Under Armour Innovation

CEO Kevin Plank, a former football student-athlete at University of Maryland founded Under Armour in 1996. Under Armour produces performance apparel, which is engineered to help athletes remain cool, dry, and light throughout activity. There is a complex nature behind the technological diversity in the products for men, women, and youth. However, the recipe for reaping the benefits is simple: wear ColdGear when it is cold, HeatGear when it is hot, and AllSeasonGear between the extremes (Under Armour, n.d). Under Armour seeks to mold better athletes through passion, design, and relentless pursuit of innovation. The keyword right there is innovation. That is what will set companies apart and determines the longevity of their success and

The way in which Under Armour differentiates itself from other athletic apparel competitors is through using synthetic materials to produce their clothing. Most companies use traditional materials that do not necessarily give athletes that edge as Under Armour products do. Under Armour synthetic materials is engineered to keep athletes cool in the warm weather and warm in the cold weather. What keeps Under Armour above their competition is that they are the first to implement the use of synthetic materials in their apparel, and though many companies try to emulate this innovation, Under Armour remains the leader on the large-scale athletic apparel market. This company is not complacent or deciding to settle anytime soon. In fact, CEO Kevin Plank said that UA prides itself on being the innovators of synthetic technology, but “the brand has still not built its defining product” and will continue to find different ways of defining itself among its

The continuous effort to lower price relative to competitors to be a cost leader in the industry is not a strategy that Under Armour implements. The products that UA offer are generally more costly than its competitors. The differentiation strategy offers value to consumers through their unique features and characteristics of UA’s products as opposed to low price. This is done through UA’s high quality, advanced technological features, and rapid product innovation (Albany, n.d). Next is the focused low cost, which is competing based on price, but selecting a small segment of the market to provide its goods. Under Armour does focus on college athletics and professional sports throughout the U.S., but not through low costs. The final strategy is focused differentiation, which is competing not just based on differentiation, but also choosing a small segment of the market to provide goods and services (Burke,