Under Armour's sales "are on fire, thanks to a groundbreaking women's campaign, smart PR and a take-no-prisoners approach embodied" by UA Founder, Chair & CEO Kevin Plank, according to a cover story by E.J. Schultz of AD AGE. The publication named UA its Marketer of the Year. The company "is on pace" to reach $3B in revenue this year and "recently completed its 18th consecutive quarter of more than 20% sales growth." UA launched its "I Will What I Want" campaign late last summer, and the female-targeted campaign has since been "critically acclaimed." UA's North American women's apparel division is "on pace to reach" $1.8B in sales by '19, up from $410M this year. To "help fuel growth," the company earlier this year opened an office in N.Y.'s West Chelsea neighborhood that "houses the women's design team" (AD AGE, 12/8 issue). Plank appeared on CNBC this morning and said '14 "without question ... is the year of the woman for Under Armour." He cited the "I Will What I Want" campaign that featured ballerina Misty Copeland and model Gisele Bundchen. Plank: "You'll see this balance of Under Armour moving from being just about the female athlete to the athletic female” (“Squawk on the Street,” CNBC, 12/9).
NOT QUITE STANDARD ISSUE: The Baltimore SUN notes the Navy football team "will wear custom Under Armour 'Don't Tread On Me' uniforms Saturday when it plays Army at M&T Bank Stadium." The First Navy Jack "inspired the uniform." The hem of each jersey, as well as the side of the pants and right sleeve of the base layer "will be embroidered" with the "Don't Tread On Me" motto. The 13 red-and-white stripes in the flag also are "incorporated into several parts of the jerseys" (Baltimore SUN, 12/9). View a slideshow of the uniforms.
