“Your Parents Wore Adidas, We wore Nike, Our Kids Wear Under Armour”
American sportswear apparel giant Under Armour says its grabbed a foothold in the Australian market by doing one particular thing – targeting the Millennial consumer.
The brand – as famous for sponsoring big name athletes as it is for the technology to match its apparel – has had a relatively slow burn since launching in the local market three years ago.
Initially, it was all about getting store space in local chain sports retailers such as Rebel and Amart; however, the brand has just opened its first stand-alone store on the Gold Coast with more openings planned for Sydney and Melbourne.
Under Armour’s Australian and NZ MD, Fernando Reani (pictured above), said the brand – arguably better known for American football and basketball – has had to be selective about what it promotes in Australia.
Reani agreed the local market is well catered for with sports apparel players and says, “We’ve concentrated on categories where we think we can do well. Training, running, basketball, and we’ll be moving into golf and football (soccer) hopefully soon, too,” he said.
As to the question of whether Under Amour is too ‘American’ for an Aussie audience, Reani adds: “We are a very young brand, it was created in 1996, and I think it’s a natural path of being an American-centric brand to becoming a global-centric brand, which is the vision for the brand.”
Jason Archer, Under Armour’s vice president of emerging markets, was recently in Australia and added that the success of the brand was due to the fact it particularly resonated with the Ys.
“I think the young consumer has really grasped the brand, we really resonate with the Millennial consumer. We often say our parents wore Adidas, we wore Nike and Under Armour’s our children’s brand,” Archer said.
“There’s an evolution. We sponsor a lot of the up and coming athletes. Take Stephen Curry in the basketball and (golfer) Jordan Spieth who won the Masters last year, or Michael Phelps who’s an Olympian athlete. Sure, they’re American athletes but they transcend internationally,” he said.
Under Armour famously sponsored Jarryd Hayne when he tried his luck in the NFL last season. So was it a chance gone begging for the brand in Australia?
“Jarryd was a long-time fan of the brand and we partnered with him when he was with the NFL,” Archer said, “he’s come back (to the NRL) and he’s moved on and we wish him the best.”
Both Archer and Reani are coy when pressed about plans to sponsor local athletes and teams and admits that because its not synonymous with any of Australia’s three major sporting codes – league, AFL and cricket – it has thrown-up some marketing challenges
Reani said: “That’s the next big question for us, what our next strategy will be, where we’ll put our marketing dollars. What clubs they might be, or players, and that’s one of the tricks for us. Digital will play a huge role for us and that strongly connects our technology with our fitness community.”
However, Archer adds the Australian market’s not a difficult one as we’re a fairly sporty nation anyway. “We’ve got over 185 million users on our Connected Fitness Platform and six million of them are Australians. So there was very good awareness of the brand even before we established here. But there are challenges for us in the Australian market; obviously Under Armour isn’t big in sports like cricket or rugby, which are hugely popular here.”
That said, a focus on tech, health and fitness and a Millennial audience will remain the order of the day.
“For the Ys it’s all about digital, it’s a digital world,” Archer said. “It’s about staying connected in that world and social media is just great for that. Throw in the health, the fitness and I think the Millennials really go for that. We’ve invested heavily in our tech side and, yes, we see ourselves as tech disruptor and we’ll continue to innovate.
“I think people engage with Under Armour far more emotionally and that’s a lot to do with the athletes we sponsor. Our customers will be engaging with us a lot more via social media with the content we’re creating and the connection with those athletes. Our consumers are growing up with online and it’s all about being part of that digital journey,” he said.
Please login with linkedin to comment
Advertising Standards Bureau customer advocacy matthew drummond Rebel SportLatest News
History Has Arrived: It’s The Cairns Crocodiles Inaugural Shortlist
Pen the acceptance speech and ready your best thongs and muumuu, because the Cairns Crocodiles shortlist has arrived.
PubMatic Study: Advertising On Retail Media Is 50% More Effective Than Social Media
PubMatic has released a new study examining the influence of digital media on shopper behaviour at the top and bottom of the funnel. The research found that retail websites are approximately 50 per cent more effective at driving a response from shoppers than social media. Commissioned by Inside Retail and conducted by PubMatic, 500 Australian […]
From MOWING to life GROWING: Jim Penman launches ‘Life Coaching’ services
Jim Penman, founder of the Jim’s Group, has officially launched Jim’s Life Coaching and intends to help millions of Australians live their best life. “Life coaching is a powerful and effective way to achieve success in business and personal life. It helps people to set their own goals, and then work out how to get there. It has […]
Budweiser Brazil Turns Songs That Name Drop The Iconic Brand Into Spotify Ads
Budweiser has created a new way of advertising on Spotify to ensure that ads don’t ruin the vibe of your favourite playlists. UninterruptAds: a pioneering initiative, converts songs that mention the brand’s name into targeted ads within the platform in Brazil. When the Brazilian team identified that their name is present in more than 500 tracks […]
Effie Worldwide Strengthens Board With 6 New Members
Effie Worldwide, has announced six new members to their Worldwide Board of Directors, alongside three new co-chairs of the Future Council; a powerful injection of fresh talent as the organization evolves across all its programs to expand its mission to champion marketing effectiveness. The Effie Board contributes to the non-profit’s mission to champion effectiveness through […]
Special Enlist A Penguin Named Nigel In Latest Energy Campaign For Contact
After introducing “Flatties” a couple of weeks ago, Contact and Special have now enlisted the help of rule-stickler penguin Nigel to motivate all Kiwis to reduce their energy consumption during peak hours. Contact is investing heavily in creating more renewable energy sources to lead the way in decarbonising New Zealand, but to make an even […]
Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth & George Miller Ignite Sydney For Epic Mad Max Launch
The global promotional tour for Universal’s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the much-anticipated return to the iconic dystopian world Academy Award-winning mastermind George Miller created 45 years ago, kicked off in epic fashion in Sydney yesterday. Anya Taylor-Joy returned to Australia, joining Chris Hemsworth, George Miller and producer Doug Mitchell at a fiery media call […]
IAS Launches First-To-Market Integration With Roblox To Provide 3D Immersive Measurement
Integral Ad Science, a global media measurement and optimization platform, today announced a market integration with Roblox, a global immersive platform for connection and communication. Available for advertising campaigns on Roblox later this year, IAS’s Viewability and Invalid Traffic (IVT) Measurement products will provide advertisers increased transparency into the quality of their Immersive Ads within […]
Fast And Furious: Top Gear Australia Launch Thrilled Motorheads, Car Entusiasts And Guests
B&T is still no closer to knowing who the new Stig is, except that she is a woman and a ridiculously fast.
TV Ratings (02/05/2024): Seven’s The 1% Club Wins The Night
The 1% club did not live up to its name when it comes to TV ratings last night.
TRA Welcomes Raft Of New Hires; Bolstering Expertise Across Markets
Insights and research agency TRA announces slew of new hires. Still no news on the return of marble wash denim, however.
CX Lavender Hires Boston Consulting Group’s Kim Verbrugghe as Chief Strategy Officer
CX Lavender announces new strategy hire and channels 'acoustic folk act at local RSL' for the publicity pic.
Opinion: Community standards, will they be the death of us?
This columnist is talking community standards. Sadly not those people who put dogs in trolleys in supermarkets.
Tegel gets heads bobbing with new free-range chicken platform
Sure, there's a lot of moral considerations when buying a chook. Yet, not as baffling as buying eggs or canned tuna.
Study: 66% of Aussie men believe masculinity is under attack
Two-thirds of Aussie blokes say masculinity's under attack. That said, sales of Solo lemon drink appear robust.
‘Equal Writes’: Canyon reveals new campaign and refreshed brand for women and non-binary writers
As this brand redesign again proves, nothing beats black on white. Well, white on black in this instance.
Icon Agency bolsters consumer and integrated offer with major hires
Icon Agency unveils new recruits. As press photo confirms office moustache competition now a lay-down misère.
Clemenger launches agricultural graduate program
Has Farmer Wants A Wife triggered an interest in dagging & hay balers? This grads program may resonate.
Levi’s Appoint UM As Global Media Agency For $217m Account
Levi's are the jeans for rockstars, models & the cool kids. Although that's not stopped dads from ruining their image.
QMS Nabs Sean Rigby From oOh!media
Things set to get spicy at the next Outdoor Media Association dinner and dance as a rival gets poached.
Bumble Reveals New Brand Identity To Usher In New Era Of Dating
It's ironic that all the dating apps market themselves as having no weirdos, freaks or mummy's boys like their rivals.
Stay In The House From Up! Airbnb Introduces Icons
Airbnb is now letting people stay in "iconic" places that sadly doesn't include the house from Silence Of The Lambs.
Changing The Conversation: The Role Of Media In Ending Violence Against Women
Governments are finally waking up to the DV crisis. Here, B&T chats with Jasmin Bedir on the role media can play.
“If You Want To Listen To Something Else, Go For It”: Fifi Box On Blocking Out The Noise & Focussing On What Works
No one is at the coal face of Melbourne radio like Fifi Box. Here, she chats with B&T without coughing up a lung.
Spotlight On Sponsors: Ferrari Signs Landmark New Title Sponsor
B&T continuing our series on sports sponsorships. And, yet again, there's little good news for the ten pin bowlers.
Choose A Path Less Trodden This Cannes In Cairns
Not since Wonka opened the factory has there been such a hot ticket in town. Here's how to make the most of Cairns.
Cannes In Cairns MC Keeva Stratton Shares Her Top Session Picks
Quip boss calls out her highlights of the Cannes agenda. We're assuming B&T staff b-boy demonstration was an oversight.
Here Are The Agencies That Made AFR’s Best Places To Work List And What The Industry Can Learn From Them
Did your office not make the list? Make sure your boss shouts at least two schooners at office drinks come Friday.
Get Ready, B&T’s Best Of The Best Is Back With The Top Holding Company Executive Leaders – Creative!
Want to know who the Grandest of the Grand Poobahs in the industry are? Look no further than this exhaustive list.
How A Glittering Campaign Helped The Australian Museum Sell 400,000 Tickets
B&T thoroughly enjoyed the Ramses exhibition at The Australian Museum, despite thinking we were going to the Archibald.
TV Ratings (30/04/2024): A “Shoey” Straight From A Fish’s Mouth Launches The Cheap Seats Into 2024
Last night's TV saw horny farmers beat Lego nerds, who beat fame-obsessed home cooks, who beat a chap with a large fish.
Spotlight Extends Partnership With Starlight Children’s Foundation
B&T always happy to promote the excellent work of the Starlight Foundation. Less so the Starfish Fanciers Foundation.
Amazon’s Advertising Quarterly Revenue Soars To $11.8bn
There are so many Amazon couriers visiting B&T headquarters at the moment our office dog doesn't know who to maul first.
VML Wellington Welcomes Jacob McGregor As Pou Ārahi Māori
McGregor set to lead cultural competency and safety at VML Wellington in important new gig.
“They Grow Up So Fast”: Simon Fowler On Five Years Of ABEL
Abel's CEO talks lessons learned from the agency's first five years. Including staff nicking all the Nespresso capsules.
Kyle & Jackie O Urge Melbourne To Pick A Side
Who can stop Kyle & Jackie O's indelible march into Melbourne radio? Is Peter 'Moony' Moon waiting by the phone?