This past year has been pretty tough and exercise hasn’t always been at the top of the to do list. This is the honest insight behind This Girl Can’s partnership with Heart; a joint effort to help encourage more women and girls to get active. 

The campaign is a response to new research from Sport England showing that women have struggled to keep active in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic. According to Sport England's Active Lives Adult Survey, the first eight months of Coronavirus restrictions, led to a worrying increase in the number of people who were inactive - doing less than 30 minutes of activity a week or nothing at all.

While both men and women saw decreases in activity levels in 2020, Sport England’s research shows that men returned to activity more quickly, while female activity levels remained consistently lower than 12 months earlier. A statistic which means women who have seen their activity levels fall may take longer and require more support to return. 

This campaign aims to provide that support with an uplifting and accessible message which aims to encourage exercise for all women, regardless of their circumstances and on their own terms, whether it’s through swimming, running, hiking, dancing, or joining a grassroots football or netball team. 

The campaign features Heart presenters including Pandora Christie, Anna Whitehouse, Zoe Hardman, Lilah Parsons, Fia Tarrant and Katrina Ridley. They will talk about their own experiences with exercise at different stages of their lives, while listeners will be encouraged to text Heart and share how they are moving for the chance to win fitness related prizes. This Girl Can imagery will also run across Global’s outdoor advertising network.

It will also feature a video which will run across Heart’s digital platforms, fronted by Pandora Christie and featuring women speaking about the positive influence of exercise and community on their wellbeing. The video also features Heart presenter and founder of Mother Pukka, Anna Whitehouse, talking about her experiences with exercise whilst juggling a family. Additionally 

The Heart partnership kicks off the This Girl Can week, which runs 12^th-19^th June, where the campaign and its partners will be encouraging women across the country to take the time to ‘choose you’. The campaign will showcase inspiring stories, local female-friendly activities and encourage honest conversations about exercise. The campaign was brokered by OmniGOV, the specialists media buying until for the Government, which is part of Manning Gottlieb OMD.

The launch marks the first commercial partnership that Sport England has run for its This Girl Can campaign on national radio. Sport England will sponsor daytimes across Heart Dance for six weeks, as well as video and social content across Heart’s digital platforms and co-branded promotions for two weeks on Heart and sister station, Smooth. The campaign was overseen by Kate Dale, This Girl Can’s lead at Sport England.

This Girl Can has earned its place as one of the most iconic and effective marketing campaigns of recent history. By tapping into the insight that fear of judgement is holding women back when it comes to being active Sport England have consistently and creatively broken down the barriers facing women. 

In the wake of a pandemic which has disproportionately impacted women by every measure; this campaign is a compelling example of the need to invest in the long-term to create long-term, meaningful behavioural change.