It's no secret that Under Armour is killing it lately. In July, it announced its second quarter earnings which showed a 40 percent growth in footwear alone. Overall, the company's revenue jumped 29 percent since 2014, marking 23 straight sales quarters of at least 20 percent net growth as noted by Fast Company. In other words, Under Armour is quietly turning into one of the biggest and most consistently successful athletic companies, but the real question is: how?
"We're an underdog brand. We work with athletes who most people wouldn't or didn't draft in the first round, or who they wouldn't traditionally give a prima ballerina title to," said VP of global brand marketing Adrienne Lofton. "We pick that athlete with a chip on their shoulder and their desire to win because it aligns with our own attitude."
Lofton is referring to athletes like 2014-15 NBA MVP Stephen Curry, former world number one ranked golfer Jordan Spieth, and ballet dancer Misty Copeland. At the time they were signed, these names weren't necessarily seen as big money makers, but Under Armour's knack for signing athletes at just the right time has proven to be fruitful for the brand and its endorsees alike.
Elsewhere, Under Armour has approached its ad campaigns with an emphasis on the endless grind and intense training that goes into being an elite athlete — look no further than the "Rule Yourself" spots. This is a stark contrast to brands that focus more on the end game of trophies, awards, and records, Lofton said.
"What we want to remind them is that you don't just get this, you have to work to get it. We wanted to show that greatness is showing up every day at 5 a.m. when everyone else is asleep. Steph Curry won the NBA championship and MVP because he trained everyday, got up when he fell down, continuing to drive with all that unsexy work to achieve his goals," Lofton said.
It might be "unsexy," but it's definitely getting the job done.
