Under Armour: New Kid on the Block

Marketing

Newcomer Under Armour, founded in 1996 has made its mark on the world of sports apparel and accessories. They have achieved what could be called “overnight success” when comparing them with the longevity and profits, that until recently, their competitors Nike and Adidas maintained within the industry. “Under Amour’s $3 billion in annual global sales pales in comparison with Nike's $28 billion, but Under Armour is increasingly growing its share of the sector, recently overtaking Adidas to become the second-largest athletics brand in the US”.(O’Reilly, 2015). Their various campaign commercials prove they are on a mission to appeal to customers of all demographics and athletes of all sports to remain a mainstay in athletic wear and gear.
Rule Yourself- You are the Sum of All Your Training1 Under Armour’s newest campaign, Rule Yourself, showcases and market apparel to the younger athletes of different sports, both female and male. Their commercial titled “You are the Sum of All Your Training features three athletes in their younger twenties; basketball player Stephen Curry, ballet dancer Misty Copeland and golfer Jordan Speif. At the start of the each athlete is surrounded by thousands of their own “clones” training for their particular sport.
As the commercial continues the clones gradually decrease right down to only one remaining. The end is the most intriguing and unique part of the commercial that appears with the slogan “You are a sum of all your training”. Company logo’d apparel and accessories synonymous with each sport is shown, including: basketball shorts, golfer’s pants, hats, golf cleats, women’s leggings, a basketball, golfer’s gloves and their most notable product, Stephen Curry basketball shoes.
Against All Odds
Under Armour is following the footsteps of their competitor Nike when it comes to success with a line of basketball shoes. Nike has “Jordans” and Under Armour has “Currys”. Although, their line of shoes are basketball shoes, Under Armour has changed their “playbook” to acquire a different type of customer base, marketing to the “younger” generation of basketball athletes. Michael Jordan was an established basketball player in the middle of his career with many achievements under his belts when he received an endorsement from Nike. Under Armour begin its relationship in 2013 during Curry’s third year with the NBA, which was also his most notable and what is called his “breakout season”. Adding another notch to Under Armour’s belt, is the fact that Curry ended his endorsement with Nike in order to accept Under Armour’s. Their commercial featuring the young, successful, endorsed athlete captured their intended audience by showing that contrary to popular belief success can be obtained very early on.
Curry TWO
Premiering the campaign to market the second line of Under Armour’s Steph Curry’s their commercial titled Curry Two. Unlike previous commercials, that featured Stephen Curry narrating scenes of himself demonstrating various basketball skills and drills, Under Armour paired sports and cinema and features a monologue presented by actor Jamie Foxx. Foxx’s early career comprised of small television roles but it wasn’t until his first role in a major motion picture that his name was launched to the A-list category. “How long does it take to change the game? Hours? Days? Years? Decades?” is including in the narration. This commercial distinctly demonstrates the parallels of early success achieved by Under Armour, Stephen Curry and Jamie Foxx and the sends a message to young athletes that although it took work to get to where they are it didn’t take very long to be “great”.
I Will What I Want
Under Armour sends the message to their female audience that you don’t have to be a member of the “boys club” to yearn to succeed and dominate as an athlete. This commercial features Misty Copeland wearing Under Armour logo appeal. The uniqueness of this commercial and its message is not the use of a female athlete, but the type of athlete they featured. Instead of the typical female soccer, tennis or golf athlete, Under Armour shed a spotlight on a ballet dancer to prove that what was once considered a sport in category of athletics has become far more vast and varied.
It’s August
Pushing to continue motivating athletes even during offseason, Under Armour’s “It’s August” commercial shows a high school football player attending practice during the end of his summer vacation in August. The company shies away from their typical feature of a pro-athlete and focus on the everyday player and what it takes in order to go on and make a name for himself in college and then the NFL. The scenes flash back and forth between summer practice mid-season, showing the young man wearing different logo’d football apparel and uniform gear. It demonstrates that everyone experiences the nostalgia a new season brings about and that training in the off-season ensures that new seasons continue to be experience. On the business side, this idea of “playing even when you’re not playing” gives the idea that there is always a need for their products, promoting more sales and revenue.
References
O'Reilly, L. (2015, April 24). Under Armour has launched its latest shot in its bid to topple Nike. Retrieved February 04, 2016, from http://www.businessinsider.com/under-armour-launches-rule-yourself-campaign-2015-8
Under Armour Curry Two [Video file]. (2015, October 20). Retrieved February 04, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkBNmBQb5qY
Under Armour I Will What I Want [Video file]. (2014, July 30). Retrieved February 04, 2016, From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY0cdXr_1MA
Under Armour it’s August [Video file]. (2013, August 03). Retrieved February 05, 2016,
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RazuuCkhVk
Under Armour Rule Yourself Sum of All Your Training [Video file]. (2015, August 23).
Retrieved February 03, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikmd-vtRCqo http://www.businessinsider.com/under-armour-launches-rule-yourself-campaign-2015-8 Under Armour Stephen Curry: Against All Odds [Video file]. (2014, December 17). Retrieved February 03, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGpFIjIl1hA