Melissa Conlon

In less than 2 decades, Under Armour has worked their way up to earn a spot alongside the biggest names in the athletic wear industry, like Nike and Adidas. The case study “Under Armour’s Willful Digital Moves” provides an in-depth overview as to how Under Armour was able to translate their success from the men’s athletic-wear market over to the women’s market. The launch of their “I Will What I Want” campaign proved that Under Armour knew who their female audience was and how to reach them. The campaign eventually led Under Armour in taking Adidas spot at number-two in leading athletic-wear brands.

Under Armour was able to work with different celebrities that they felt would resonate with each of their female segments. “I Will What I Want” was a campaign that celebrated all body types and told the stories of triumph, failure and success that led world-leading women to where they are today. Ballet dancer Misty Copeland was a part of the initial campaign launch that received positive appraisal and gained over 5 billion media impressions worldwide. The use of celebrities in marketing efforts proved to be successful, increasing brand awareness for brands that are closely associated with a celebrity.

I believe it is important there are 4 key elements that contribute to successful implementation of segmentation strategies. According to marketing website Nimble, 85% of product launches failed due to a brand’s inability to properly segment their customer base.

1. Keep your segments specific, but not too specific where you might lose out on potential customers.
2. Allow your research to make the assumptions, not you. Back up your findings with quantitative data and evidence that supports your claims. You shouldn’t risk your relationship with your audience over an incorrect assumption about them.
3. Focus on what your potential customer wants and how you can enrich their life with your product. Consider what the end result would be for your customers.
4. Set goals and objectives, execute your plans and afterward take note of what worked and what didn’t throughout your campaign for future marketing campaigns.

I believe there is great opportunities in athletic-wear for young children and adolescents. This is something that we’ve seen before through athletic brands efforts in sponsoring grade schools athletic teams. These athletic brands can collaborate with organizations that promote children to get outside and be active everyday. For example, the “Get out and play an hour a day” commercials often aired on Nickelodeon and Disney Channel. It would be potential for a great public service announcement and to increase revenue in a new segment for athletic brands.

References:

Martinez, R. (2020, March 6). How to Create an Effective Marketing Segmentation Strategy. Nimble Blog. https://www.nimble.com/blog/marketing-segmentation-tips/

Saghian, M., & Murray, M. (2016). Under Armour’s Willful Digital Moves. Darden Business Publishing Cases, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1108/case.darden.2021.000025