My product is on Adidas in 3- to 4-page Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and sources cited in APA format. must include 2 resources I have included an example for you to look at and follow
answer the following
Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:
- Product/Service Selection
- Name and describe an existing or proposed product/service that would be a potential focus of your final marketing plan.
- Justify the need for a marketing plan surrounding the existing or proposed product/service named.
Frances Lyons
SPT-608-Q3401 Sport Marketing and Media 21TW3
Professor Wilkins
February 28, 2021
Name and describe
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The apparel company Under Armour will be the potential focus of my final marketing
plan. Under Armour is an apparel company that creates athletic apparel and shoes for men,
women, and children. Under Armour is not a company that focuses on labels but their athletes.
Under Armour, the mission is to make all athletes better through passion, design, and the
relentless pursuit of innovation (UA, 2021). Under Armour was founded in 1996 by Kevin
Plank, and it was a t-shirt that started it all. According to Under Armour, the shirt was unlike
anything that was on the market. The shirt kept athletes cool, dry, and light. Kevin Plank realized
the compression shorts he was wear will much dryer than the shirt he was wearing. Under
Armour was the first company to have a shirt made of synthetic fabric that would absorb
moisture, also known as the “Moisture-wicking” compression shirt. While working from his
grandmother's basement in Washington D.C., he traveled up and down the East Coast selling his
innovative new product out of the trunk of his car. Under Armour landed its first deal with
Georiga Tech University (Barrabi, 2020).
The company beginning to explore a few other forms of sports apparel. Strong marketing
campaigns are what help attract new consumers to the Under Armour brand and showed what
made the apparel better and more unique than other companies. For example, Under Armour
began giving out free shirts to NFL football players to test out (Hum, 2020). Not long after that,
the company began landing deals with teams such as the Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, and
the Miami Dolphins. Under Armour not only gained interest from the NFL but the NHL teams
too and became the official apparel supplier of the NHL (Barrabi, 2020). In 2005, the apparel
company went public and by 2010 the company earned 1 billion in annual sales. The use of
professional and amateur sportspeople was Under Armour’s key and most successful marketing
strategy (Pafitis, 2020).
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Justify
Even though Under Armour saw major success in the early 2000’s, it was still not been
able to gain true success such as Nike and Adidas (top leading sports apparel companies). The
company sales are currently struggling in North America. Just last quarter website and store
sales, along with outside retailers saw declines (Valinsky, 2019). Currently, Under Armour is
predicting low sales in the quarters ahead. The struggles of the company sales have also cause
CEO Kevin Plank to step down. This move allows for Plank to focus on the brands’ ecosystem
through a strategic, operational, and cultural transformation, and long-term strategy (Valinsky,
2019). Besides trying to win over the Nike and Adidas customers, there have also been issues
with the company culture. Former employees have revealed that they were able to charge strip
club visits on their company corporate cards. According to Horowitz and Meyersohn, former
executives reveal that Plank and executives would attend strip clubs with athletes. This has
caused an uproar in the women’s sports market community because of the distaste and it
demands the partnership Under Armour had with their professional athletes such as ballerina
Misty Copeland and ski racer Lindsey Vonn (Horowitz and Meyersohn, 2018). This issue calls
for a new marketing plan for Under Armour. Things are changing and companies like Nike and
Adidas will continue to see success and outdo Under Armour if changes aren’t made fast.
References
Barrabi, T. (2020, June 23). How Under Armour was founded. Fox Business.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/retail/how-under-armour-was-founded
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Hum, S. (2020, June 5). 4 Ways How Under Armour Grew To Steal Adidas’ #2 Spot. Word-of-
Mouth and Referral Marketing Blog. https://www.referralcandy.com/blog/under-armour-
marketing-strategy/
Jordan Valinsky, CNN Business. (2019, October 22). Under Armour Founder Kevin Plank is
stepping down as CEO. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2019/10/22/business/under-armour-kevin-
plank-ceo/index.html
Horowitz. J and Meyersohn. N, CNN Business. (2018, November 6). Under Armour tells
employees Journal report on culture was “tough to read.” CNN.
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/05/business/under-armour-strip-club-report/index.html
UA. (2021, January 27). Under Amour Mission Statement 2021 | Under Amour Mission & Vision
Analysis. Under Armour. https://mission-statement.com/under-armour/
Our Story. (2021). UA Newsroom. https://about.underarmour.com/brand/our-story
Pafitis, E. (2020, September 30). What Can Be Learnt From Under Armour’s Marketing
Strategy? StartingBusiness. https://www.startingbusiness.com/blog/marketing-strategy-under-
armour
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