Strategic Management Capstone ON Under Armour
Running head: BEING OF UNDER ARMOUR COMPANY 1
BEING OF UNDER ARMOUR COMPANY 3
Introduction Of Under Armour
James Greene
January 08, 2020
University Of Redlands
BUSB 485 SD12
Undergraduate Capstone Paper
Instructor Richard Doyle
Under Armour, Inc. is an American based company that deals with the manufacturing of footwear, sports shoes as well as other casual attire. The global headquarter of the company is in Baltimore, Maryland, with Amsterdam being the European headquarter. Under Armour was established on September 25, 1966, by Kelvin Plank, which was at the time 23 years old. ("History of Under Armour," 2018). Kelvin was a former captain of the particular football team at the University of Maryland. Having no other to start a business from, Plank started his brand from a basement owned by his grandmother in Washington, D.C. The idea of coming up with his brand was initiated when he was back on the football team where he realized that the then cotton made T-Shirts the team was wearing quickly become soaked with sweat and became so heavy ("History of Under Armour," 2018). The high dissatisfaction of the cotton T-shirt led to Kelvin's idea of coming up with a better T-shirt.
Upon graduation, Kelvin decided to come up with a more superior T-Shirt, which would retain its white color even when exposed to a lot of heating. Plank started his work and creation of infamous fabric samples New York garment district and came up with the first mock-up. To get more information after his mock-up Plank ensured to give his friends as well as his former Maryland teammates. Utilizing the feedback from the friends and teammate, Plank continued to work on his brand and come up with a new, improved T-shirt that was built through the use of microbes that had the capability of weakening moisture and thus keeping individual dry, lightweight and cool.
In 2008, under Amour company expanded its product lines to include footwear as well as other accessories. The current mission values and vision of the Under Amour company is to provide better direction both in the strategic and operation of the company. Of the strategies that the company is using to outperform its competitors is coming up with more performance features, coming up with more designs that are appealing, producing products that are of better quality as well as increasing its product lines. Through this, the under Amour company seeks to achieve a more competitive advantage over other already established firms. Through coming up with products that have different features, which include higher quality, added value, increased product base, improved performance, better services, technological superiority as well as better styles, the company is likely to gain more competitive advantage and be able to compete with its competitors. Under Armour, competitors include Adidas and Nike ("History of Under Armour," 2018). The under Armour company products are of high quality and are readily available. With the recent expansion to children's product lines, the company is likely to attract more customers to its store and thus increase its sales.
Although the company faces a lot of competition from other giants such as Nike and Adidas, through better innovative ways that are likely to lure customers, its products are expected to improve the company's competitive advantage. The company has a great future, especially with the current trends where consumers are currently advocating for a healthier and active lifestyle. With the current plans of the company to distribute and supply athletic gear with high quality and aesthetic value to both athletic teams and individuals both globally and locally, the company is likely to increase its sales and market itself more. Also, through expanding to other sports such as baseball, basketball, and football, the company will increase its product line more and, at the same time, attract more customers.
References
History of Under Armour. (2018, August 1). Retrieved from https://www.mainlinemenswear.co.uk/blog/2016/history-of-under-armour
Joe - LMW Admin. (2019, December 19). The History of Under Armour and their Logo. Retrieved from http://blog.logomyway.com/history-under-armour-logo/