The Center for the Female Athlete: Brand

The Center for the Female Athlete at Dayton Children’s is a program that serves female athletes from ages 12-22. It is a comprehensive program to better diagnose, treat, manage and prevent injuries, but even more so to treat and help the challenges unique to the female athlete including nutritional deficiencies and behavioral and mental health concerns that lead to negative impacts on their sports performance and recovery. The first program of its kind in this region, it became a leader in similar programs launching across the country.

Year

2021

What We Did

Branding, Messaging, Video, Writing, Animation, Illustration, Print, Digital, Social, Photography, Design, Strategy

The program launched with a high-energy commercial that aired during the the 2021 Summer Olympics and online. Making a splash introduction with more than 30,000 views in the first 24 hours, it made a statement that Dayton Children’s is committed to supporting young female athletes. We created an additional long form manifesto video and commercial to support the launch of the program.

We concepted The Center for the Female Athlete Manifesto: a uniting message that female athletes can rally behind that empowers them to become the best version of themselves. This powerful message influenced the tone for the rest of the campaign. From this, the unique“This Girl Has the Power” tagline was born.

As part of The Cente for the Female Athlete welcome kit, young athletes who enrolled into the program received a goal-setting journal that we custom created. 154 pages for goal setting, tracking, gratitude guides and information on nutrition and wellness. We worked alongside the Dayton Children’s team of athletic trainers and specialists to create content that focused on the complete experience of being a female athlete. The kit also included a folder to hold information and nutrition sheets, custom ink pens, stickers, and a water bottle.

We also created a set of templates to be used on the Center for the Female Athlete Instagram page to further engage athletes where they are. A place where female athletes can be inspired, get nutrition and wellness tips, and feel empowered with the hashtag #ThisGirlHasThePower. We also produced a set of social videos that featured the athletes who became the face of the program.

Alongside branding and video, we photographed local female athletes from a variety of sports including, soccer, basketball, track, swimming, gymnastics, and dance. Outdoor advertising played a large role in bringing awareness to the program. Billboards went up in high traffic areas and graphics were installed at local malls and shopping centers.

Outcomes

Dozens of athletes

Within the first few months, Dayton Children’s engaged dozens of female athletes who enrolled in the program. Seeing success in injury prevention, mental health support, and nutritional guidance, the program gained traction as the place for young female athletes to go for support.

Reach

The Center for the Female Athlete has now gained national attention, and the professionals in the program now can provide a foundation of knowledge for other programs across the country.

This Girl Has the Power

Young female athletes face unique challenges and with an on going commitment to serving this unique population, Dayton Children’s proves that each young athlete has the power to be whatever they want to be.

RECOGNITION

AAF Dayton Gold Addy
AAF Dayton Bronze Addy
AAF Dayton Mosaic Award

Behind the Scenes

It was a pleasure getting to work with these young, talented female athletes. Filming spanned multiple locations, including filming underwater with a very talented athlete!

We also got to design and oversee the install for a photo wall in The Center for the Female Athlete wing at Dayton Children’s South campus! This special installation provides a photo opp for young athletes as they enter or graduate from the program.