2.what has led to Under Armour recently overtaking Adidas to become #2 in the US

Nike has dominated the retail world by earning a total sales of 11.6 billion this past year, but there was change in the hierarchy of the sports apparel world. This past year Under Armour surpassed Adidas in combined sales, and jumped to number two in the retail world. Adidas suffered a 30% drop in footwear and apparel sales during 2015 fiscal year. Under Armour on the other hand saw a drastic 17% growth in apparel and 34% growth in footwear. Under Armour’s success starts with their CEO Kevin Plank, who developed a marketing strategy similar to its counter foe Nike. Under Armour has targeted superstar athletes as marketing to tools to promote their products. Recently Under Armour signed Jordan Spieth, who is one the top golf performers in the world. They also were also able to sign an emerging NBA superstar Stephen Curry, by out bidding Nike. Recently it was discovered that during the course of its interviews with Stephen Curry, Nike repeatedly misspoke “Stephen Curry’s” name. Which was huge deciding factor on Curry’s decision to sign with Under Amour.  

Under Armour has been successful at obtaining a higher purpose at its core. Under Armour has labeled itself as the underdog, up against the heavy weight champion of the world (Nike). They developed the slogan “I Will” to really sell that idea. The “I Will” Slogan is essentially taking a jab at Nike’s “Just Do It” slogan. Under Armour has brought a whole new style of innovation into the apparel world. This innovation started in the mid-1990’s when their CEO Kevin Plank played football at the University of Maryland. Mr.Plank developed the “wick and dry” t-shirt concept. This material allowed performers to stay comforted while playing the game they love. Since then, Under Armour’s stock market has increased by 75 percent. Even their style of marketing has been innovative over the past decade.  The “I Will” slogan was a huge strategic move in the retail industry. This message set the tone of how Under Armour wanted to create its brand culture, and how it wanted people to view the Under Armour brand. Finally, Under Armour has been successful in expanding its company. Recently Under Armour’s women lines have shown great improvement. Under Armour was given the marketer of the year award, for its “I Will Want Campaign”. This genius campaign was directed towards women, stating that they shouldn’t worry about what others think of them. This strategy is meant to reach a whole new breed of consumers. Under Armour now needs to focus on expanding internationally. A majority of Under Armour’s profits come from within the United States. For Under Armour to become the top dog, they to take the next step and become an international powerhouse. Personally I do not have much experience with Under Armour, because I have been committed to Nike.  With this being said, I have little opinion on Under Armour apparel.