Under Armour Seeing Women's Business Thrive As A Result Of Campaign By Droga5

Under Armour last year tapped N.Y.-based ad agency Droga5 to "craft a message for the largely male-oriented brand that would speak to women," and the resulting campaign, "I Will What I Want," became the "most successful in Under Armour's history and led to more work for Droga5," according to Lorraine Mirabella of the Baltimore SUN. UA earlier this month selected Droga "as its agency of record, involving it in day-to-day marketing and long-term planning." Future campaigns will "focus on Under Armour's presence in basketball, running, global soccer and connected fitness." Droga5 Creative Chair & Founder David Droga said, "Our job is to take their consistent message and make it relevant every day." Mirabella noted marketing has been "mostly in-house function" for UA, but the company determined its 10-year-old women's category "called for a different approach to take it to the next level." Sales to women, which last year reached $500M, or 30% of the company's sales, are "seen as a key growth pillar" as the company approaches $3.8B in revenue and "aspires to grow" into a $10B global brand. UA Senior VP/Global Brand Marketing Adrienne Lofton said that the company had "been winning women's loyalty in small steps, but 'I Will What I Want' had a stunning impact." It has so far "drawn 6 billion in so-called earned impressions -- views outside the company's media channels or buys -- and pushed women's interest in the brand to new heights." Lofton: "When we launched that campaign, it was like a light came on. It definitely changed the game on the women's front." Droga said that taking on UA "meant dropping a much larger account with Puma." Droga: "Our logic was we loved the opportunity, even if it was taking on a smaller part of the business. We were much more aligned with Under Armour's values." He added of the women's campaign, "It tapped a nerve. The message is real, not an artificial, saccharine idea or principal. ... In the world we live in today, brand plays a role in people's lives, and people gravitate to those that stand for something" (BALTIMORE SUN, 11/22).

SOMETHING IN THE WORKS? In N.Y., Claire Atkinson reported there is "plenty of chatter that Under Armour is in talks to buy" Lululemon, sending the latter's shares up more than 7% on Wednesday and Thursday (N.Y. POST, 11/22).