RUNNING INSIGHT
Under Armour (continued)
Under Armour’s digital ecosystem brings it all together in 2019.
Show in January, meanwhile, Under Armour also debuted the UA Wireless FLASH headphones in partnership with JBL as well as an update to the MapMyRun App for the Samsung Galaxy Watch. These developments highlight Under Armour’s work to blend the brand’s connected running shoes with the items many runners reach for a regular basis. And according to Gaylord, Under Armour will continue to explore “how shoes can connect with technology in a seamless way that enhances the experience.” A Plan to Compete With models like the HOVR Infinite, a neutral training shoe Gaylord calls the HOVR platform’s f lagship model, and the HOVR Guardian, Under Armour’s first true foray into the stability category, Gaylord and his cohorts believe they have product that’s up to snuff in the performance run marketplace. The next step is to solidify the brand’s relationship with retailers in the run specialty 12
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channel, individuals Gaylord calls “beacons of authenticity and influence.” “To be a great running brand, it starts with high performance running footwear and requires a commitment to the run specialty channel,” Gaylord confirms. To that end, Gaylord promises enhanced service, a sales organization dedicated solely to run specialty, marketing investments into elite athletes that drive awareness and credibility – the company’s roster now includes the likes of sprinter Natasha Hastings and up-andcoming mid-distance star Rachel Schneider – and products unique to running retailers, which could include early launches of new colorways and styles. “The run specialty channel is an area we need to invest in … and 2019 is the year we kick this off in earnest,” Gaylord says, acknowledging that earning trust and credibility in the channel takes time. Gaylord points to the HOVR Trialing Tour as an example of Under Armour’s genuine
commitment to running retailers. This month, so-called HOVR Crafts will begin traveling across the U.S. to running stores, events and trailheads to offer product demos and help runners understand Under Armour’s digital ecosystem. “We know word of mouth matters in the core running community, so it’s important we embed ourselves in that community,” Gaylord says, reminding that Under Armour’s strong relationships with younger consumers, in particular, can help serve up the next-generation consumer to running stores. “We have an amazing relationship with these [young] consumers who are excited about Under Armour and have a real desire to consider the brand for their running activities,” he says. Gaylord also says Under Armour is aggressively attacking “white space,” namely looking at the runner through a more holistic lens. Whereas runners once largely considered “hammering out miles” as the key to improvement, Gaylord contends that the modern-day runner views performance through a layered prism that includes recovery, nutrition and other areas “beyond the run.” At the company’s Global Innovation Hub for Footwear Design in Portland, OR, a runspecific team of designers and researchers have partnered with elite athletes and coaches from some of Under Armour’s top collegiate programs to begin developing a run training system Under Armour can democratically deliver to the masses. “With Under Armour, we have an achievement-minded consumer and here is a way for us to connect with that demographic,” Gaylord says, adding
that the brand’s foremost mission is to “make all athletes better.” Under Armour’s more intense focus on run has retailers like Levinson, who has carried Under Armour product at Charm City Run for the last 15 years, encouraged about the brand’s potential in the run specialty marketplace. Doubling Down “At the top, it seems there’s more of a long-term focus on run and a commitment to sticking with it and building a complete lineup,” Levinson says. “Given consumer interest in Under Armour and the money they have for research, there’s plenty of reason for optimism, but I still want to see patience, taking the good and building on it and, in time, getting to four or five solid footwear SKUs.” On a February 12, 2019, conference call with investors, Plank confirmed that would be Under Armour’s focus moving forward. “What you’ve heard us say incredibly clearly is we’re going to double-down on performance,” Plank said. With improved product, including a future pipeline of innovations Gaylord says “will blow runners away,” as well as heightened levels of service that make it easier to do business with Under Armour and enhanced marketing targeted to running consumers, Gaylord believes Under Armour can achieve something that has thus far eluded the corporate powerhouse: success in the performance run marketplace. “We’re ultimately committed to a more significant investment in the run category from both a product innovation and marketing perspective,” Gaylord assures. Or in a simple, single word: more. n © 2019 Diversified Communications