Athleta activates around inspirational Olympic athletes to win over Gen Alpha

The GIST: Leading women's performance activewear brand Athleta is leaning further into its brand identity with its long-running Power of She campaign. In its current form, the messaging has crystallized into centering inspirational Olympic and Paralympic women athletes as brand ambassadors, giving Gen Alpha consumers something to aspire to.

• Earlier this month, The GIST chatted with Athleta CMO Ilona Aman to gain insight on what the brand hopes to achieve through its Olympic activations and beyond.

The Power of She: In 2012, Athleta launched its first national brand campaign, then established its Power of She platform in 2016 before launching its Power of She Fund in 2020 in partnership with the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF). The fund has supported almost 50K athletes and includes a childcare grant inspired by track and field legend Allyson Felix. Very on brand.

• During this time, the brand was also building its Olympic connections. In 2019, Athleta signed Felix as its first-ever athlete ambassador, and landed celebrated gymnast Simone Biles in 2021. In 2023, the brand launched its Power of She Collective, which is headlined by 13 elite athletes, including Team USA swimmer Katie Ledecky.

The Olympic messaging: In the first Olympic and Paralympic year since the Power of She Collective’s launch, Athleta activated across several channels leading up to the Games. The brand created an ad campaign with Biles, who starred in the brand’s first-ever linear TV ad. The spot also ran on Netflix this month while the streamer promotes its Simone Biles: Rising documentary.

• Athleta is also bolstering its Olympic messaging through IRL activations. Ahead of the Games, the company donated $100K to the WSF, is hosting workout events in nine major U.S. markets, and started a campaign where women and girls can write postcards to their role models and Athleta will donate $1 to the Power of She Fund for every one. A win-win.

• Aman told The GIST that because 2024 is an Olympic year and has ushered in an explosion of popularity for women’s sports, the platform Athleta currently has is 10x what it would be otherwise.

Zooming out: With its long history of supporting women athletes, Athleta is poised to capitalize not only on the Olympics, but on the distinct power of women as brand ambassadors. Athleta parent Gap Inc. is leveraging the brand's growth in its long-term strategy, and targeting Gen Alpha is a big part of that.

• Data is still mixed on how the generation engages with sport, but we do know Gen Alpha influences household spending and are prone to influencer trends. A campaign like this should be right up their alley — especially with Biles, one of America’s most popular athletes, at the helm.