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Under Armour's Next Move

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Submitted By mizbodie
Words 3935
Pages 16
March 25, 2013
WRD 203-002

Under Armour’s Next Move
Introduction

Under Armour is an athletic apparel company that specializes in creating performance-enhancing clothing using moisture-wicking material. Despite its growth over the past decade, Under Armour has failed to really challenge other athletic apparel companies, such as Nike, due in large part to their lack of a women’s product line, an athletic shoe line, and global presence. Bruce Horovitz discusses Under Armour’s shortcomings in his article, “Under Armour races to discover fitness gear.” He states, “Its first shoe line got a black eye, its line of women’s clothing was initially slow to catch on, and for an athletic-wear maker that wants to be taken seriously, it has a miniscule international presence,” (Horovitz par. 1). Despite Under Armour’s growing success, the company still pales in comparison to Nike because they fall short in those three areas. By exploring the market for women’s apparel, creating an effective athletic shoe line, and expanding globally, Under Armour will finally be able to mature as a company and solidify itself as a contender to Nike.
History

In recent years, Under Armour has exploded onto the athletic apparel scene through the use of innovative technology, creativity, and effective marketing. The company’s mastery of moisture-wicking material revolutionized the athletic apparel industry and allowed Under Armour to succeed in such a competitive environment. Although the company now finds itself engulfed in success, it had a rather humble beginning.

Under Armour was started in 1996 by Kevin Plank. At the time, Plank was the special teams captain of the University of Maryland football team. In Daniel Roberts article, “Under Armour gets serious,” Plank describes his thought process behind forming Under Armour. According to the author, Plank was frustrated with the fact

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