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Marketing and Sponsorship

Under Armour's Kevin Plank Talks Commercial Products, Nike Rivalry, Trump Backlash

Under Armour Founder, Chair & CEO Kevin Plank was profiled on NBC’s “Sunday Today with Willie Geist,” with the host noting despite the company being "very much in the game with Nike and Adidas," Plank still runs UA "like an underdog." Geist said Plank is "obsessed with what’s next." Plank said of the various products produced by UA, “It’s got to become a commercial product so the consumer can say, ‘That's something I want to wear that’s going to make me a better athlete, make me a better human." He said he has "great respect" for Nike, but added, "They don't fight fair. ... Big companies do what big companies do. They’ve got more money. When we run a commercial, we get one shot. The commercial has to be great, it’s got to hit.” Plank also addressed UA's downturn in Q4 '16. He said, "We found that there's a bit of a shifting market that’s happened in the marketplace, where the obligation of brands is to make sure that first of all, freshness and newness, whoever makes the best products is going to win. There were all these things converging at one moment in time.” Plank touched on the criticism he received, including from Warriors G and UA endorser Stephen Curry, over his comments praising the business background of President Trump. Plank: "It was unfortunate that my words got characterized in a way that were meant to be divisive in some way, shape or form. I am the eternal optimist and I believe in this country, I believe in the opportunity that we have, and I'll always find the best of any situation that I'm ever given. In today's day and age, there's no room for politics, like you're not allowed to give a basic answer where you can try and say, ‘I'm going to hit this one right down the middle and everybody will be happy.’ The fact is that there is no room for that" (“Sunday Today with Willie Geist,” NBC, 6/25). 

ALL ABOUT GROWTH: CNBC’s Courtney Reagan noted it has been a "tough 12 months" for UA, and despite a "recent comeback, the stock is still down more than” 40% over the past year. J. Rogers Kniffen Worldwide Founder & CEO Jan Kniffen noted UA is now available in Kohl's, and while the deal “will drive business” for Kohl's, it “doesn’t really enhance" the UA brand. Kniffen: “I don’t see why Kevin wanted to do that other than they need growth and it’s hard to get growth when you get as big as they’ve gotten.” Kniffen said UA is a "great company and they make great product.” Kniffen: "The problem is ... they just don’t have the growth rate anymore, and Nike is actually winning the game" ("Worldwide Exchange," CNBC, 6/26).

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