CONTENTS – UNDER ARMOUR

We will travel through the history of the five brands subject of analysis from its beginnings to the present day. From the creation of each of them, going through their evolution, troubles brand management, advertising case studies success, strategies of marketing until the slope or misuse of politics in some of them. It also explores how the consumer's perspective on the brand has evolved. Over the decades, the consumer has become the central figure, while the product itself has taken a backseat.

UNDER ARMOUR

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Maryland, EE.UU

The youngest brand in this series of 5. It was launched in 1996. Its creator, Kevin Plank, a football player at the University of Maryland, was fed up with being drenched in sweat after every practice, so he decided to investigate how he could find a solution to that problem.

One day, while in the locker room, he noticed that his pants were still dry after training. He decided to create a shirt using the same moisture-absorbing material to keep him dry. As he developed his successful garment, he had his teammates try it, and everyone who tried it spoke highly of it, saying it worked very well. This encouraged Kevin Plank to continue developing his prototype, and he soon began selling them to other soccer teams. However, it's worth mentioning that Nike, Adidas, and Reebok were closely monitoring his progress, to the point that they would later imitate his design.

His first appearance was on the cover of USA Today, worn by the quarterback of the Oakland Riders. As a result, the Georgia team ordered 10 jerseys. This, along with word-of-mouth recommendations, propelled the brand to success in a very short time. By 1997, he already had his factory operating in Ohio, USA.

His small business grew rapidly, and just two years after its launch, it was already competing with bigger brands like Nike and Adidas. 1999 was a breakthrough year: Warner Brothers contacted him to design costumes for two films, and he placed his first advertisement in ESPN magazine.

Year 2000 – present

In 2000, it became the official supplier of the new XFL football league. Two years later, it launched its first television commercial with the slogan "Protect your home," a great slogan associated with the naming.

As is typical with these kinds of brands, multi-million dollar contracts would soon be announced, featuring names like movie superstar Dwayne Johnson and popular basketball star Steven Curry. It was a smart marketing strategy on Kevin's part, as both figures perfectly embodied the image of overcoming challenges, perseverance, and fighting spirit.

They also acquired the popular fitness app MyFitnessPal. However, things didn't go as smoothly as expected, as they had to recall all the groin protectors manufactured between 2006 and 2009 due to a defect that caused them to break easily, and the chin guard for the same reason from 2008 to 2011.

In 2012, the brand attempted to recover by launching another innovative product: garments that repelled sweat odor and kept you fresher for longer. However, another major setback struck the brand in 2014 when the Olympic figure skaters it sponsored lost. After competing again, albeit with different costumes, they lost once more, dealing a severe blow to the brand's image and causing a 2.38% drop in sales.

Under Armour was burdened with significant debt due to these events, loans, and other factors. While revenue slowed in 2017, it continued to grow. The company had to cancel multi-million dollar contracts to avoid further debt. The worst came when the brand's owner, in an interview, stated his support for Donald Trump, the President of the United States. These words severed the strong relationship the company had built with many customers.

Public figures associated with Kevin threatened to break their contracts because of those statements. A week later, he retracted his words and reaffirmed the brand's positive values. This did not prevent further losses, and young people lost interest in the brand.

The brand tried to mitigate all of this by focusing more on campaigns for the women's sector, but Nike, seeing its weakness, wasn't going to let it slide, so it also focused on the same thing, to the point that Under Armour's sales dropped again. While its direct competition continued to grow, Kevin's brand wasn't generating profits, and despite its great success in its early days, its image was severely damaged.

Despite having created communities for women with breast cancer, senior citizens, sustainable products, or promoting physical activity among young people… without a powerful marketing strategy, it would be difficult to recover.

Under Armour comenzó con una gran historia y la creación de un producto de valor muy potente y desconocido por sus principales competidores. Eso es lo que marcaba la diferencia. La diferencia de mentalidad de marca respecto a las de antes es lo que posicionó rápidamente a Kevin Plank. Se ha podido ver que a pesar de tener un buen producto innovador no lo es todo en una marca. La controversia social que tuvieron sus palabras hace mucho tiempo no hubieran tenido la misma repercusión, lo que nos dice que los tiempos, la sociedad, las tendencias cambian y con ellos el saber construir una identidad con la que te sientas identificado.

/ Semiotic Analysis /

UNDER ARMOUR

Visual Identity

– Composition: Typography and symbol.

– Shape: Geometric and curvilinear.

– Color: Black, conveys notoriety and elegance.

– Typography: Corporate URW

– Possible relationships between form and meaning:

It means a U and an A.

Brand imagery:

The shape it shows is two crossed wide-ended arches placed upside down on each other.

-Values ​​that the brand conveys

Strength, courage, always at the limit.

Does it generate relevant experiences?

It's a brand that embodies self-improvement, creating sports groups and teams. It's currently known for promoting sports as a way of life and for physical well-being. Promoting physical activity among young people and running campaigns for women with breast cancer or for senior citizens are among its core principles as a social brand.