Introduction
Marketing is an indispensable tool which every company applies in their day to day running and management. Marketing focuses on how to reach consumers and create awareness of the available products and services offered by a particular company, (Hulepete & Hathcote, 2005). While doing marketing, a general assumption is made that the message will reach targeted markets and will be perceived by the consumers as intended by the sender. Due to the coming of several companies to form a particular industry based on the similarity of the products or complimentary nature of the products and services offered, marketing has become quite popular across the globe, (Hulepete & Hathcote, 2005). Each company within the industry uses every available channel to make their products and services visible to the consumers. Therefore, this paper gives a comprehensive analysis of Apparel and Footwear industry in relation to how marketing shapes up the destiny of companies within the industry. In order to conceptualize the ideas discussed on the industry section, the paper has picked on Under Armour Inc. whose performance in the industry has inspired top 100 listings in the Standard & Poor’s list of 500 companies. Under Armour’s stocks is ranked 77 in the S & P Index 2014 and 2015, (Form 10-K, 2014).
The final part of the paper is a recommendation of the marketing strategies that can be used by Under Armour to maximize their performance and gains in the industry.
The Scope and
Under Armour, Nike and Adidas are the top three brands known worldwide. These three companies were able to gain a strong brand to make a name for themselves in the sports apparel market today. On the other hand, Under Armour has become one of the top leading distributing companies to offer athletic apparel, footwear amongst many other things. “In 2013, Under Armour had a 14.7 percent share of the U.S market, compared quite favorably with Nike’s 27 percent market share and Adidas’s 7.4 percent market share.” (C-50) However, the company’s path of success can come crashing down as you take a look
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
Marketing is an important tool for any business. It is how a company makes their product known to the public. Without marketing, the consumers will either not know that the product even exists or will not know all the applications of the product; who makes it, what it is and what it is made from, when came on the market, where it can be purchased, how it can help the consumer and why the consumer should even purchase the product in the first place. According to Tom Ash, Marketing is the process whereby demands for products, services and ideas are anticipated, managed and satisfied (2011).
How is marketing defined? What is its importance in a company’s success? This paper will discuss and explain different definitions of marketing along with a definition of author himself. In addition, this paper will elucidate the importance of marketing by giving three examples where marketing was adapted with few mistakes resulting in disaster.
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.
The five key growth drivers for Under Armour are: “Men’s and Women’s Apparel, Footwear, International and Direct-to-Consumer” (Under Armour 10K, 2009, pg.1). In 2009 Apparel revenues
Under Armour’s (UA) current CEO Kevin Kant founded the company in 1996, which has witnessed the company grow in recent years to become a key player in the sporting gear and apparel industry. UA focuses its products and marketing efforts towards the youth, men, and women. The amount of resources that are allocated to each group of customers differs in that initially, UA primary source of revenue was from men even if youth and women products were also produced and sold. The specificity of UA’s products and their sporting activities selectivity can be attributed to UA’s limited global market share in the sporting gear and apparel industry. The company’s mission statement is inspiring, but in order to gain competitive advantages against larger
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
Marketing is an important part of the business organization; it is more than just promoting and selling a product. Marketing is gratifying the changing needs of the customer. This can be best summed up by the very successful businessman Bill Gates when he quoted, "Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning ". The purpose of this paper is to define marketing from at least two different sources; based on these definitions I will explain the importance of marketing in organizational success. Also, I will offer three examples from the business world of the importance of marketing to the
Under Armour Inc. is a relatively new competitor in providing high quality and functional sporting goods. Under Armour Inc. encompasses footwear, apparel, and accessories for all types of sport enthusiasts. The company currently provides jobs to about 10,700 employees. However, they are still up and coming and are expected to create new opportunities and work for many others. Their main headquarter is located in Maryland, Baltimore. Though they operate all over North America, Asia, and certain countries of Europe. Throughout all their operations they mostly sell through retailers and whole sale. In addition, they do have factory outlets and their own “direct to consumer” channels located in North America. Under Armour has really been on the
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.”
The strength of the competitive forces vary among the Under Armour, Nike, and The Adidas Group. The buyer bargaining power of Under Armour, is somewhat weak. Under Armour’s growth strategy entails, “Securing
Today 's companies may struggle with developing and maintaining a strategy to ensure long-term success in the current global marketplace. Under Armour is no exception, they desire to challenge industry titans, Nike and Adidas, and seize market share in the demanding sports apparel arena. Explored in detail, Under Armour’s strategy through examination of the company’s history, mission, influences, and capabilities along with recommendations, based on a study by Arthur A. Thompson, to achieve their long-term objectives.
The key to our analysis is essentially focused on Under Armour business strategy as a proficient competitor. As such, we characterize business’s strategy as an action plan for outplaying its existing and potential competitors to reach greater prosperity through sales and market allocation (Soni, 2014). Equally, the goal is to complete a competitive advantage of on the basis of demarcation features, such as additional assessment services, advanced quality, an extensive product line, hi-tech dominance (Thompson, 5).
Marketing is one of the main the fundamentals of a successful business in the sense of profitability. It is the concept of selling your product or service to the market in the industry that specific business is competing. However, marketing involves a complex process beyond just letting people know about the products or services that a company has to offer. It is a tool that projects the business 's image to the public as a form of strategic approach to outperform the desired business plan. The field of marketing entails a wide variety of concepts, and as the communication has changed over time, it has also brought a whole new set of implications in the subject mattered. Marketing in the 21st Century is mainly focused on delivering a customer experience, customers are not as easily amused when it comes to new products, we are on a constant search for new, better and easier to use products, and with this, the marketing strategies have been keeping up with the changes as well.