While still no where near as large as Nike and adidas, Under Armour has been gaining a share in the athletic and footwear markets. Despite being overshadowed by competitors, it has been a major year for the brand. With a new major ad campaign titled “Rule Yourself,” the brand looks to step out into the spotlight.
With an athletic roster home to the likes of Super Bowl winner Tom Brady, NBA Champion and MVP Stephen Curry, champion golfer Jordan Spieth, and ballerina Misty Copeland, who became the first African-American to become a principal dancer at a major ballet company, the sportswear company has plenty of great faces for the campaign.
According to ESPN, the premise of the first advertisement is based on the Malcolm Gladwell theory that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to be the best. Thousands of clones of Curry, Spieth, and Copeland practice their respective disciplines before becoming one with themselves.
"Five years ago, Nike did 19 times the business Under Armour did. In 2015, that lead is expected to be cut to eight times," says ESPN's Darren Rovell.
Under Armour's Senior Vice President of brand marketing, Adrienne Lofton, said to ESPN, “We sat around [founder and CEO] Kevin Plank’s table, and we talked about the momentum we’ve had this year, telling our brand story through the lens of the hottest athletes in the world, and the one thing that was constant, whether you are young or old, is that in order to be the best you have to train consistently on the field, court and gym and improve every day.”
Despite the recent “Deflategate" scandal, Tom Brady’s endorsement deal was unaffected and he is reported to be in the next part of the campaign.
With this roster of stars, it's safe to say that Under Armour has its people, but we'll have to see what the brand can do with it.
