Our LocationsHow Under Armour reached the tipping point
by Andreas Ruggie
OK branding community and beyond, there’s something I need to talk about…
Is it just me, or is it safe to say that Under Armour has quietly become ubiquitous in America today? It seems wherever you go—the airport, the movies, the park, EVERYWHERE—you’re bound to encounter that unbelievably simple yet somehow magnetic logo. Forget about the Nike swoosh or the Adidas three stripes; there’s a new athletic icon in town that’s quickly becoming the identity stamp of choice for today’s masses.
As always, observing this phenomenon led me to ask myself the most painfully obvious question possible: how the heck did this happen? (I seriously hadn’t even heard of Under Armour before a few years ago—what about you?)
Well, after researching the company’s surge to fame, I’m happy to report back a singular finding that we can all feel good about—Under Armour proves that challenger brand wisdom is alive and well.
For your benefit, and me being the nice guy that I am, I’ve distilled my findings into the Under Armour recipe for success. So without further ado, here it is:
- A great story (strikingly similar to Nike’s, as it turns out)
- A bold ambition (no less than to be the world’s top performance athletic brand)
- A disciplined business strategy
- A carefully protected brand image
- Youth-targeted grassroots initiatives and community outreach
Look familiar? It should, because many have followed this playbook before. And yet somehow, every time it’s repeated, we seem to react with awe (myself included). So let’s take a closer look at each ingredient to see if there’s actually something new at play.
A great story
Just like Nike, Under Armour was founded by a real athlete with an innovative vision. Kevin Plank, a walk-on football player at the University of Maryland, was trying to design a more absorbent undershirt for sweaty athletes out of his grandmother’s basement (Nike co-founder Phil Knight was a runner at the University of Oregon trying to develop better shoes).
A bold ambition
“To build the biggest, baddest brand on the planet.” Plank’s own words. No kidding.
A disciplined business strategy
To Under Armour, this has meant the avoidance at all costs of “suicidal marketing spend” against competitors with far greater resources, and a hesitance to go international too soon while domestic expansion is still continuing.
A carefully protected brand image
From the beginning, the team seems to have understood how finicky and sensitive consumers can be, and how important it is to maintain a connection with athletes. As a result, according to senior VP of brand Steve Battista, it’s been easy to say no if someone approaches them to license their name for “performance dog sweaters.”
Youth-targeted grassroots initiatives and community outreach
Under Armour sponsors the All American High School football game, focuses on the college athletic market and participates in the Wounded Warrior Project for injured service members and their families. The brand has demonstrated a consistent understanding of its audience, allowing it to make all the right moves. As Fred Scalera of ESPN aptly points out, “It has become the brand for kids who are into sports, because it’s new, it’s a challenger and many of them see Nike as part of the establishment.”
In other words, the only “new” thing about this brand is, literally, its newness. So what happens when the polish and mystique wear off? My own suspicion is that if these guys are as good as they sound, they’ll figure out a way to sustain success and relevance by remaining at that unique intersection between the mass market and the cutting edge. As an example, I’d point to MTV, a brand that has managed to stay young and adored by its audience for 30 years while remaining an industry leader. It’s not an easy feat to pull off, but the world loves a challenger.
Let’s see how this one plays out… game on!
Andreas Ruggie is an associate strategist for the Siegel+Gale New York office.
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This is a great brand story with more “attitude” than Nike:
“To build the biggest, baddest brand on the planet.” Mission accomplished.
Well written.
Mark Burgess
http://www.bluefocusmarketing.com
@mnburgess
As an athlete and sports fan, I’ve actually been familiar with Under Armour since I played football in high school, as early as 2004, so I never really considered it a “new” brand today. For those that have been playing sports heavily in the past decade, Under Armour probably isn’t that new of a brand.
But I do agree that the youth-targeted initiative is what sets them apart from the bigger brands (Nike, Adidas, Puma, etc). Although those brands obviously target the youth, their advertisements are fairly general in targeting a certain group. However, I can remember my freshman and sophomore years of high school when almost EVERYone was saying “click clack” and “we must protect this house!!”, phrases coined by Under Armour commercials. These highly motivational taglines spread like wildfire through high school and college locker rooms; they harnessed that demographic very well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ig5gTgOkRw
Andreas:
There is one other thing I’d point to as well – the look. Anyone wearing Under Armour compression gear doesn’t look like they’re wearing a baggy t-shirt. And few out of shape people opt for the skin-tight look, for reasons we can all get behind.
The instant, iconic “What the hell is that?” moment gives them an added visual bang – much like another rapidly emerging sports brand, Vibram and their Five Fingers shoe.
UA is a very interesting brand indeed. Thanks -
Torn over here on I feel on Under Armour’s direction. I remember this feeling when they introduced their first running shoe. My first though was– are you really trying to be like Nike?
I always viewed UA as bold brand, they knew who they were and what they were good at. Like you said, they were focused on college athletics and not the mass market, it was exclusive and made for serious performance. If you were on a team and were issued UA gear, you felt cool. (if you saw someone wearing UA you knew– athlete) So, I’m not sure I agree with Scalera– I think it’s become the brand for kids who are into sports because it’s the brand that their athletic idols have previously had exclusive access to.
Their “Protect this House” campaign made a huge statement in the athletic community. I’m with you Yohansen47– Our team always created a t-shirt to commemorate each season: the Class of ’07 had that on their backs, and the campaign was already 2 years old. It definitely stuck.
I don’t want to discourage them– taking on Nike is the only way UA can deliver on Plank’s ambition completely, but I think the accessibility that comes along with expanding markets/products and target audiences could dilute the boldness that hinges on who they are today. Hopefully they can manage to stay on the cutting edge, even if they do become less exclusive… I’m sure runners felt the same way when Nike extended their repertoire beyond running shoes– that seems to have worked out OK.
Thanks Mark!
-Andreas
Interesting, yohansen. What’s click clack? Hadn’t encountered that in my research…
Stephen-
Agreed. Another obvious plus is the symbology of the logo. It almost looks like an ancient character, and surely has contributed to their merchandising success.
-Andreas
Lauren-
There’s something I failed to mention in my article – apparently the quality of their footwear leaves something to be desired… ooops!
Andreas