Under Armour: Where Do We Go from Here?
I was amazed after reading Under Armour's Willful Digital Moves case study, by Meghan Murray and Mina Saghian. I’m one of the women influenced by the “I Will What I Want” ads. I still remember watching Misty Copeland's ad and just thinking about how strong and touching the message was. This study is an example of how a smart company set specific goals, segments, and strategies.
Since its beginning, Under Armour always focused on men. According to the study, in 2013, the company had $2.3 billion in sales, but only $500 million came from women’s apparel. However, the founder, Kevin Plank, was ready to take the business to a new level. The company saw a new segment of female customers, which two giants—Nike and Adidas— were already attracting. To target this segment, Plank founded a campaign titled “I Will What I Want.” The promotion is a multi-platform social media campaign producing ads of strong women who were rejected or criticized at some life point, but the women are strong and each one achieves her goals. The message is strong, smart, and effective. In fact, the first video received four million views in one week! Furthermore, a few other ads followed the first, and the campaign was a huge success.
After reading Under Armour’s case study and searching about marketing segmentation strategies, I believe a successful marketer must follow four basic points:
1) Understand and clarify the product/service: What is it for? How does it work? How much does it cost? These questions and more will help me move forward to the next step.
2) Identify the segment: Who are the targets? Men, women, or both? What age? Identifying the segment is important to help me develop an effective marketing communications strategy.
3) Understand the competition: Knowing my competition will help me plan my marketing strategy more effectively, as well as know my competitors and understand their advantages.
4) Building credibility: Trust is invaluable, and building trust can occur through different methods, such as word of mouth, viral marketing, and celebrity endorsements.
Ultimately, for any business or marketing managers/companies, reading about such companies as Under Armour is definitely worth the time. The learning outcome would be great and will open our minds to think differently while setting our own marketing campaigns and strategies.
Resources
Chance, Julie. “8 Keys to a Strong Marketing Strategy.” Business Know-How, Business Know-How, 9 Jan. 2017, www.businessknowhow.com/marketing/blocks.htm.
Grev, Ingar. “6 Advantages to Knowing Your Competition.” Bizjournals.com, The Business Journals, 3 May 2016, www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/how-to/growth-strategies/2016/05/6-advantages-to-knowing-your-competition.html.
Kardes, F. (2015). Consumer Behavior, 2nd Edition. [MBS Direct]. Retrieved fromhttps://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781305161689/
Murray, M., & Saghian, M. (2016). Under Armour’s Willful Digital Movies. HBS No. UV7147-PDF-ENG. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing.
* Enjoyed the post? Like, and Share!
* Feel free to leave a comment or send me a message. I’d love to hear from you!
Comments