Kevin Plank's Under Armour

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.

In 1996, Kevin Plank, a former special teams captain at the University of Maryland had an idea for clothing that would revolutionize the way athletics would be played. In his days in college playing football and going through two-a-days, he knew there had to be a better solution to dealing with perspiration than changing his cotton shirts. Plank created a shirt with moisture-wicking performance fibers, engineered to keep athletes cool, dry, and light even in the most hot and brutal conditions. In 1997, Under Armour created clothes for all seasons, whether it’s cold or hot. As Plank began to search the East coast, he came from selling gear out of the trunk of his car to 1998 where he moved into a new warehouse ("Under Armour, Inc. - History.").

Under Armour (UA) was founded by a then 23-year old football player from the University of Maryland in 1996 named Kevin Plank. Kevin started the company from his grandmother’s basement in Washington, D.C. As a player he became tired of having to change his undershirts which became quickly soaked with perspiration. A revelation he made was that his compression shorts worn during practice remained dry even with heavy sweating. This inspired him to make a t-shirt using moisture-wicking synthetic fabric. After graduating, Plank developed his first prototype of the shirt, which he gave to his Maryland teammates and friends who had gone on to play in the NFL. He soon perfected the design of the shirt which utilized microfibers that quickly wicked

a. Under Armour’s approach towards innovation is very unique, they think and plan out their projects thoroughly in order to create a one of a kind product that could be appealing to their consumers. The company has been extremely progressive throughout the years in order to stay ahead of the other competitive companies in their targeted industry. By constantly updating and coming up with different product lines, such as compression shirts and cleats, Under Armour is able to compete with other top athletic wear company’s in their market. If

Under Armour’s business strategy towards market segmentation is broken down into three different basis; Age, Gender, Uses. The first major market segmentation is by age, different age groups demand different products and Under Armour has produced certain merchandise to appeal to each generation. The second is Gender, both male and female respectively make up roughly 50% of the market equally.To appeal to females UA produces apparel in brighter colo, as a fashion forward athletic wear. While for males they they cater toward masculine vibe of tight fitting and resistant to wear and tear. Lastly, UA segments by the range of uses for their products.

Although the primary reason for sports and athletic wear was initially intended for athletes, many individuals whom do not pursue sports such as students, stay at home mothers, senior citizens, among many others, wear athletic wear daily and do not participate in sports or athletic activities. In conclusion, Under Armors mission statement is short, sweet, simple and to the point. Under Armor’s top competitors consist of a strong mix of new as well as established companies expanding into performance products such as footwear, apparel, work-out wear and sports accessories. Under Armor also competes against sporting goods stores such as Academy, Dicks and Cabela’s. In addition, it competes with companies that specialize in outdoor apparel such as Nike, Adidas, Columbia Sportswear and The

Under Armour focuses primarily on producing three different lines of clothing (COLDGEAR wit’s cold, HEATGEAR, and ALLSEASONGEAR) along with three different types of fit. In 2011 as the company looked into expanding its brand, it started manufacturing shoes and accessories for all main sports while incorporating the microfiber technologies to them—which gave the company a significant competitive advantage in the high performance apparel market.

Founded in 1996 by University of Maryland graduate Kevin Plank, Under Armour has become the leading supplier of the athletic performance apparel industry. Under Armour began with simple idea to create a t-shirt that would enhance athletic performance by regulating body temperature and removing perspiration

Under Armour is a sports apparel company founded in 1996 by Kevin Plank, a former football player in University of Maryland. The company specializes in sports clothing that compresses and wicks perspiration off the wearer’s skin rather than absorb it. The company uses a mechanistic organizational structure which involves a clear, well-defined, and vertical hierarchies of control. Under Armour’s organization structure is centralized and follows a vertical hierarchy of control and authority.

Since the evolution of the company, Under Armour rapidly expands their business while some internal problems still exist. For example, unprotected intellectual property right issue and supplier relationship management. Also, the current business strategy was focusing on marketing, international expansion, product differentiation, and other expenses while they have weak financial management. These will certainly pose future problems to the company.

Under Armour Inc. based in Baltimore, Maryland, is one of the leading designers, marketers, and distributors of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. The Company engages in the design, development, marketing, and distribution of a range of apparels and accessories utilizing various synthetic microfiber fabrications in the United States and internationally. It offers a wide variety of merchandises including sporting goods and lifestyle products. Under Armour was founded in 1996 by Kevin Plank, a former football player with the University of Maryland. Plank came up with a synthetic fabric design which enabled sweat to be "wicked-­away" during high levels of physical activity. The company was originally named KP sports and changed their name to Under Armour in 2005 when the company went public. Plank believed that Under Armour’s potential for long-­term growth was achievable due to the company’s ability to build an incredibly powerful brand in a relatively short time, significant opportunities to expand, and the fact that company was only in the early stages of establishing its brand and penetrating markets outside North America (Thompson).

The rapid success of Under Armour is not a mistake. The company dominates the performance apparel category. According to Founder Kevin Plank, “The mission of Under Armour is to make technically advanced products that are engineered with superior fabric construction, to provide proven innovation available to the masses-aimed at making athletes perform better” (UnderArmour.com). Under Armour uses many marketing initiatives including athlete endorsement, product placement, and popular culture which illustrates the success of Under Armour.

Under Armour is currently one of the leading companies in the sports apparel industry whose mission is to “Make all athletes better through passion, science, and the relentless pursuit of innovation”.1 When Under Armour first broke into the sports apparel industry it was a disruptive pioneer that initially made the two giants, Nike and Adidas, a little weary. Under Armour revolutionized the sports apparel industry by creating apparel that used synthetic materials as an alternative to natural fibers, such as cotton, or other materials, such as polyester. This all-important switch to these materials resulted in a 2“shirt that provided compression and wicked perspiration off your skin rather than absorb it. A

To understand the significance of Under Armour’s recent success, a brief history of the company is needed. It was founded in 1996 by Kevin Plank, a former football player from the University of Maryland. Under Armour’s original product was a shirt designed with synthetic fibers and wicking material to keep athletes cool and dry, even in the hottest weather. As the success of his t-shirts grew, Plank continued to innovate and developed many new products. Currently, Under Armour sells shoes, shirts, socks, backpacks, headbands, sports equipment, shorts and much more. It has traditionally played second-string to Nike, but with Curry’s support, Under Armour has surpassed its biggest competitor. Today, Under Armour is a very profitable company, specializing in sports apparel.

At just twenty three years old Kevin Plank had made an observation during football practice one day. The former captain of the University of Maryland football team noticed that compression shorts worn by the team managed to stay dry during practice. From this material he created moisture wicking gear which Under Armour is known for (Under Armour Startup Story, 2014).