Under Armour (UA), founded in 1996, is an American sports apparel and accessories company built more on performance rather than lifestyle like its biggest competitors Nike or Adidas. Not only UA changed how athletes dress by creating smart products for them, but also changes how they live by building a strong online community through integrated fitness apps.
Before going deeper into its brand identity, let’s have a look at who created the brand.
It all started with a basic, but innovative idea
Kevin Plank was the founder of Under Armour. He is a former captain of the University of Maryland Football team. Getting more and more frustrated of his sports clothes that became easily sopped with sweat while playing football, he came up with the idea of designing moisture-wicking shirts. Creating a product to solve a problem he and other athletes faced is what makes the success of the brand. UA is not only a brand that makes clothes for athletes, but a brand that makes clothes that aim to improve athletes’ performance. His idea was to make athletes better and stronger. Thanks to this innovative idea, and only 19 years after its creation, in 2015, the brand surpassed Adidas and became the No.2 in the US sportswear market by sales, behind Nike.
Under Armour, a brand name born accidentally
You may not believe it, but it appears that the brand name, “Under Armour”, has been given by accident. Originally, Kevin Plank wanted to name his brand “Body Armour”, but his brother Bill misheard the name and thought it was “Under Armour”. The two brothers liked this version and decided to keep this name. That’s how the brand name was born.
A simplistic logo that makes the brand successful and now recognizable around the world
UA’s logo is also worth to mention as it plays an important role in the brand’s success. A bright, simple and visible logo, mixing the first letter of the two words “Under” and “Armour”. Easy to remember and to notify. After Jeff George, the defender of the Oakland Raiders team, appeared in 1997 on the USA Today newspaper wearing a turtleneck with the UA’s logo, the brand’s awareness started to increase. However, one mystery still remains: who designed the logo? There is no official source about this, but some people think it is Kevin Plank himself.
Despite many changes in the logo design, the core idea of the brand logo did not change. Over the years, the logo keeps its monogram (the crossing letters “A” and “U”). The colours are simple: black, reflecting the company’s courage and excellence, and white, representing the elegance and charm of the brand. The colours remained the same through the years on their logo, their website, their products etc.
A meaningful slogan highlighting Under Armour’s values and mission
“The Only Way Is Through”. You may have never heard about it, but this is the new slogan of UA’s promotional campaign since January 2020, replacing the old one “I Will”. From the beginning, the brand embodies willpower, strength and drive though their taglines.
“It’s thinking smarter, working harder, being better than yesterday—through the highest highs and the lowest lows—and being the best version of yourself.” Brian Boring, VP of Global Brand Creative, Under Armour
The positive connotation of the slogan is what makes people proud, faster, stronger and better when wearing UA’s clothes. This message of perseverance and overcoming adversity are the core strategy of the brand.
In a nutshell, a consistent and simplistic logo, a memorable and distinctive slogan helped UA a lot to be as successful and well-known as it is today, but more brand management strategies are worth to discover in the next articles!
References:
· Under Armour Logo History. (2020, October 22). Retrieved October 25, 2020, from https://logos-world.net/under-armour-logo-history/
· Admin. (2020, May 29). Logo Under-Armour: L'incroyable histoire du Logo Under Armour. Retrieved October 25, 2020, from https://www.under-armour.fr/logo-under-armour-histoire-creation-design/
· Germano, S. (2015, January 08). Under Armour Overtakes Adidas in U.S. Sportswear Market. Retrieved October 25, 2020, from https://www.wsj.com/articles/under-armour-overtakes-adidas-in-u-s-sportswear-market-1420753934
· The Only Way Is Through. (2020, January 14). Retrieved October 26, 2020, from https://about.underarmour.com/news/2019/12/the-only-way-is-through
· The Under Armour guide to building an underdog brand that beats Adidas. (2015, October 15). Retrieved October 27, 2020, from https://digiday.com/marketing/armour-guide-building-underdog-brand-beats-adidas/
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