Prompt #9: Recognizing Significance

Advertising and marketing are the two most fundamental aspects of business, in relation to selling, or making profits. It is what makes companies successful and influential. It's what makes the difference in market share. It is how large companies become and remain large. For example (and to give you a back story), if you're walking down the halls and take notice of the shoes that everyone is wearing, you will most likely see about 50% of them with Nike swooshes on them. When you think of commercials for shoes, which company is airing most of them? Which company is putting the most effort/money into their commercials? The answer is Nike. When you see athletes on TV, the swoosh is plastered all over them. Thats why Nike has roughly 60% of the market share, they know how to market and advertise. But, we aren't going to look at Nike, we are going to look at Under Armour, one of their rivals, and how their marketing/advertising division has put forth immense effort to help maximize their impact on the athletic apparel/shoe industry.

The prompt for this article is about identifying a news article that demonstrates the significance of the work done in my field (advertising/marketing). I am going to give you an inside-look at how an individual employee within a company (Under Armour) has influenced the company's success. This will help illustrate the importance of great marketing and advertising, and show you how it makes such a difference.

Since Under Armour was started about 19 years ago, they have received much recognition, particularly as a result of their ability to sign big name athletes, before they become "big". Most notably, Jordan Spieth, the newest young rock star in the golf world, and basketball's Stephen Curry, the electric leader of the Golden State Warriors, the most recent NBA championship winner.
In an article published by Adweek, Adrienne Lofton, the SVP of Global Brand Marketing at Under Armour was featured, and praised for her achievements, which have spurred the company's emergence as a major player in the industry. Lofton, has made "the messaging behind these partnerships (with sponsored athletes) confident and inspirational". She spearheaded the "I Will What I Want" campaign, which showcases a now famous and accomplished female ballet dancer, who overcame adversity, through hard work and determination. "Inside of the words 'I Will' is the motivation that we want to deliver at every single turn. It's about allowing women to have the platform to show that they can absolutely break barriers, they can absolutely set records, they can absolutely be some of the best in the world." Lofton said. This is the kind of thing that adds emotion and relates with the consumer (in this case the targeted consumer is female athletes). That is what connects the company to their audience, and in turn, will increase likability and encourage the consumer to buy their products.

"Instead of taking marketing's obvious path and talking up its athletic apparel, Under Armour, under Lofton's leadership, has kept focus on the athlete. Confident in Under Armour's creative direction, Lofton has demonstrated that the theme of self-empowerment has endless possibilities, perhaps even literally. The most recent effort "Rule Yourself" features Under Armour stars like Curry, Spieth, and New England Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady working out on an infinite landscape featuring mirror images of the athletes as far as the eye can see. The visually arresting spots underscore the idea that great athletes commit themselves to their goals again and again everyday for as long as it takes."

The risks that Lofton took with this creative approach were "key to getting the work to where it ended up" and it ended up in a pretty good place. In fact, "the first year Plank (Kevin Plank, founder of Under Armour) sold shorts out of his car trunk, Under Armour sales totaled $17,000. Last year, they spiked to $3 billion." This was all due to the "inspirational marketing" that people like Lofton have promoted. Under Armour has "already lapped Adidas in U.S. Sportswear sales, and is now nipping at Nike's heels (thanks in part to the launch of the Curry One basketball shoe)" which also exemplifies how the company has utilized and effectively executed their partnership with Stephen Curry.

This article highlighted how progressive advertising and marketing has propelled a company to prominence, while simultaneously crediting an individual, which I think makes it more interesting. Personally, I have no interest in how a company as a whole became successful, I am more fascinated with how that success is achieved on the micro-level, through the efforts of individual employees. Anyways, the point is companies acquire significance, through, in this case, effective advertising and marketing, which is why advertising and marketing are so crucial.


By JACK DENISON


Source:

Gianatasio, David. "This Global Brand Marketer's Winning Intensity Has Helped Multiple Under Armour's Success." AdWeek. ADWEEK, 18 Oct. 2015. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. <http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/global-brand-marketers-winning-intensity-has-helped-multiple-under-armours-success-167475>.