Introduction Kevin Plank was a former football player who founded Under Armour in 1996. He came up special design that enabled sweat to cool off. Since the brand did well in short term, Plank believed that Under Armour’s has a potential to grow big and would succeed. The reason for its success is the special technology used its product that keeps the players cool, dry and light during their entire gaming, training and practice session. The have HeatGear for when it’s hot ColdGear for when it’s cold and all SeasonGear for all seasons in general. In this Case study, we will mainly be looking towards the strategic analysis of Under Armour its potential profitability, success and failures. Since its innovation the technology has been copied by almost all the major competition. Now Armour has a 3% market share and how it was able to even get this share would be discussed in more detail in this paper. Later we would discuss the Strengths and Weakness for Under Armour and conclude this paper with recommendation of various strategic alternatives that are possible. Current Situation: Under Armours techniques is the action plan to outperform its rivals and accomplishing better benefits through activities than pick up deals and pieces of the overall industry by means of more performance highlights, better design, and improved quality or extensive item choices. The objectives is to accomplish the upper hand of the outcompeting rivals on the premise of differentiation highlights
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.
Under Armour’s rapid rise in the sports apparel industry under its founder and CEO Kevin Plank has surprised many. Plank has turned a company that he started in his grandmother’s basement into a powerful opposing force to Nike. The company’s competitive advantage comes through its focus on performance, and its products have been well received by athletes. The company currently enjoys a strong position as professional athletes and movie and video game creators clamor for its products.
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.
The also place a big emphasizes on the Under Armour logo and pushed for brand recognition. Under Armour became the official uniform sponsor for many colleges and sport teams. Under Armour’s strategy was to design and make varies styles of sports apparel with their moisture-wicking fabrics to satisfy the needs of athletes of all levels and all sports. Their growth strategy was to continue to expand on the products they offered their consumers. They wanted to create more products that encompassed several sports and activities. By doing this they would be targeting additional consumers with their new performance products. Part of the growth strategy was to expand sales in foreign countries, become a global competitor in sports apparel and strengthening the appeal of their products and brand
Buyers want to reduce their costs and purchase a product at a lower or more convenient price for the best quality and service. Buyers have the choice to switch to another product at no cost. Under Armour has developed unique products that its consumers value and are willing to pay more for.
In 1996, Under Armour,Inc. (UA) was founded by Kevin Plank as a former University of Maryland football player. Kevin Plank started his business with the idea of alteration athlete’s T-shirt. The shirt uses moisture-wicking fabrics to keep athletes cool and dry, and worked in a body to regulate temperature for enhancing athlete performance (Under Aumour, “About Under Armour” n.d.). Under Armour’s mission statement is to make all athletes better through passion, design and the relentless pursuit of innovation (Under Aumour, “Brand Mission”n.d.). Under Armour has developed different product for athletes to use in different seasons for men, women, and youth such as HeatGear that is designed to be worn in high temperatures,
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
Mission Statement: Under Armour’s mission is to provide the world with technically advanced products engineered with their superior fabric construction, exclusive moisture management, and proven innovation. Every Under Armour product is doing something for you, making you better.
The athletic industry is a demanding market where brands battle for consumer’s attention and try to hold on to them through brand loyalty. To compete with one another, companies have to come out with new trends regularly. Nike is a leading competitor in the market and has been for the last fifty years. However, Under Armour, an up and coming competitor is challenging Nike through new styles and lower prices. These two companies look fairly similar; however, Under Armour’s strategy is different and it should be putting Nike on edge.
The following paper will discuss Under Armour’s financial worthiness. An American sports manufacturer and distributor company of sportswear, athletic footwear, and sports accessories. The company’s Competitive advantages, Porter’s Five Forces theory, and analyzing its Industry are discussed. Next, the Sellers framework, Price to Earnings (P/E), and Price to Earnings Growth (PEG) along with Price to Book (P/B) and Price to Sales (P/S) are analyze and discussed as well. Furthermore, the paper discusses the Company’s Fixed Income Makeup (Bonds) analysis and stand point. The fundamental review and analysis of Under Armour including commentary about their stock value and fixed income status is also discussed. Comments on how Under Armour is performing and positioned relative to their competitors and the company’s market
Under Armour team should be focus on Research and Development in order to successfully set in place the structure for the fashionable and creative athletic gear designs, and close deals with the superstars. Furthermore this will need a strong investment from the company; also, this represent a big risk for the company that in the future could be reflected as the positive difference between UA and the competition. This action would organize the company for the success as it will establish the company in the privilege position in the industry.
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.
Under Armour is a leading athletic clothing line directed towards the overall athlete who is looking for the most comfort during extracurricular activities. The mission of the company is, "to provide the world with technically advanced products engineered with exclusive fabric construction, supreme moisture management, and proven innovation. In short, every Under Armour product is doing something for you; it's making you better."
Under Armour has infused their products and their brand image in various visual media forms, including over a dozen popular television shows and numerous motion pictures (Shank, 2009). The look and appeal of Under Armour was ideal as it was the combination of the intense, hard core athletic gear that could help with performance coupled with a hip, fresh look that would be able to appeal to consumers. To differentiate its product line from its competitors Under Armour leveraged its sophisticated design software, new manufacturing techniques, the latest in material engineering, and robust information technology systems to produce virtually everything it makes (Shank, 2009). The utilization of the marketing technique of product placement in television, movies, and video games has allowed Under Armour to promote the benefits of its product line to a larger audience (Shank, 2009). In 1998, Warner Brothers studio was