Under Armour's Growth In The Soccer Footwear Industry

NIKE Inc. has been the worldwide leader of athletic shoe sales for many years now. The company’s successful brand image combined competition and enablement for the competitive, athletic user. Nike has to modify their brand to a focus of excitement and freedom and not just competitiveness. By collecting and studying an assortment of material we could be able to understand where NIKE is currently placed in the athletic shoe industry compared to their competition, and how they will be able to adjust their brand focus so it can be more effective in the future. These adjustments can help NIKE reach the more casual group of urban runners and ultimately increase the sales forecasts, while still controlling a percentage of the market for athletic shoes.

New market opportunities could be a way to push Under Armour forward. Expanding the product service lines by under armour could help them raise sales and increase their portfolio. Expanding into other markets could be a possibility for under armour. Forming strategic alliances and joint ventures is an opportunity for under armour to maximize profit and gain new business. Reduce prices of the products. Increase number of retail outlets.

Competitors in the industry can wreak havoc on the bottom line for a company. With rivals, a price competition usually ensues, which benefits the customers but hurts the competing businesses that share a common strategy. In reviewing rival sellers, many competitors exist within the sports apparel and footwear industry, but most of them are unable to compete with the industry giants, Nike and Adidas. They are well seated in the industry and their sales reveal this ultimate strength, however, Under Armour is putting pressure on these mammoths. In 2015, global sales of sports clothing and footwear equated to $250 billion, of which Nike grabbed $30.6 billion, Adidas held in its grasp $18.8 billion and Under Armour had a much smaller piece of the pie, at $3.9 billion globally. In reviewing these numbers, it looks like Under Armour is really subpar to the industry giants, but this is not exactly the case. Under Armour in the past couple of

company has been in existence for a little over 15 years and has made huge strides in the textile,

Companies like Under Armour, Nike and Adidas/Reebok have high threats of substitute´s products. These companies share the sport apparel industry and are vulnerable to competitive pressure from the actions of buyers whenever they view that their products can be substituted for others. The availability of substitutes invites the costumer to compare performance, features, and ease of use as well as price. Under Armour’s major competitors are Nike and Adidas/Reebok because they have a similar or competing product offerings. The top sport apparel brands offer similar products and that is why each one of them needs to keep a high standard and produce good quality products in order for customers to keep buying their product.

The BCG matrix portrays the perspective of the product portfolio, which is the growth-share matrix. This framework of tool categorizes products within a company's portfolio or within the business units as stars, cash cows, dogs, or question marks according to growth rate, market share, and positively or negative cash flow. By using positive cash flows a company can capitalize on growth opportunities. From this analysis, it can be seen that the products that is growing

Under Armour has proven year over year that they are indeed a growth company. As their brand recognition and product availability increases so do their revenues. Under Armour achieved a growth in net revenue by over 18 percent, increased net income by 22 percent (suggesting financial discipline) all leading to their ability to sustain growth year over year (Under Armour 10K, 2009). This considerable increase in net revenue is attributed to an increase in apparel and the introduction of footwear in the first quarter of 2009 (2009). Although Under Armour has only been around 14 years they have only been traded publicly since 2005 (2009).

Under Armour is a very famous sportswear company in the world. It sold products in three categories: apparel, footwear, and accessories. It had a wide variety of innerwear and outerwear in the apparel segment, a broad line of footwear, and a line of accessories for both men and women. Kevin A. Plank, the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Under Armour (UA), was a walk-on special team’s player for University of Maryland football team. As an athlete, he knew what kind of sportswear material would be popular for athletes. Under Armour created a new category of sports apparel: “performance apparel” which focused on the athlete’s performance. In this segment, it had a 78% market in 2009. Because, it paid more attentions on quality, performance

At some point in one’s life, he or she gets introduced to sports which have become a staple in society around the world. For example, most countries have a national team for different sports such as soccer, volleyball, and baseball. There are many companies like Addis, Reebok, and Asics that produce sportswear for every sport imaginable. Two of the biggest sportswear companies are Nike and Under Armour. Athletes and non-athletes all over the world use Nike and Under Armour products every day.

In the twenty first century, mankind has made huge strides towards the future. The amount of money invested in scientific research and developing new technologies is overwhelming. Year after year, new materials are invented and introduced into the glorified and glamorized world of sports. Every day, we wake up to new ads of groundbreaking, game changing products and equipments that enhance performance. For example, Mark Parker - the CEO of NIKE, Inc. recently introduced the “Nike HyperAdapt 1.0” a shoe that is powered by an adaptive underfoot lacing mechanism; in simpler words, a shoe that ties itself.

When deciding between us and our competitors, when choosing which performance apparel producer you want to invest into, we know the marketplace for performance apparel, footwear and accessories is highly competitive and includes many new competitors as well as increased completion from established companies expanding their production and marketing of performance products (pg. 6, 10k). We believe we have been successful in competing with others for limited retailer floor space because of the relationships we have developed as a direct result of the strong sales of our products. Under Armour is the official sponsor of the National Football League Combine. They are also the official footwear supplier of Major League Baseball (5 Things You Didn’t

Under Armour is in the Textile- Apparel Clothing industry, in the consumer goods sector. The market has been driven by economic recovery, new product offerings and a

Under Armour, Inc. is ranked among the established sports Kit producers across the globe. It thus enjoys massive sales in several markets. Under Armour has its headquarters Baltimore, Maryland with Kevin Plank as the current Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Robin Thurston as the Chief Finance Office. The company is committed to developing its brand continuously through advertisement. It is presently listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) market with a share price of $46.99. The company through its CEO believes that for the company to remain viable in the market, it has to ensure that that its products satisfy the taste of the consumers (Thompson, 2015). Clearly, this has bored fruits, basing the argument on the high consumer turnover that the company enjoys. Moreover, the company has various opportunities to expand in the American markets. All the employees in the organization have to undergo a form of training on the operations of the company. The company is appreciated by several consumers across the globe as a result of the high-quality products it produces and the unique marketing strategies. It is founded on the slogan “protect this house.”

Sports footwear and apparel expected will growth in future as customers cannot substitute these products. However, ASICS have to implement or produce with more high technology product to enhance

Though in competition. Under Armour and Nike have a lot in common. Not only do they both offer premium sports and athletic apparel, but they also utilize professional athlete sponsorships to aid in driving sales. With so much in common there are different marketing approaches between the two. Under Armour acts like the underdog in a sales world which is dominated by Nike. While proving others wrong is Under Armour’s forte. Nike is about proving yourself right. Both of these tactics have worked to their advantage as it appeals to the different senses we as Americans have. Even though Under Armour is growing they do not have the tradition or brand awareness that Nike has. With that being said: They are heading in the right direction by toppling Adidas and taking the second spot behind Nike in the sports apparel business. The things that Under Armour is doing to differentiate themselves from their competition is being clear and concise about their brand mission. Targeting the right audience by appealing to humanistic experiences to expand brand audience. Finally, giving the consumer an experience that goes well beyond just purchasing their products. (Chen, 2015)