Tony Simmons on Being an Advocate


Tony Simmons is a full-time advocate for Baltimore's homeless community. His passion for social justice is never ending and his words are always urgent and inspiring. Check out this video to hear his thoughts on what it's like to be a speaker in the movement to end homelessness.

WhiCh wAy iS HoME?

Found him lying on the ground at work.

Under armor's "I WILL" ad


Under armor "I WILL" innovations


             This ad is about some of the new products under armor is releasing. It really started pulling me in when I saw the belt type object around Canelo Alvarez's waist while he was running. I then saw that the people in the vehicle behind him monitoring his workout. It looked like they were monitoring calories burned and other graphs and stats about his workout I'm guessing. The point is from then on I found my self extremely interested in what this thing was and what it could actually do. They continued to show professional athletes using their new innovations. I noticed something they all had in common, they were all rising stars you could say. Stars like Kemba walker who is a rising star in the NBA, also the have Bryce Harper who last year was the youngest player in the MLB all-star game, lastly they showed the young rising female tennis player by the name of Sloane Stephens, she is ranked 17th in the world. Canelo as I mentioned before is becoming one of the best boxers of his time. I first saw this commercial during the NBA all-star game. There were no words except under armors slogan, "It's our job to make you better,to make all athletes better, one great innovation at a time." The music during the ad has that sense that its building towards something. The whole commercial is almost one big workout video basically. Until they get to the end and just shock you with innovations they are working on right now. All they show right before the commercial ends is a glimpse of some sort of touchscreen fabric, I know its hard to fathom, but if they are serious it could be unprecedented stuff. This is just the beginning of many more things to come from the "I WILL" campaign. I'm excited for the future of under armor. 

           Under armor is making then seem better than the rest. They are trying to persuade us that they much farther ahead of the competition than the we think. Let me tell you hey did a good job of persuading. After seeing this commercial I have no doubt in my mind that under armor is creating the most innovative equipment for athletes out there. By leaving out the details of what the equipment actually does and focusing on making it look to viewers as something no one has ever seen before was a very good way of getting your audience to be interested because this makes you want to find out more about it. the mystery of the futuristic aspect was intriguing to say the least. This will show you a little more about their performance tracking system you see on all of the athletes. http://sneakerreport.com/news/a-closer-look-at-the-ua-armour39-performance-tracking-system/
          This ad just like its product is new and different and I think that was the overall message it's new, it's exciting, and you get a sense it's going to change everything we know about workouts. Not many ads use stars that people can just look at and know. If i didn't follow sports as well as I don't think i would have been able to tell you those are professional athletes not just actors. Every aspect of this commercial screams new, innovative, and unprecedented. I think that that's exactly the demographic they are appealing too like many other under armor commercials before this one. The student athletes out there that are trying to make that final leap into the professional world of sports. I think under armor displays themselves as a brand of success at all levels of competition. In some ways they are how I remember NIKE commercials growing up.   

          The ad had an effect on me that I believe effected millions of other people in the same way. It had that shock and wow factor they were obviously going for. I think a huge strength was using the new up and coming stars to basically mirror their product. They want people to think about their product in the same way they view these new rising stars, and that is exactly the attachment I felt to it. There is something I noticed as the commercial went on, that could be seen as a strength, but I saw it as a weakness. Until i later looked up the i will campaign and saw all the products they are selling in the commercial I thought it was centered around the waist belt. Little did I know Bryce Harper was sporting the new innovative cleats they are releasing, Kemba Walker was wearing a new fast drying, stretchable t-shirt made out of a new type of cotton. and last but not least Sloane Stephens was promoting a new line of women's sports bras. Honestly you have no way of knowing any of this until you visit the website. Click this link to see all four of their new innovations, you can pre-order as well from this website.  http://iwill.ua.com/
         Memorable is the one word I would use to describe this ad. Believe me I will hold Under Armor to  their promise that they are working on those new innovations they teased us with at the end. As I said previously if they are serious about what they are working on it could change athletic apparel for ever, It will put Under Armor at the top of a short list of athletic apparel giants. Keep in mind they are competing against brands like Nike, Addidas, and even Jordan. All of these brands have been around much longer than Under Armor has. I already own Under Armor apparel and I'm just inclined to continue buying their products. I'm really impressed with the leap that under armor is taking. I have done a lot of research on these products since I first saw the commercial. I learned that you can monitor your watch and waist belt through any device that supports the app. which means your phone, a tablet, or even a laptop. It honestly surprised to find out they were marketing not just one product but every inch of apparel as well. The website is really cool actually they have bios on all the products and athletes.


I can see my house from here. Oh, hang on, I am my house

"Pumpkin" Building