OBJECTIVE: At the Tippie College of Business, we wanted to create a campaign based on mental health. Students are often under a tremendous amount of stress and we wanted to encourage space to talk about their struggles. Student-athletes, in particular, are often revered figures yet scrutinized when talking about the stresses of their full-time-job sport. We wanted to humanize their experiences and override the impression their life is easy because they get to "play a game". It was important for us to contrast the intensity of the competition and the tranquilness that comes with the importance of rest and escape.
Allie Gilchrist is a senior gymnast who, through her time and experiences, has figured out her forms of respite in baking, running, and reading. Juan Felipe Pedraza is a former top-ranked Peruvian golfer who has since lost form after coming to play in the USA and the University of Iowa. Coincidentally, his mother called during our time shooting and gave him words of encouragement. We decided to scrap our original plans and build our video around his call, taking inspiration from Nike ads.
Our plan with both deliverables was to slowly build up intensity, eventually cut quickly between shots of their sport and relaxation activity (incorporating "out there" audio elements as well during the more chaotic scenes), and finally end on their period of rest with the tagline "This is how I stay grounded." We aimed to use moving handheld footage during the sporting shots to feel more chaotic while steady, still shots for a more peaceful feel during relaxation activities. Our storyboard/treatment can be found here.
Since the campaign, the Tippie College of Business socials has integrated 'This Is How I Stay Grounded'Â into their regular post rotation.
Senior Gymnast Allie Gilchrist
Peruvian Golfer Juan Felipe Pedraza