Under Armour Enters Market By Differentiation Strategy

Under Armour was founded in 1996 by Kevin Plank. The founder and CEO was born in rugby star. He founded the brand to create a high-performance sports suit that can quickly sweat and keep the athletes relaxed and light in vigorous exercise.

Since then, with the professionalism and high-tech image of the product, Under Armour has emerged from many sports brands and has been sought after by professional athletes and young people.

Cowen Research Institute's brand preference survey for us consumers shows that the first choice of American consumers for sports brand is "cool".

As an American brand, Under Armour has great influence on American teenagers. Many consumers mention the brand's first adjective, that is, "cool."

Faced with the situation that has been carved up by sports brand giants, the strategy of Unde R Armour entry into the market is to create a new product category.

The advantage of this is that avoiding positive competition with big brands can also lead to higher profits.

And the first to enter the market segmentation brand, often give consumers the deepest impression, step by step to consolidate their position in the camp.

Tights and professionalism are the lever that it leverages the market. When U n d e r Armour releases the first sports tights, there is no such product in the market.

It is dry, cool and light to meet the practical needs of athletes and sports enthusiasts.

At that time, the sports industry giant Nike and Adidas did not attach importance to the market, without relevant professional products.

Under Armour tights are launched at high performance.

In the past three years, the market has left its sports brand giants far behind by 70% of its share.

And profits rose by 78% and 100% respectively.

At the same time, in order to stabilize the market, Under Armour has pushed different products with different functions. It has not only cut into the niche market with unique functions, but also has become one of the fastest growing categories of sports apparel industry.

Under Armour turns professionalism into a brand tool to attract attention. Athletes hope to display their strength and beauty by wearing professional sportswear. Tight fitting sportswear not only meets their actual needs, but also satisfies their psychological pursuit.

The founder and CEO Kevin Plank of Under Armour said: "Under Armour has been growing at a rate of more than 20% for more than 10 consecutive quarters. The secret of success is that we have been committed to meeting user needs and bringing new products and innovative technologies."

After the rapid development in the US, the globalization strategy of Under Armour was launched, and the rapid development of mobile terminals, including the rapid expansion of Under Armour offline retail outlets, e-commerce websites and the acquisition of famous mobile end application MapMyFitness, has begun.

Under Armour2013 invested $150 million in the acquisition of fitness mobile phone application "MapMyFitness", which is a popular app in running and cycling enthusiasts, based on GPS positioning system to help users develop lines, track progress and speed and interact with friends.

The acquisition will help Under Armour enter the broad market of fitness tracking technology.

The "wearable" field of sports is now very competitive.

Through the acquisition of MapMyFitness, Under Armour can make more effective use of data collected by wearable devices, provide close service for tens of millions of runners and cyclists, and increase the influence and stickiness of brands in sports enthusiasts.