Under Armour Seeing Olympic-Sized Shares of Michael Phelps Ad

Despite not being an official Olympics sponsor, Baltimore-based Under Armour’s campaign focusing on Michael Phelps’ preparation routine is seeing widespread exposure, thanks to fans who are sharing the spot on social media.

Phelps, 31, completed his Olympics career in Rio winning his 23rd gold medal.

According to ADWEEK, Under Armour’s “Rule Yourself” has become the second most-shared Olympics ad for 2016 and the fifth most shared Olympics spot of all time, according to data from video ad tech company Unruly.

A total of 56 percent of the spots’ shares are coming from Facebook, followed by Twitter at 28 percent, according to Unruly.

ADWEEK asks: What makes the ad, created by Droga5, so shareable?

“It’s striking the right emotional chord with its target audience: millennial men between the ages of 18 and 34,” ADWEEK reported. “The dramatic nature of the Phelps spot (with a killer track from The Kills) and its ability to take viewers through the swimmer’s intense training process elicited a sense of inspiration among 47 percent of overall viewers, and 68 percent of millennial men.”

ADWEEK continued, citing Unruly: “Twenty-two percent of viewers reported feeling amazement watching the athlete training and even undergoing some extraordinarily painful-looking sessions of cupping therapy. Millennials also felt happiness and surprise—all key emotions needed to engage younger viewers, according to Unruly.”