redefines what getting active looks like. Created by the TGC Collective formed by 23red, part of Capgemini, together with House of Oddities, MMC and the Outsiders. This new chapter unapologetically champions women from under-represented backgrounds because every woman belongs in the world of physical activity. Media strategy, planning and buying were undertaken by EssenceMediacom, OmniGOV @ MG OMD and UNITE.
Sport England’s research highlights a persistent gap in activity levels among women from lower social economic backgrounds, who in addition are from South Asian Muslim and Black communities, women aged 55-74, pregnant women and mothers with babies under one. Further research* by the TGC Collective revealed that only one in ten feel they completely belong in the world of physical activity. This next phase of This Girl Can, under the strategic direction of ‘Belonging Starts with Inclusion’, is all about reaching women who feel furthest away from getting active – making sure they feel seen, supported and welcomed.
The 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 even laughing yoga. All of this is brought to life against an empowering reimagining of BodyRockers’ iconic track ‘I Like the Way’, 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, commented, “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.”
Sharon Jiggins, managing partner at 23red, who leads the TGC Collective and has worked on This Girl Can since the original launch, added, “Rather than defining women by demographic labels, we talk about ‘our women’ - those who feel excluded from exercise for many reasons, with lack of representation and accessibility being two of the biggest barriers. Too often, the media reinforces unrealistic portrayals of what getting active looks and feels like, with the emphasis still on traditional sports or long-term goals such as weight loss. Our campaign flips this, showing that getting active is possible for every woman, and that the gateway can be as simple as going for a walk.”
“The creative acknowledges the realities of our women’s lives and highlights the motivating short-term benefits getting active brings – from more confidence, less stress to better sleep. We Like the Way You Move is an ode to our women celebrating how they move through life and how they choose to move to get active.”
Sachini Imbuldeniya, CEO and co-founder of House of Oddities added, “So much of sports marketing aimed at women demands that they have to be health-obsessed, heroic or hardcore. There are still too many women and girls that don’t feel like they belong in the world of physical activity – because they don’t see women that look, feel and act like they do.
“When it came to crafting We Like the Way You Move, we wanted to show women from all walks of life that we see them, we hear them and we celebrate them. We wanted to meet them where they are, not where ‘traditional fitness culture’ wants them to be. Our campaign is an honest, authentic and celebratory tribute to women that breaks down barriers and inspires them to live more active lives, but in ways that work for them.”
Media strategy and comms planning was undertaken by EssenceMediacom, with media implementational planning and buying delivered by OmniGOV @ MGOMD and UNITE. The media planning is grounded in behavioural science, drawing on principles such as salience, messenger and social norms to make physical activity feel appealing, relatable and achievable. The campaign will be brought to life through a broad mix of channels designed to deliver national visibility while connecting meaningfully with communities across England. It includes prime-time television and broadcaster video on demand, supported by widespread out-of-home placements in high-footfall areas. Social and digital platforms play a central role, with tailored content appearing across all key platforms, and using host reads to leverage trusted women and voices to credibly convey the message in Audio. Media partnerships with Channel 4, Amaliah, Black Ballad, Diversity Media will help amplify the campaign’s message through both mainstream and culturally specific outlets to engage our audience through authentic representation and the inspiring stories of real women in sport and activity. The campaign will also feature a wide range of community broadcast media, including in-language content to ensure accessibility and relevance for underrepresented audiences. Every element of the plan is designed not only to reach women, but to resonate with them in ways that inspire action.
To complement the launch, 23red engaged the Capgemini Applied Innovation Exchange to generate AI-powered research which revealed glaring gaps in fitness imagery such as the underrepresentation of South Asian women in culturally appropriate clothing, the lack of visibly disabled or pregnant women, and the limited presence of female instructors. It is hoped that these insights inform and encourage leisure centres, gyms and other fitness facilities to embrace more inclusive visuals, available free via the This Girl Can hub.
Ben Wilson, executive director of digital, marketing and communications at Sport England commented, “This Girl Can plays an important role in Sport England’s mission to help more people from more backgrounds get active in the ways that work for them. This latest phase is less of a refresh and more of a revolution as we harness deep insight, new partnerships and the power of AI to ensure no woman is left behind.”
