Kevin Plank Under Armour

Under Armour the Organization:

In March of 1996, 23 years old, Kevin Plank created a brand that would change the sportswear industry. When Kevin played football at the University of Maryland, he did not like the athletic wear options available to him. What Kevin was looking for was clothing that would wick moisture away from his skin and protect him from heat exhaustion, but at that time there were no products on the market that accomplished that need (Walker, Marketing Strategy: A decision-focused approach, 2014, p. 143). So, one day in Georgetown, Washington D.C., in his grandmother’s basement, he set out to create such a product that would fit his needs. Kevin sewed Lycra on a few t-shirts, and that solve the problem.

Kevin did not set out

Under Armour formed a relationship with major retail partners, and professional sports leagues. Their customers included: Major League Baseball teams, Hockey teams, and the Baltimore Marathon.

Another key opportunity that Under Armour pursed came in 2003 with their first television commercial. This commercial featured University of Maryland football player Eric “Big E” Ogbogu and other young football players. This commercial help increase customer awareness by giving a voice to the brand. Their tag line, “Protect this house,” became a motto for athletes everywhere.

As time passed and sales grow Under Armour has been able to expand its product line. In 2003, the company launched their women’s apparel, and in 2004, the launched their youth line. Now, Under Armor caters to all demographic such as men, women, and children both boys and girls. In 2005, the company launched their Under Armour Golf line, and signed a deal with the University of Maryland to sell Under Armour apparel. In 2006, they launched Click Clack, a campaign for football cleats, and they captured 23% of that market share that

The brands goal was to have the products available so that they can dress their customers from head-to-toe. So, Under Armour not only sells performance apparel, but now they offer options like athletic footwear, which they launched in 2008, and other technological accessories for athletic individuals. The company thrives on being innovative from their fabrics to their fitness application.

In 2011, after ending a long feud with the Cotton brand company Under Armour collaborated with the company to create a new line of shirts. With Under Armour innovative abilities, the companies developed the line Charge Cotton. Charge Cotton is a line of cotton apparel that dries fast. The companies expanded their business venture and formed Cotton Storm. Cotton Storm is a line of t-shirts that provides athletes with shirts that dry quick and are water resistant.

The Under Armour brand has attracted a lot of noticeable famous athletics to be a spokesperson for their brand. There celebrity’s spokes people include Hall of Famer Ray Lewis, gold medal skier Lindsey Vonn, MMA champion George St-Pierre, Brandon Jennings, two-time Super Bowl winner and MVP Tom Brady, and in 2010, Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps. In addition, the company sponsored Auburn University, when they won the 2010 BCS championship game. That game led to another famous athlete sponsor Cam Newton, who played for Auburn that