Nike Under Armour

The brand with the longest history belongs to Adidas though. Starting off in 1924 Adi Dassler decided he was going to create top tier equipment for atheltes. Quickly his products caught on and were used in the Olympics by Jesse Owens in 1936. Owens was a US runner who won four gold medals at the Berlin Olmypics. His performance introduced the US people to Adidas. Previously Adi Dassler’s equipment was known mostly in Germany. After a brief hiatus Dassler came back in 1949 and put together a small company. This company created a new type of football (soccer) boot that revolutionized the game. “Who would have thought that screw-in-studs on lightweight football boots would help write history? When the German national football team faced the unbeatable

With such a big gap to close in footwear, Adidas has a mammoth task on its hands.” (Whipp, 2015). The problem is recognized by those in the sports marketing world but has yet to be solved by Adidas. After an examination of some Adidas market strategies a good start would be to put more emphasis on their lifestyle apparel. This is a segment that Nike and Under Armour struggle with with while Adidas is thriving. Not all athletic apparel must be worn on the sports field and Adidas had found a great niche market with their casual apparel. Fashion trends are always changing but the simplicity of Adidas’s products is helping them reach new audiences. The ability to adapt and find a new market when you are facing struggles is an attribute only exemplified by the top brands. Under Armour and Nike made use of this strategy early in their development and it led to each becoming a big player in the industry. Adidas has the longest history and will be around for many years to come. While they may not always stick out, their marketing team always seems to find new ways to stay

He looked for a need and created a new product line that would revolutionize the sporting goods industry. “Kevin Plank, then the special teams captain on the University of Maryland football team, noticed that the cotton T-shirts he and his teammates wore underneath their pads were always soaked and heavy with sweat.” (Under Armour 2016). Plank noticed this and decided to make a prototype t-shirt using microfibers that wicked moisture away. With the help of fellow teammates and connections within the NFL Plank was able to get crucial feedback to make the best product possible. Under Armour exploded onto the scene in the 2000’s and now sits right up top with Nike and Adidas. Their ability to stay at the top once Nike and Adidas started producing similar apparel items is where you can see the importance of marketing. Under Armours marketing strategy takes a different look at things, “Rather than focusing on being aspirational or simply inspirational, the brand focuses on conveying the message that you must work hard to achieve your goals — a methodology that certainly sees benefits, whether you 're an athlete, a businessman, or a sportswear company from Baltimore.” (Business Insider, 2015). Sport marketing strategies vary immensely and there is no uniform plan for continued success in this industry. Nike and Adidas have stayed atop the sports apparel world for a