Under Armour Marketing Strategy

By: Andrew Williams
November 2010

Under Armour Marketing Strategy

I. Executive Summary
Under Armour was founded in 1996 by Kevin Plank, a former football player at the University of Maryland. Under Armour started with an idea to create a superior t-shirt that provided compression and wicked perspiration off the skin rather than absorb it. A t-shirt that would work to regulate you body’s temperature and enhance performance. The apparel was engineered to keep athletes cool, dry, and remain light throughout the course of a game, practice, or workout.
Since then, Under Armour has expanded and become more diverse. They entered the footwear business in 2006 with the launch of football cleats. They
The fabrics and technology used in manufacturing Under Armour’s products are generally not unique to them, and they do not currently own any fabric or process patents. Many of Under Armour’s competitors are large apparel, footwear, and sporting goods companies with strong worldwide brand recognition and significantly greater resources than Under Armour, such as Nike and Adidas. Under Armour also competes with other manufactures, including those specializing in outdoor apparel, and private label offerings of certain retailers, including some of their customers. Due to their brand image and brand equity, the performance and quality of their products, and their selective distribution, Under Armour has been able to compete successfully in the sporting goods market. In the future, Under Armour expects to compete for consumer preferences and may face greater competition on pricing. The purchasing decisions of Under Armour’s consumers often reflect highly subjective preferences that can be influenced by many factors, including advertising, media, product sponsorships, product improvements, and changing styles.
Under Armour packaging’s main function is for promoting the product and increasing the brand equity. Under Armour’s packaging contains the “UA” symbol and an image of one of Under Armour’s contracted