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The new effort, "Get It Girl," stars rapper Saweetie and is an attempt to connect with Gen Z, targeting young women in the 16-to-24 age group.

"We see a huge opportunity for Champion," says John Shumate, Champion’s vice president of global brand marketing. "We want to connect better with our women consumers. Everyone knows us for our hoodies and our joggers, and we've been around for more than 100 years. But we have an unbelievable women's wear line, and we want to start telling that story."

That narrative is all about stoking confidence. Shumate tells Marketing Daily that the campaign is driven by the insight that many young women in this target group still don't feel comfortable in their skin.

"Many of them still have that little voice inside their head that tells them they can't do something, and they doubt themselves. So the idea behind this is to give her all the confidence she needs."

With the Saweetie ads, utterly unapologetic a Champion hopes to "give young women the style and inspiration they need to play by their own rules.

Energy BBDO created the campaign using a female-led team, including director Hannah Lux Davis and photographer Leeor Wild.

Saweetie is the brand's first-ever brand ambassador. 

Most of the target audience will know her for her hits. But the young singer was also an award-winning high school athlete. And she's blessed with some solid athletic DNA -- her grandfather is Willie Harper, who played as a linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers.

That combination of athleticism, style and music "is just a match made in heaven for us," Shumate says.

The campaign also features 12 college athletes, called the "Champion Circle." While many brands are using college athletes in ads now that legal restrictions have eased, Champion's approach is different.

It's outfitted each member in gear that highlights their "unique flair, swagger and skill," focusing on the Soft Touch sports bras and leggings, the collection's anchor. And each gets a two-year Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) investment, including access to mentors in sports, entertainment, media and marketing.

The launch comes at a topsy-turvy moment in women's athleticwear. The fast-growing athleisure market shows no signs of slowing, as Americans remain committed to their work-from-home commitment to casual.

And Champion isn't exactly a stranger to women's workout gear. It marketed the world's first sports bra back in 1977. (Two runners sewed jock straps together and called it the Jogbra.)

But it is an increasingly crowded field, and the usual players are losing ground.

The NPD Group recently forecast that Lululemon will surpass Nike in women's apparel sales this year. And smaller brands, including Gymshark, Sweaty Betty and Fabletics, are gaining ground -- even as companies like Target and Dick's Sporting Goods offer compelling private-label collections.

Observers say Champion, owned by Hanes Brands International, based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, has a good field position.

"Champion resumed its growth path in 2021," writes David Swartz, who covers the company for Morningstar, as activewear apparel is increasingly worn outside the gym.

Hanes forecasts Champion will reach $3.2 billion in global sales in 2024, up from $2 billion last year, a goal Swartz says is achievable.

Shumate declined to say how much the brand is spending on the effort but calls it "one of two major campaigns we'll run this year, representing about half the company's budget."

Morningstar notes that in 2021, Hanes spent $209 million -- about 3% of revenue -- on advertising, up from $114 million in 2020.

Ads are running on TV, breaking on ABC's basketball programming, and in network and streaming channels, as well as social media, including Instagram and TikTok.