EstablishingControlOverCompetitiveMarketSpacesThroughStrategicBrandingandMessaginginNicheMarkets:

AqualitativecontentanalysisofUnderArmourandNike’sfemaleandsoccermarketstrategiccommunications

KaylaWilkinson

SeniorHonorsThesisSchoolofMediaandJournalism

UniversityofNorthCarolinaatChapelHill

April11,2016

Approved:___________________________

JosephCabosky,ThesisAdvisor

ValerieFields,Reader

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TableofContents

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...3

LiteratureReview…………………………………………………………………………………………………………...5

Brandingincompetitiveathleticsmarkets……………………………………………………………5

Targetingthefemalemarket………………………………………………………………………………...7

Currentstateofthewomen’sathleticapparelmarket……………………………………….…11

Nikeasacaseinbrandingtothefemalemarket…………………………………………………..11

Brandinginthewomen’ssoccernicheandcurrentmarketsegmentconditions……16

ResearchQuestions………………………………………………………………………………………………………21

Methods………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……21

CasestudiesofUberandAirbnb’smarketpenetration………………………………………...22

UnderArmourasthestudy’sbrandoffocus………………………………………………………..27

Nikeasthestudy’scomparativebrand………………………………………………………………..33

Contentsample…………………………………………………………………………………………………..35

Procedure………………………………………………………………………………………………………….37

FindingsandAnalysis……………………………………………………………………………………………………38

#PowerInPinkcampaignandredefiningfemininity………………………………………..……38

Women’sathleticwearasextensionoffashionandcommunalculture…………………40

Sellingtheswoosh’sassociatedmeaningsofinnovationandcraftsmanship………….42

BrandingUnderArmourastheunderdogthroughsponsoredathletes………………....44

“IWillWhatIWant”campaignandsellingaspirationandself-determination……….47

Discussion…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………49

Merging“girly”and“tough”topromotenewideasoffemininity………………………..…49

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Expandingconsumerreachbymergingathleticsandfashion………………………………50

Brandingthroughcomradeshipversusindividualism…………………………………….……51

Detail-orientedbrandingversuslifestylebranding…………………………………………...…52

Leveragingunderdogpositioningtofurtherexpandintonichemarkets……………….54

UnderArmour’srelianceonsponsoredathletesforbranddevelopment………………55

StrategicPlanandRecommendations……………………………………………………………………………56

Expandreachinwomen’smarketbyincludingmoreleisurely-athleticcontent…….56

Furtherpursuemarketpositioningaslifestylebrand……………………………………….….57

Self-identifyas“alternative”athleticsbrandforconsumers…………………………...…….59

Utilizesponsoredathletestokickoffexpansionintonichemarkets………………………60

Includegreatervarietyofathlete-basedcontentandproduct-basedcontent………..62

ConclusionandLimitations…………………………………………………………………………………...………63

References……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………65

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Introduction

Shopperscanbrowseanyathleticsapparelstoreandexpecttobeinundatedby

swooshesandthreerisingstripesindicatingthedominanceofsportingbrandgiantsNike

andAdidas.WhileNikeandAdidashavetraditionallyruledtheAmericansportinggoods

market,ayoungup-and-comingbrandfoundedongritandentrepreneurialthinkingis

quicklyjoiningtheranksamongmarkettrailblazers.UnderArmour,a19-year-oldsporting

goodscompanyfoundedinacollegefootballplayer’sgrandmother’sbasement,hassurged

tremendouslyinitsshortlifespanandisnowchallengingtop-dogsNikeandAdidasfor

valuablemarketshare.

UnderArmourhasdemonstratedimpressivemarketgrowthoverthepasttwo

decades,butthecorporationanditsfounder,KevinPlank,arenotsatisfied.Now,togaina

greatercompetitiveedgeintheathleticapparelindustry,UnderArmourwillhavetofinda

waytotaketwoofitsproblemniches—thefemalenicheandthesoccerniche–andaddress

themtogetherbydevelopingastrongholdinthecontestedUSwomen’ssoccermarket.By

pushingtostrategicallypenetratetheUSwomen’ssoccermarket,UnderArmourwould

havethepotentialtoestablishcontrolandsecuretheniche,driveoutcompetitionand

expandlaterallyintoothercontestednichestogaingreateroverallmarketshareandcreate

sustainablegrowth.UnderArmourwillhavetofocusheavilyondistinctivebranding,

messagingandstrategiccommunicationstrategiesinordertotrulydistinguishitselfasa

corporationandcompeteforthesesaturated,highly-competitivemarketniches.

UnderArmour’spushtotakeovertheAmericanathleticapparelmarketcanbe

analyzedasanexampleofacorporationleveragingstrategiccommunicationtacticsto

propelmarketexpansion.Asglobalmarketsbecomeincreasinglycompetitive,corporations

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mustcontinuetofindnewwaystomeaningfullyengageconsumersanddistinguishtheir

brandsinordertocontestthesesaturatedmarketenvironments(Thomas,2015).Social

mediastrategiccommunicationinparticularhasbecomeanimperativepartofcompanies’

overallstrategies,andanybusiness’success“willbepartlyowedtoitssuccesswithin

socialmedia”(Qualman,2011,xiii).Socialmediastrategyisespeciallyimportantfor

emergingcompanies,associalmediaprovidesoneofthebestopportunitiesforyounger

brandstobuildrecognitionandearnfreemedia.Thus,strongmessagingandbrandingon

socialmediacanhelpturnanemergingbrandlikeUnderArmourintoacompetitive-

marketleader(Hansen,2015).

Thisthesis’researchwillfocusonthebroaderbusinessquestionofhowup-and-

comingcompaniescanrelyonstrategicbrandingandmessagingtopenetrateaniche

marketandsubsequentlytakegreatercontroloveracompetitivemarketasawhole

(Moore,2002).Toanswerthisquestion,UnderArmourwillserveasaqualitativecontent

analysiscase,asUnderArmour’ssocialmediamessagingandbrandinghashelpedthe19-

year-oldcompanyestablishaglobalizedcommunity,buildextensivebrandrecognitionand

earnmillionsofdollarsworthoffreemedia.UnderArmour’seffortshavealsohelpedthe

companydistinguishitselfandpushtowardoutcompetingmuchlarger,richerandmore

establishedathleticsbrands(Hansen,2015).

BystudyingthesocialmediabrandingandmessagingstrategiesofUnderArmour,

thisresearchwillprovidegreaterinsightsintohowtheyoungcorporationcancontinueto

leveragesocialmediastrategiccommunicationtopenetrateanichemarketandcompete

moresquarelywithbehemothathleticcompanieslikeNike.Onabroaderscale,this

researchwillprovidevaluableinsightsintohowemergingcorporationscanrelyon

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strategicmessagingandbrandingtoestablishfootholdsincontestednichemarkets,

expandlaterallyandgrowinasustainablemanner(Moore,2002).

LiteratureReview

Tobegin,theliteraturereviewwillhighlightcurrentathleticapparelmarket

conditionsanddevelopaframeworkofbrandingandmessagingstrategies,especiallyin

thefemaleandsoccermarkets,inordertobetterguideUnderArmour’sfuturestrategic

communicationeffortsinthesemarkets.Theliteraturewillstartbyconsideringhowmajor

corporationssuccessfullydevelopstrongbrandsincompetitivemarkets.Next,itwillfocus

onmethodsthathavebeenusedtoappealtothefemalemarket.Literaturewillthenfocus

onNikeasanexampleinbothsuccessfulandunsuccessfulbrandingandmessaging

strategiesinthefemalemarket.AfterhighlightingNike,thereviewwillconcludewith

informationonbrandingthewomen’ssoccerniche.

Brandingincompetitiveathleticsmarkets

Understandingbrandingisanextremelyimportantfactorindevelopingsuccessful

brandsincompetitivemarkets,as“achievingabetterunderstandingofsportbrand

personalitiesenablessportsorganizationstomonitorthekeybrandpersonalitiesto

effectivelymarketandpositiontotheirtargetconsumersanddifferentiatethemfromthe

competitors”(Kim,Magnusen&Kim,2012,77).Inotherwords,brandingisessentialfor

marketing,targetingconsumersandstandingoutfromcompetitors.Researchershave

suggestedbrandingplaysoneofthemostimportantrolesinthesuccessofathletics

corporations.Accordingtoonestudy,thesuccessofsportsbrandsdependsmostheavily

on,inorderofimportance,competency(isthebrandableandamarketleader?),creativity

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(isthebrandimaginativeandoriginal?),ruggedness(isthebrandbraveandenthusiastic?),

excitement(isthebrandfunandwitty?),sincerity(isthebranddiligentandhardworking?)

andenergy(isthebrandlivelyandvigorous?)(Kim,Magnusen&Kim,2012).

Abrandisconsideredmostlegitimatewhenit“meetsconsumers’interests,offers

anacceptableimagebycorrespondingtotheirvaluesandgivesmeaningtotheir

experienceofbuyingorconsuming”(Lebrun,Souchet&Bouchet,2013,360).Ifthe

consumervaluesruggedness,wantstocontributetoacultureofruggednessandwantsto

beperceivedasrugged,thebrandmusthaveahighlevelofruggednessinorderto

successfullyconnectwithitstargetmarket.Inotherwords,individualsaredrawnto

productsandbrands“tothedegreetowhichthebranddeliversonimportantidentity

concerns,tasks,orthemes,therebyexpressingasignificantaspectoftheself”(Fournier,

1998,364).Brandsmustbecongruentwiththepersonalbrandsofthetargetmarketin

ordertosucceed(Lebrun,Souchet&Bouchet,2013).

Measuringandmonitoringathleticsbrandspersonalitieshelpsathleticsbrands

buildemotionalconnectionswithconsumersmakingpurchasingdecisionsbasedonhow

theywanttoexpressthemselvesandhowathleticsbrandscanhelpthemdoso(Kim,

Magnusen&Kim,2012).Whilebrandspresentcertainpersonalitiesthatconsumersmay

eitheracceptorreject,consumersalsoplayaroleindefiningandredefiningbrand

personalities.Consumersatleastpartiallycontributetodefiningandshapingbrand

personalities,soitisnecessarythatbrandsfullyunderstandtheirfollowersinordertoalso

understandtheirconsumer-producedpersonalitiesandtoforeseehowfollowersmayshift

elementsofbrands’personalitiesinthefuture(Thomas,2015).

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Developingaclearpictureofanathleticsbrandscanalsohelpdeterminewhether

sponsorshipsofathletesand/orteamsaresuccessfulbusinessandmessagingstrategiesby

determiningifthebrandandthesponsoredathletes/teamshavecongruentbrand

personalityscales(Kim,Magnusen&Kim,2012).Forexample,ifabrandhasestablishedits

perceivedpersonalityasinnovativeandingenious,sponsoringanathletewithapersonal

brandrootedintraditionandconventionalismwouldnotbeasmartbusinessmoveforthe

brandbecausethebrandpersonalitiesarenotaligned.Bothpartiesinvolvedshould

naturallyreinforcetheotherparty’sbrandpersonalityinordertoleveragethepartnership

tothefullestextent(Kim,Magnusen&Kim,2012).

Strongbrandingisanintegralsteptowardcorporatesuccess,buttheabilityto

effectivelyappealtonichemarkets,likethefemaleathleticsmarket,isalsohighly

important.Butwhatdoexpertsconsidersuccessfulandunsuccessfulmethodsoftapping

intothefemalemarket?

Targetingthefemalemarket

Professionalshavelongdebatedthebestbrandingandmarketingpracticestoward

femaleconsumersaswomentypicallymakeupthemostlucrativemarketsegment.

Targetingthefemalemarketandtargetingthemalemarketshouldnotbeapproachedin

thesamemanner,though,asresearchshowswomenandmenprocessandrespondto

marketinginverydistinctways(Patterson,O’Malley&Story,2009).

Thereareanumberofcommonthemesthroughoutmarketingpiecesthatfavorably

engageandappealtofemaleconsumers.Women’sinformationalprocessingstylesreveal

theyexperiencemorepurchaseintenttowardmarketingthatis“harmonious”andincludes

verbalelements,whiletheyexperiencelesspurchaseintenttowardmarketingthatrelies

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onnegativitytowardotherbrands,directbrandcomparisonsandpurelyvisualelements

(Putrevu,2004).Menaremorereceptivetodirectbrandcomparisonsandpurelyvisual

marketing,butfemaleconsumerstendtobelievetheseelementsdetractfromabrand’s

genuinenessandsincerity(BeyondPink,2005).Becausefemaleandmaleresponses

towardmarketingaresodifferent,gender-specificmarketingcampaignsareanecessity

(Putrevu,2004).

Femaleconsumersarealsomuchmoresensitivetodetailsofmarketing.Becauseof

thishighersensitivity,evenasinglewordorimageelementacansignificantlyaltera

woman’sreceptionofacompany’smessagingandbranding(Patterson,O’Malley&Story,

2009).Despitefemaleconsumers’heightenedsensitivityanddetailorientation,women

stilltendtoprefermarketingthatfocusesongeneralcategoricalattributesinsteadof

highlyproduct-specificattributes.Forexample,womenwilltendtofavormarketingthat

emphasizesat-shirts’comfortlevelovermarketingthatfocusesonsomethingasspecific

andspecializedasthet-shirts’one-of-a-kindreflectiveproperties(Putrevu,2004).This

kindofhighlyspecific,product-orientedmarketingevokesdirectbrandcomparisons,

whichfemalesdon’ttendtoprefer,aspreviouslymentioned(BeyondPink,2005).

Thematically,femaleconsumersengagemostwithmarketingpiecestheyconsider

informativeandentertaining.Youngfemaleconsumersinparticularrespondextremely

positivelytoandengagemostwithentertainingmarketingcontent.Thisfindingsuggests

entertainmentvalueshouldbeemphasizedmoreandinformationalvalueshouldbe

emphasizedlessforyoungerfemaleconsumers,whileinformationalvalueshouldbe

emphasizedmoreandentertainmentvalueshouldbeemphasizedlessforolderfemale

consumers(Logan,Bright&Gangadharbatla,2012).Whilethereisaclearpreferencefor

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entertainingandinformationalmarketing,femaleconsumersalsodesireconsistent

messagingandbrandexperience.Femaleconsumersdonotlikewhenabrand’sdigital

marketingishighlyentertainingbutthebrand’straditionalmarketingismoreseriousand

informational,forexample.Allbrandingandmessagingshouldbeseamlesslyintegrated

andconsistent(BeyondPink,2005).

Othermarketingthemesattractivetothefemalesegmentincludemessagesof

empowerment,confidenceandcapability(Gallay,1999).Thesemessageshelpreinforcethe

emotionalconnectionswomenareapttoformwithbrands(Patterson,O’Malley&Story,

2009;Parent&Seguin,2008).Femaleconsumersfavorthistypeofmessagingthat

promotesaconnectionbetweenawoman’sauthenticselfandhersenseofconfidenceand

empowerment(Cole&Hribar,1995).However,brandsshouldrecognizefemaleconsumers

favormessagesofempowermentbutdislike“superwomanstereotypes.”Womenaremore

interestedinbeingcomfortableintheirownskinthanbeinga“superwoman”andfulfilling

somesortofperfect,idealisticrole(Gallay,1999).

Whenconsideringfemaleconsumers’responsestowardathleticbrandsin

particular,womenfromdifferentculturesexhibitdifferentpreferences.Globally,most

femaleconsumersofathleticsbrandsperceivebrandsmorepositivelywhentheyportray

theegalitarianismoftogetherness.However,femaleAmericanconsumersofathletics

brandstendtoperceivebrandsmorepositivelywhentheyexpressasenseof

independenceandanautonomousquestforsuccess(Arsenault&Fawzy,2001).

Youngfemaleconsumersalsohavespecificlikesanddislikesinathleticapparel

marketingthatutilizesfemaleathletes.Femaleconsumersthatareteenagersoryounger

favormarketingpieceswithfemaleathletesappearingmotivated(displayingasenseof

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passion),authentic(lookinglikearealathletewhoknowswhatshe’sdoing),mentally

tough(appearingfocused)andrelatable(seenassomeonetheconsumerswanttobecome)

(Kraneetal.,2011).Youngfemaleathletesweresplit,nearlyinhalf,overwhetherthey

likedordislikedfemaleathletesbeingportrayedas“girly”,butinasportysetting,in

marketingpieces(Kraneetal.,2011).Forexample,thiskindofmarketingimagecould

featureagirlinfeminineclothingwithherhairandmakeupdonebutstandingona

basketballcourt(Hallmann,2012).

Womenexhibitdifferentconsumerbehaviorandmarketingpreferencesthanmen,

buttheyalsoconsumesportsandparticipateinathleticsdifferently,whichmayaffecttheir

potentialfortargetingbybrands.Forexample,women’smostcommonsportsconsumption

motivesincludesports’action,dramaandtheopportunitytoescapefromroutine.Onthe

otherhand,menaremuchmoreconcernedwithassociatingwithsuccessfulteams,

showingofftheirknowledgeoffavoriteplayersandsports,andderivingsocialidentity

fromsports(James&Ridinger,2002).Additionally,menaremoreinclinedtocareabout

nitty-grittysportsstatistics,andseeathleticsasanopportunitytovalidatetheirmanhood.

Womencaremoreaboutpersonalnarrativesandthestorylinessurroundingsports

(McBride,2011).Basedonthesekeydifferencesinsportconsumptionhabits,marketing

campaignstargetingfemalesshouldemphasizeaction,dramaandescapism,andinclude

morepersonalnarrativesandstorylines.Brandemphasisonsportingknowledge,social

identitydevelopment,hypinguptopteams,specificstatistics,orpersonalidentity

validationisnotasimportanttofemaleconsumers.

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TheconditionsoftheAmericanwomen’sathleticapparelmarketwillnowbe

consideredinordertobetterunderstandcurrentmarketconditionsandjustifythefemale

market’spresenceinthisstudy.

Currentstateofthewomen’sathleticapparelmarket

Thisthesiswillresearchandanalyzecreativemessagingstrategiesinthewomen’s

athleticapparelmarketduetotheextremelyprofitablenatureofthemarket,asshown

throughthecomingmarketdata.Thefemaleathleticmarketwillalsobeasegmentoffocus

duetoUnderArmour’straditionallackofsuccesswithinthislucrativemarket(Townsend,

2013).

In2011,56percentoftheUSapparelmarket’svaluecamefromthefemalemarket

(U.S.ApparelMarket,2015).Inotherwords,theUSfemaleapparelmarketismorevaluable

thanthemen’sandchildren’sapparelmarketscombined.In2012,Americanfemale

consumersspent$1billiononactivesportswearproducts.Maleconsumersspenthalfof

thatamountonactivesportswearproductsthesameyear,makingthefemalesportswear

marketroughlytwiceasvaluableasthemalesportswearmarket(Apparelmarket,2015).

Thus,thefemaleapparelmarketisanextremelyvaluablemarketsegmentinwhichUnder

Armourcouldfinanciallyprosperbybecomingamoresignificantstakeholder.

Now,Nikewillbeconsideredasanexampletofurtherinvestigatehowamajor

athleticscorporationhasfailedandsucceededatutilizingbrandingtoconnectwiththe

femalemarket.

Nikeasacaseinbrandingtothefemalemarket

Nikecanserveasatellingexampleinbrandingtothefemalemarketasthe

corporationhasreceivedpraiseandcriticismforit’sbrandingeffortstowardwomen.Nike

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hasexcelledwithwomenbytappingintoaconsumeristdesirethatespeciallyresonates

withthefemalemarket–womenwantsportsappareltheycanuseforbothworkingout

andnonathletic,casually-fashionablepurposes(Fowler,1999).Nikehascontinuedtogrow

itsbrandbyprovidingthesekindsofmultipurposeproductlines,especiallytothefemale

market.Alongwithactivelyattemptingtoprovidedesiredproductstothefemalemarket,

Nikeactivelyattemptstodevelopameaningfulrelationshipwithwomenthroughits

messagingstrategies(Helstein,2003).

Nikehasexperiencedbothsuccessesanddifficultiesdevelopingrelationshipswith

femaleconsumers.Currently,Nikeis“positionedasthe(albeitcontestable)expertinthe

domainofsportforfemaleathletes”duetothepublic’sperceptionofNikeasa

knowledgeablebrand(Helstein,2003,289).Nikehasgainedcontroloverthefemale

marketbyproducingandbrandingtheconceptoffemaleathleticdesire,specifically

(Helstein,2003).ThroughNike’spowerfulrepresentationalimagesandmessagingof

femaleathleticdesire,Nikehasproducedanimageofa“newwoman”thatcombinesboth

femininityandfierceathleticism(Hallmann,2012,34).Inadditiontoproducingtheideaof

anewkindofwoman,Nikefocusesitsmessagingpiecesaroundanappealtoamore

“authenticself”thatcanberealizedthroughexerciseasopposedtounnaturalbeauty

culture(Cole&Hribar,1995,352).Byfocusingstrategicmessagingtothefemalemarketon

theconceptofamodernwomanthatembodiesfemininity,athleticismandauthenticity,

Nikehasbeenabletosuccessfullybuildrelationships(emotionalandpersonal)withthe

femalecustomer(Parent&Seguin,2008).

Nike’sfemale-marketmessagingbeganwiththedevelopmentofthisnewkindof

womanandevolvedtopositionthisnewwomanasachallengerofsocialconstraintsand

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stereotypicalportrayalsoffemininity(Grow,2008).Femaleconsumerstendtoreceive

thesetypesofmarketingnarrativesextremelywell,asthenarrativeandsocietal

commentarybecomestheobjectofNike’sdiscourseinsteadoftheproduct(Helstein,

2003).Forexample,avideoadforNikesneakersshowinganoverweightgirlcompletinga

raceinlastplaceiseffectivelysellinganarrativeofperseveranceandempowerment

insteadofmerelysneakers(Helstein,2003).Nike’sstorylineshaveproducedreoccurring

themesofemancipationandempowermentinthevastmajorityofthecompany’sfemale

communicationpieces(Helstein,2003).AccordingtoNike,“workingonthebodyasa

meansfortakingcontrolof,caringfor,anddisplayingone’sself”pusheswomencloser

towardemancipationandawayfromsocialconstrainsandstereotypicalportrayalsof

femininity(Cole&Hribar,1995,362).Therefore,bypositioningitsproductsastoolsfor

workingonthebodyandclaimingworkingonthebodyhelpswomenreachemancipation

andavoidconstraints,Nikeascribesitselfasameansoffemaleliberation.

Although“Nikereliesandhassucceededonanemancipatorynarrative,”this

messagingstrategybecameespeciallyresonantinthefemalemarketwhencombinedwith

athemeofexcellence(Helstein,2003,283).Nike’snarrativeofexcellenceestablishes

legitimatefemaleathletesaswomenwhorefusetoacceptanythinglessthansuperiority.

Bymergingthemesofemancipationandexcellence,Nikehaswovenamultilayered

communicationcampaignthatpreachesbothdemocraticprincipleandelitistparadigm

(Cole&Hribar,1995).Thetwonarrativesbalanceeachotherbysimultaneouslypreaching

elitismandequality.Emancipationisachievabletoeverysingleathleteandteam,while

excellenceisonlytrulyattainabletoonetriumphantathleteorteam.Nike’smultifaceted

communicationstrategyislaudedinthewomen’smarket,asitharnessestwoseemingly

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conflictingprinciplesandpairsthemtocreateamorepowerfulmessagingcampaignfor

women(Helstein,2003).

WhilesomecommunicationexpertshavelaudedNike’smessagingstrategiesinthe

femalemarket,othershavecriticizedthecompany’sfemalemessagingduetoits

contradictorynature.AccusationsofinconsistencywithinNikebeganwhenNikefirst

startedmarketingtowomenin1987andcompanyexecutivesfearedthebrandwouldnot

betakenseriouslybecausefemaleathleteswerenotyetlegitimizedinthepubliceye

(Helstein,2003).PhilKnight,former-chairmanandCEOofNike,admittedtobeingscared

thatthewomen’ssub-brandhadtoomuchpotentialto“pinkify”theNikeparentbrand

(Grow,2008,328).Duetothisfear,Nike’scommunicationstrategyinthewomen’smarket

remainedrootedinverypatriarchalmessaging(Grow,2008).Insteadofreceivingequal

treatmentastheparentNikebrand,theNikewomenbrandremainedseparateand

unequal,whichhasledsomemarketingexpertstocriticizeNikeforitsattempttopromote

femaleemancipationwhilestillrelyingonafoundationofpatriarchalmessaging(Grow,

2008).

ManyofNike’smostheavilycriticizedmarketingpiecescommunicatewomenare

capableofempowermentthroughsportandtheNikecorporation.However,thismessage

actuallydetractsfromNike’sconceptualizationofempowermentasthecompanyis

essentiallysuggestingwomenlacktheagencytoempowerthemselveswithoutthehelpofa

mega-corporationlikeNike(Lucas,2000).Women’slackofpowerandagencyis

symbolicallyembeddedevenfurtherintoNike’smessagingthroughtheuseoffloral,plaid,

smileyfaceandothersimilarimagesinanumberofNike’smarketingpiecestargetedto

women.CriticshavedenouncedNikeforitsproductionoftheseoverlyfemininemessages

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becausethecompanysimultaneouslyfeared“pinkifying”theparentNikebrandbutalso

promotedthesegirlystereotypes.SomecriticshavelabeledNikeascontradictorybecause

thecompanyintentionallyproducedstereotypicallyfemininemarketingyetstillfearedthe

women’ssub-brandwouldturntheparentNikebrandtoo“pink”(Grow,2008).

Nikealsosubliminallysuggestsalackoffemaleagencythroughitsgradualapproach

towardavariationofcause-relatedmarketing.Nikeknowsitcansellmoreswooshesifthe

corporationtellsgirlsthatbuyingtheswooshwillempowerthem(Lucas,2000).Thus,Nike

prescribesitselfasthesolutiontotheproblemoffemaleempowermentandgenderstigma

insport,andtellswomentheyhavethebrand’spermissiontobewhoevertheywanttobe

(Helstein,2003).Bymarketingitselfasacriticalsolution,though,Nike’smessagingagain

suggestswomenlacktheagencytoempowerthemselveswithoutthepermissionandhelp

ofatraditionallypatriarchalcompanyinatraditionallypatriarchalindustry.Thus,Nike’s

messagingtofemaletargetsmaynotlegitimatelypromotegenderequalityinsporttothe

fullextentwomendesire(Arsenault&Fawzy,2001).

Inadditiontorepresentingempowermentasdesirablebutnotindependently

attainableduetoalackoffemaleagency,someofNike’smessagestowardthefemale

marketalsoportray“bothexcellenceandemancipationasdesirableandpossible,butin

effect,unattainable”forthetypicalfemaleconsumer(Helstein,2003,278).Nikenever

wantsfemaleconsumerstofeelasthoughtheyhaveachievedthepromisedemancipation

becausethisachievementwouldresultinwomenlosingreasontocontinuetoreturntothe

Nikebrandinpursuitoftheportrayedemancipation.Therefore,Nikereliesonmessagesof

emancipation,butbydoingsoalsoreiteratestheveryconstraintsfromwhich

emancipationseekstoescape.CriticsclaimNikeattemptstolockwomeninacyclical

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pursuitofemancipationandexcellenceinsteadofactuallyattemptingtomakewomenfeel

emancipatedandempoweredmeaningfulways(Helstein,2003).Asshown,Nikeservesas

anoteworthyexampleofsuccessfullyandunsuccessfullybrandingtothefemalemarket.

Now,methodsofbrandingtothefemalesoccermarketinparticularwillbeexplored.

Brandinginthewomen’ssoccernicheandcurrentmarketsegmentconditions

It’simportanttodevelopanunderstandingofbrandingspecificallytothewomen’s

soccernicheduetobusinessmodels’emphasisonusingnichemarketsasoverallmarket

entrypointsandestablishingcontroloverthesenichestospursustainablegrowth.Market

expertsrecommendcorporationsfocusontakingoverasinglenichemarket,forcingout

thecompetitionandsubsequentlyusingthatnicheasanentrypointtomovelaterallyand

establishcontroloverotherniches.Bytransitioning“fromanearlymarketbasetoa

strategictargetmarketinthemainstream,”corporationsbecomemoreabletoforceoutthe

competitor,securethemarketandmoveouttotakeoveradditionalmarketsegments“on

thewaytowardoverallmarketdomination”(Moore,2002,66).UnderArmourhasthe

opportunitytofollowthisbusinessmodelbyusingtheUSwomen’ssoccermarketasa

marketentrypoint.UnderArmourshouldpushforcontroloverthewomen’ssoccer

marketbecauseitisanincreasinglygrowingmarketwithalargenumberoffemale

consumers.Additionally,women’ssoccerisacompetitivespaceinwhichthereisnotrue

marketshareleader,makingitripewithpotentialforsignificantmarketentry.Current

conditionsoftheUSwomen’ssoccermarketwillnowbehighlightedinordertojustifyits

useasamarketentrypoint,followedbyanoverviewofliteratureonbrandingtothe

women’ssoccerniche.

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SincetheimplementationofTitleIX,women’ssoccerhasboomedintheUS.Forty

percentofFIFA-registeredyouthsoccerplayersinAmericaarenowgirls,markingahuge

increaseinfemaleparticipationinthesport.In2006,thispercentageequatedtomorethan

1.5millionregisteredfemaleyouthplayers.WhileFIFAhasnotofficiallyupdateditsreport

since2006,thenumberofregisteredfemaleyouthplayersisnowlikelyapproaching2

million.Morethanhalfoftheworld’sregisteredfemaleyouthplayersresideintheUS

alone,makingtheUSthemostvaluablefemaleyouthsoccermarketintheworld(Morris,

2015).

Youthfemalesoccerplayersarestickingwiththesportthroughhighschooland

highercompetitionlevelsatrecordrates.Nearly20percentofhighschoolfemaleathletes

nowplaysoccer,totalingapproximately375,000participantsand47percentofallhigh

schoolsoccerplayers.Women’ssoccerisalsotheonlyhighschoolsportthathas

experiencedasteadyincreaseinparticipationsince1980.Now,women’ssocceristhe

third-mostplayedhighschoolsport,barelyfollowingbasketballandvolleyball.Duetoits

continuousgrowth,“soccerlookslikeithasagoodchanceattakingthetopspotinthenext

10-20years”(Morris,2015,2).

TheproportionofAmericanwomeninthesoccermarketincreasesasplayinglevel

increases.Morethan1,100UScollegeshavewomen’ssoccerteams–that’s200more

women’ssoccerteamsthanmen’ssoccerteams(DivisionISoccer,2009).Fifty-three

percentofNCAAcollegiatesoccerplayersarefemale,including61percentofthosein

DivisionIprograms(Morris,2015).Asof2009,93.1percentofDivisionIschoolshad

women’ssoccerprograms,whileonly59.2percenthadmen’ssoccerprograms(DivisionI

Soccer,2009).Asdatademonstrates,femalesaresteadilytakingoveragreaterandgreater

18

shareoftheAmericansoccermarket,makingitalucrativenicheforathleticscorporations

attemptingtoreachmorefemaleconsumers.Buthowcanathleticsbrandseffectively

targetthewomen’ssoccerniche?

Brandinginthesoccermarketusuallyinvolvesaheavyemphasisonbuildingstrong

emotionalbondsbetweensoccerbrandsandconsumers(Hill&Vincent,2006).Developing

emotionalconnectionswithconsumersinespeciallyimportantinsportsbecause“withthe

exceptionofentertainment,religionandpolitics,theemotionalresponsefromsportsfans

isstrongerthaninanyotherindustry”(Richelieu&Lessard,2014,287).Notonlyare

emotionalappealsextremelypowerfulinthesportingindustry–theyarealsooneofthe

mosteffectivewaysforasportingbrandorfranchisetobuildlong-termappealinsteadof

onlyimmediateappealforanimminentevent(Hallmann,2012).Whileemphasizingthe

immediacyofaneventmayhelpgeneratemoreinstantconsumerengagement,brands

shouldstillfocusmostheavilyonlong-termengagementsandthedevelopmentofbrand

loyaltyinallmarketingefforts(Hill&Vincent,2006).

Developingsportingbrandloyaltyrestsheavilyonthebrand’sabilitytotranscend

thegameandbecomemoreofalifestyleforconsumers(Richelieu&Lessard,2014).

Consumersbecomemuchmoreattunedtosportingbrandswhenthebrandisaboutmore

thanjusttheplayingfield.Consumerswanttobeabletosomehowincorporatethebrand

intotheireverydaylifestylesandmakethebrandaboutmorethanmerelyagame(Jowdy

&McDonald,2003).Sportingbrandsthatcaneffectivelyshiftintothistypeoflifestyle

brandtendtobecomestrongerandmorepopularthancompetitorbrands(Richelieu&

Lessard,2014).

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Additionally,thestrongestsportsbrandsembodybothtangibleandintangible

elementsforconsumers.Tangibleelementscontributingtobrandingmayincludegame

resultsandmerchandisingdesign,whileintangibleelementsmayincludeemotional

consumerexperiences,socialinteractionsandfeelingsofpride(Richelieu&Lessard,2014).

Byincorporatingtangibleandintangiblefactors,sportingbrandsdevelopamorestrategic

andintegratedmarketingapproachtodevelopmeaningfulrelationshipswithconsumers.

Integratedbrandingshouldalsoutilizeavarietyofplatformstocommunicatethese

tangibleandintangiblefactors,includingtraditionaladvertising,sponsorshipdeals,new

mediamarketing,eventmanagementandfurtherbranddevelopment(Holt,2007).By

utilizingadiversevarietyofplatforms,sportsbrandscanmoreeffectivelyreachall

relevantconsumersregardlessofgeographiclocationandotherlimitingfactors(Richelieu

&Lessard,2014).

TheAmericanwomen’ssoccernicheisauniquelyvaluablemarketspacebecause

“nowhereelseiswomen’ssoccertheculturalequivalentof–orevensuperiorto–the

men’sgameasitisintheUnitedStates”(Markovits&Hellerman,2003,14).Brandingthe

women’ssoccermarketcanbeparticularlycomplicated,though,becausethewomen’s

soccermarketissusceptibletothesensationalisteffect.Thesensationalisteffectiswhen

women’ssoccergarnerslargewavesofattention,mediacoverageandfanengagement

becausetheUSwomen’snationalteamissucceedinginhigh-stakescompetitions,like

whentheteamwonthe2015FIFAWomen’sWorldCup.Becausethewomen’ssoccer

markethasthetendencytosurgeandshrinkdependingonthenationalteam’sschedule

andperformance,it’simportantforwomen’ssoccerbrandstotakefulladvantageofand

capitalizeonthesepowerfulwavesofpatriotism(Jowdy&McDonald,2003).Atthesame

20

time,brandinginthewomen’ssoccernicheneedstoberootedinmorethanpatriotism

sincethesesurgesaretemporaryandaren’tenoughtosustainlong-termbrand

developmentandmarketing(Southall,Nagel&LeGrande,2005).

Brandinginthewomen’ssoccermarketalsorequiresstrongstrategybecausegirls

andwomendonottendtobesportsconsumerstothesameextentasboysandmen

(Southall,Nagel&LeGrande,2005).Sincefemalesportsconsumersaremoredifficultto

reachthanmalesportsconsumers,it’simportanttodetermineandeffectivelytargetthe

mostreceptivefemaleaudiencestosportsbranding.College-agedfemalesandyounger

typicallyfavorwomen’ssoccermorethanolderfemaledemographics,sowomen’ssoccer

brandsshouldfocusonreachingtheyoungerfemaledemographic(Hallmann,2012).While

olderwomentendtobelessreceptive,soccermomsarealsoanimportanttarget

demographic,astheytendtoholdthemosthouseholdpurchasingpowerandwillengage

withwomen’ssoccerbrandsonbehalfoftheirdaughters(Southall,Nagel&LeGrande,

2005).

Whilethediscussedliteratureprovidesafoundationontraditionallysuccessfuland

unsuccessfulmethodsofbranding,targetingthefemalemarketandbrandinginthe

women’ssoccerniche,theliteraturefailstofullydiscusshowanemergentcompanycan

leveragebrandingandmarketinginthesocialmediaagetopenetrateanichemarketand

graduallytakegreatercontroloverahighly-competitivemarketspace.Thisthesis’research

willfillthesegapsbyexploringanup-and-comingcorporation’suseofsocialmedia

brandingandmessaging.

Thethesiswillnowseektodeterminewhatkindsofcreativebrandingand

messagingstrategiesUnderArmourshoulduseinitssocialmediacampaignsinorderto

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penetratethewomen’ssoccerniche.Thethesiswillproduceargumentsforstrongest

brandingandmessagingstrategiesbasedonprimarydataandlessonsfromexisting

literature.Byitsconclusion,thethesiswilldevelopastrategicguideandrecommendations

onhowUnderArmourcanestablishcontroloverthecontestedUSwomen’ssoccermarket

byutilizingtheidentifiedmessagingstrategies.Theresearchquestionsguidingthethesis’

qualitativecontentanalysisandthedevelopmentofthestrategiccommunicationguidefor

UnderArmourwillbe:

RQ1:WhatisUnderArmour’sthematicmessagingandbrandingstrategyinthe

women’sathleticandsoccermarketonFacebook,YouTubeandInstagram,andhow

doesitcomparetoNike’sstrategy?

RQ2:WhatarethestrengthsandweaknessesoftheemphasizedthemesinUnder

ArmourandNike’sbrandedsocialmediacontent?

Followingadescriptionofthisstudy’smethods,thethesiswillgatherthe

appropriatedataandexplainthedata’sfindings.Then,thethesiswillofferanalysisand

discussionofeachresearchquestion’sfindings.Finally,astrategiccommunicationguide

andbest-practicesguideforUnderArmourwillbeoutlinedbasedontheresearch’s

findingsandconclusions.

Methods

Toanswertheseresearchquestions,UnderArmourandNikewillbeusedascases

inaqualitativecontentanalysisonstrategiccommunicationandbrandinginacompetitive

marketspace.Thisthesis’researchwilluseUnderArmourandNikeascasesbecausea

qualitativecontentanalysiswithspecificcases-of-focusismorecapableofproviding

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significantdepthintothelargerissueofusingstrategiccommunicationtospurmarket

penetration(Flyvbjerg,2006).ThequalitativecontentanalysisonthecasesofUnder

ArmourandNikewillfeaturesocialmediacontentfromanumberofthecases’digital

platforms.

First,inorderprovidefurtherinsightsintoUnderArmour’sdesiredmarket

takeover,companiesUberandAirbnbwillbeconsideredasbriefexamplesinmarket

penetration.AconciseoverviewofUberandAirbnb’srisewillhighlightthebusiness

strategiesoftwomajorcompaniesthatfoundentrypointsintocompetitivemarketsand

subsequentlyestablishedcontroloverthemarkets.UberandAirbnbwillbediscussedsince

theyhaveachievedwhatUnderArmourisattemptingtodo–utilizinganichemarketasa

marketentrypointandconsequentlytakingoverthemarketasawhole.

CasestudiesofUberandAirbnb’smarketpenetration

Asdiscussedinthefemalemarketandwomen’ssoccermarketliterature,the

women’ssoccermarketisalucrativeyetsomewhat-untappedniche.CasestudiesonUber

andAirbnbdemonstratethevalueofpenetratingarelativelyuntappedniche,liketheUS

women’ssoccermarket.

MuchlikewhatUnderArmourisattemptingtoaccomplish,UberandAirbnbbegan

asstart-upsinextremelycompetitiveenvironmentsandgraduallygrewtodominatetheir

respectivemarkets.Now,Uberisde-monopolizingthetaxiindustryandovertaking

competitorslikeLyft,andAirbnbisredefiningthetravelindustryandprovidingenticing

alternativestohotels(Suslo,2014).ThetwocompaniescanserveUnderArmouras

valuablecasesintakingovercontestedmarkets.

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Uber,aride-sharingtransportationstartupfoundedin2009,isnowtheworld’s

most-valuablestartup.Uberisworth$50billionandhasgrowntotakeoveranindustry

oncedominatedbythetaxis(Chart:Uber,2015).Uber’srapidascensionhasbeenassisted

byhugesumsoffunding,celebrityendorsements,aproblem-solvingmentalityandsteady

marketexpansion.Uberhasraisedbillionsofdollarsinfundingoverfiveshortyearsandis

nowbackedbyfinancialgiantssuchasFidelityInvestmentsandGoogleVentures,aswellas

acohortofcelebritieslikerapperJayZandactorAshtonKutcher(Ingham,2014).Uber’s

determinationtoraiseasmuchcapitalaspossiblehasallowedthecompanyflexibilityin

improvingitsprototype,expandingitsgeographicmarketandexpandingitsservicelineto

includemultiplecarandserviceoptions(Weise,2015).LikeUber,UnderArmourshould

considerdevotingacertainamountofcapitalspecificallytomarketpenetrationefforts.

CelebritieshavealsohelpedpropelUberintothespotlightwiththeirpublic

endorsementsoftheride-sharingservice.ActressLindseyLohan,actorNeilPatrickHarris

andrapperSnoopDoggallpubliclyutilizedand/orbackedUberinitsearlyyears(Ingham,

2014).Asaresult,Uberwasthrustintofocusandwentviralonsocialmediaplatforms,

creatingafrenzytojointheride-sharingservicesimilartothefrenziedpushtojoin

Facebookafewyearsearlier(Suslo,2014).Earningbothstrongfinancialbackingand

publicendorsementsfromcelebritieswasahugeassetforstart-upUber(Ingham,2014).

Celebrityendorsementsmaybeequallyasimportant,ifnotmoreimportant,forathletics

brands.

Uberhasalsosucceededbecauseitcontinuestofindwaystosolveproblemsfor

normalpeople.Taxisusedtomonopolizethecitytransportationmarket,allowingtaxi

companiestochargeinflatedprices.Therewerealsodisconnectsbetweentaxisandcity

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dwellersinneedofaride,sometimesresultinginlongwaitsandaninabilitytofindataxi.

Ubertooknoteoftheseproblemsandcreatedanin-demandsolution,whichhasallowed

thecompanytoperformsowell(Ingham,2014).Uberprovidedacheaperalternativeto

taxisandessentiallyde-monopolizedtheindustry.Additionally,Uberbuiltitsprototype

aroundtheconsumerexperience,allowingtheconsumertosummonarideatthepushofa

buttonandseeexactlywheretheirrideisandhowlongitwilltaketoarrive.Bypositioning

itselfasaproblem-solvingcompany,Uberimmediatelygainedacompetitiveedgeoverthe

taxiindustryandothercompetitorswhowerenotevolvingtomeetthewantsandneedsof

consumers(Suslo,2014).UnderArmourhastheopportunitytopushthesamekindof

problem-solvinguniquesellingproposition,asUnderArmour’soriginalclaimtofamewas

itsuniquesweat-wickingshirts.

Finally,Uberhasbenefitedandrapidlygrownbysteadilyexpandingintonew

markets.AssoonasUberestablishesasizablecustomerbaseinonecity,itshiftsfocusand

pushesexpansionintoanother.Then,assoonasUberestablishedanumberofthriving

strongholdmarketsintheUS,thecompanylookedinternationalandstartedtweaking

aspectsofthecompanysoitcouldsuccessfullyrolloutinChina(Ingham,2014).Uber

showscompaniesaimingtotakeoutthecompetitioncannotremainstagnant.Theymust

findamarketentrypoint,establishcontroloveritandcontinuetoexpandlaterallyinto

newmarketsinordertooutpacecompetitors(Weise,2015).Ubereffectivelyachieved

whatUnderArmourhasthepotentialtodobyusingthewomen’ssoccernicheasamarket

entrypointandlaterexpandingintootherwomen’sand/orsoccerniches.

Airbnbisanotherkeyexampleofhowastart-upcanenteracontestedmarketand

successfullyrisetothetop.Airbnbisalodge-sharingcompanyfoundedin2008thatallows

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customerstolist,findandrentroomsandpropertiesallovertheworldatacheaperrate

thanhotels(Airbnb,2015).Itisnowtheworld’sthirdmost-valuablestartupwithan

evaluationof$25.5billion(Chart:Uber,2015).SimilartoUber,Airbnbrosetothetopof

thetravelindustrythankstoitsproblem-solvingmentalityandsteadymarketexpansions.

WhileUbersolvedtheproblemofthetaximonopoly,Airbnbsolvedtheproblemof

expensivetravelaccommodations.Traditionally,hotelshavebeentheonlyaccommodation

optionfortouristsvisitingnewplaces.However,hotelstendtobepricey,eventhough

customersonlyreceiveoneroom.Thelackofalternativeoptionsbeyondthecrowdedhotel

marketmadethetravelaccommodationmarketripeforentry(Dishman,2015).Airbnb

enteredthetravelaccommodationmarketandprovidedanappealingalternativeforboth

cheapandhigh-endtravelers(Airbnb,2015).Thecompanysolvedthispriceproblemby

allowingAirbnbmemberstorentroomsandhomesfromlocalsforanywherefrom30

percentto80percentcheaperthanhotelrates(Campos,2014).Byallowingmembersto

providethecompany’saccommodationlistings,Airbnbalsosolvedaproblemoflimited

choice.Insteadofbeingconfinedtoareahotels,travelersarenowfreetochoosefroma

widevarietyofsinglerooms,fullapartmentsandfullhomesthankstoAirbnb.Airbnb,like

Uber,showshowvaluableaproblem-solvingmentalityisformarketpenetration.

Airbnbhasalsosustaineditssuccessandcontinuedtogrowthroughsteadymarket

expansions.Airbnbhasgrownbyfocusingonbuildinglistingsandestablishingastrong

marketpresenceinonecity,thenquicklyexpandingintoanothercityassoonasit’s

establishedcontrol.OnceAirbnb’sUSmarketpresencefortified,thecompanylooked

abroadandbeganresearchingandtweakingitsservicestotransitionintoandoperate

effectivelyininternationalmarkets(Campos,2014).Additionally,Airbnbhasstarted

26

testingserviceexpansionstogowithitsaccommodationlistings.Thecompanyis

attemptingtodiversifyitsbusinessbyofferingcleaningandpropertyservicesforhosts.

AirbnbusedLosAngelesasitsmarketentrypointandhassteadilyexpandedtocompete

fortravelaccommodationmarketsharesallovertheworld.AirbnbandUberhaveboth

achievedwhatUnderArmourhasthepotentialtodobyenteringacontestedmarketand

risingtothetoptoovertakemajorcompetitors.

DespitetheoverwhelmingsuccessesofUberandAirbnb’smarketpenetrations,

aggressivemarketexpansionsarenotalwayssuccessful.Forexample,considerDrPepper’s

botchedattempttotakeitspopularsodabrandanduseittopenetratethecondiments

market.DrPeppertriedtoutilizeitswell-liked,distinctflavortocreatealineofsoda-

flavoredmarinadesandbarbequesauces.UnfortunatelyforDrPepper,itsattempted

marketexpansionhasfloppedandbeencalledoutlandishbybrandingexperts.DrPepper

targetedanichemarketwithpotentialforentry,butultimatelyfailedbecauseitlacked“a

logicalfitwiththeparentbrand,leverageforcompetitiveadvantageandopportunityto

enhancethebrandandproducesales”(Austin,2013,1).Companieslookingtoexpand,like

UnderArmour,shouldtakenoteofmarketexpansionfailuresandmakesuretheirown

expansioneffortsfitlogicallywithintheoverallbrand,provideanopportunityfor

competitiveadvantageandaugmenttheparentbrandinameaningfulway.

UberandAirbnbdemonstratethekindofsuccessfulmarketpenetrationUnder

Armourshouldpushtoreplicate,whileDrPepperdemonstratesthekindofunsuccessful

marketpenetrationfromwhichUnderArmourcanlearn.Now,UnderArmourwillbe

highlightedandjustifiedasthecorporationoffocusanditsmarketstatusinvarious

segmentswillbeconsidered.

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UnderArmourasthestudy’sbrandoffocus

UnderArmourhasbeenchosenasthequalitativecontentanalysis’caseoffocusdue

toitsemergentpositioningintheathleticmarket.EventhoughUnderArmourhasenjoyed

rapidgrowthinrevenueandmarketshares,itisstillsignificantlysmallerandless

profitablethancompetitorsNikeandAdidas(SportingGoods/SportswearCompanies,

2014).In2014,UnderArmour’sfiscalyearearningspersharewas.95,whileNike’sEPS

was2.97andAdidas’EPSwas2.35(UnderArmour,Inc.Revenues&EarningsPerShare,

2015).Inotherwords,UnderArmour’searningspersharearestillonlyaboutonethirdof

NikeandAdidas’.

TheathleticapparelmarketishighlycompetitiveandmanyofUnderArmour’s

moreestablishedcompetitorsdo“havesignificantcompetitiveadvantages,including

greaterfinancial,distribution,marketingandotherresources,longeroperatinghistories,

betterbrandrecognitionamongconsumers,moreexperienceinglobalmarketsandgreater

economiesofscale,”thusmakingUnderArmouragoodfocuscorporationforresearch

studyingpenetrationintohighly-competitivemarkets(UnderArmour,Inc.-AnnualReport,

2015,11).Additionally,UnderArmourhasbeenchosenasthebrandoffocusbecauselittle

tonoacademicresearchhasbeendoneonthebrandoranyotherathleticbrandsaside

fromNikeandAdidas,astheliteraturedemonstrated.UnderArmourwillbringanew

perspectivetoexistingresearchonmarketpenetrationbyanemergentbrand.While

anothermajorathleticbrandcouldalsowarrantreasonforstudy,UnderArmouris

especiallyrelevantasthebrandisNikeandAdidas’mostcomparablecompetitorandmost

capableofrealisticallyenteringacontestedmarketspacesandsucceeding(SportingGoods

Top50,2014).

28

Finally,UnderArmourhasbeenchosenasthecorporationoffocusduetoitspast

strugglesinthefemalemarketandtheimportanceofitsperformanceinthefemalemarket

movingforward.Initsearlyyears,UnderArmourbrandeditselfasamachocompanythat

primarilyoperatedinthefootballniche.Now,UnderArmourisheavilyfocusingonmoving

pastthatmachoimageanddevelopingitswomen’sbrandinordertosustainthecompany’s

growth(Mirabella,2014).UnderArmourhopestomakethewomen’ssub-branda$1

billionsegmentofthecompanybytheendof2016,andeventuallyalargerpartofthe

companythanthemen’ssegment(Meehan,2013).Marketexpertsclaim“women’sapparel

willbethebattlegroundgoingforward.”Thus,UnderArmourservesasavaluablefocus

corporationinthisstudythatisresearchingbrandingandmessagingtothefemalemarket

(Mirabella,2014,2).

UnderArmourhasestablisheditselfasalegitimateleaderintheathleticapparel

marketinjust15years,warrantingthecompany’sstudy,asitmaybecomethemarket’s

futureleader.EventhoughUnderArmourwasn’tfoundeduntil1996andismuchyounger

thanotherleadingathleticsbrandslikeNike(foundedin1964)andAdidas(foundedin

1949),UnderArmourwasrankedthirdinthetop50globalsportingbrandsbasedonshare

ofpurchasesin2014,with22percentofsportinggoodsconsumershavingpurchasedat

leastoneproductfromUnderArmour(SportingGoodsTop50,2014).In2014,Under

ArmouralsosurpassedAdidasasthesecond-largestsportsapparelmarketshareholderin

theUS(McNew,2015).Despiteitsnovelty,UnderArmourisaccountingformorethanone-

fifthofsportinggoodspurchases,propellingthecompanytoovertakecompetitorAdidasas

thesecond-largestAmericanmarketshareholder(SportingGoodsTop50,2014).

29

In2014,UnderArmourreported$3.08billioninglobalnetsales.Thiswas$720

millionand31.7percentmorethanthecompany’s2013globalnetsales,demonstrating

justhowrapidlyUnderArmourhasgrown(UnderArmour,Inc.-AnnualReport,2015).

HugeincreasesinsaleshaveledbusinessexpertstodeemUnderArmouroneofthefastest-

growingretailersintheUS(UnderArmour,2015).Thecompany’srapidgrowthhasbeen

attributedtoitsmoisture-wickingfabrictechnologies,eco-friendlybusinesspractices,high

levelsofbrandrecognitionandsmartsponsorshipdeals,inparticular.UnderArmourhas

alsobeenabletocultivatealotofsuccessthroughorganicgrassrootsdevelopmentand

messagingwithout“big,splashymarketingcampaigns”(Stock,2014,1).

AlargepartofUnderArmour’smarketingstrategyhascenteredoncreatinglinks

betweenUnderArmourproductsandprofessionalathletes(UnderArmour,Inc.-Annual

Report,2015).Currently,UnderArmour’sbiggestsponsoredathletesincludeNFL

quarterbackTomBrady,OlympicswimmerMichaelPhelps,OlympicskierLindseyVonn,

NBAchampionStephenCurry,principalballerinaMistyCopelandandgolferJordanSpieth

(Mirabella,2014).UnderArmourspent$330millionontotalmarketingeffortsin2014,

whichwasasizableincreasefrompreviousyears(UnderArmour,Inc.-AnnualReport,

2015).ThisincreaseinmarketingexpensesshowsUnderArmourisdevotingsignificant

focustowarditsmarketingcampaignsinordertocontinueitsgrowth.

UnderArmour’sbest-sellingproductsareitsapparelproducts,whichaccountedfor

75percentofthecompany’sglobalnetsalesin2014(NetSalesShare,2014).Under

Armourmade$2.29billioninnetrevenuefromapparelsalesin2014,markinga30

percentincreasefromits2013apparelsalesnetrevenue.Thislargeincreaseinapparel

salesrevenueagaindisplaystherapidrateatwhichUnderArmourisgrowing.In2013,

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UnderArmourgeneratedtwiceasmuchrevenuefromitsmen’sapparelsalesthanits

women’sapparelsales,whichonlyaccountedfor30percentofUnderArmour’sbusiness

(Meehan,2013).Thus,eventhoughUnderArmourhasbeenabletogrowatimpressive

rates,thecompanystillreliesveryheavilyonthemen’smarket,whilethewomen’smarket

remainsmostlyuntapped.Infact,UnderArmourusedtohavesignificantlylessmarket

sharethancompetitorLululemonsimplybecauseUnderArmourdivertedlittletono

attentiontowardthefemalemarket,whileLululemonprovidedanin-demand,female-only

athleticsoutlet(Petro,2015).BasedonUnderArmour’spastperformancesinthewomen’s

market,anexecutivefromUnderArmour’sthird-largestshareholderclaims“thegeneral

viewisUnderArmourstinksatwomen’s.”However,everyyearUnderArmour’swomen

sub-brandgrowsasapercentageofthecompany,whichprovesthereispotentialforUnder

Armourtomorefullyleveragethefemalemarket(Townsend,2013,1).

UnderArmourstillhasalotofunfulfilledpotentialinthewomen’smarket,asshown

throughfemaleathleticsmarketdataandtrends.Thecompanywastheeighthmost-

recognizedsportinggoodsbrandamongstUSfemaleconsumersin2014,alludingtoa

substantialdisconnectbetweenUnderArmour’sbrandingandfemaleconsumers.Seventy

percentofUSfemaleconsumersrecognizedtheUnderArmourbrand,showingUnder

ArmourremainsmuchlessrecognizablethancompetitorsNikeandAdidas,whohad97

and91percentrecognitionrates,respectively(U.S.Women’sBrand,2014).Additionally,

significantlymoremaleconsumersconsiderUnderArmourtheirfavoriteathleticapparel

brandthanfemaleconsumers,perhapssuggestingUnderArmourisstillsomewhatdefined

byitsoriginalmachobranding.ThirtypercentofmenmostfavorUnderArmour,whileonly

12percentofwomenfavorthecompanythemost.Theseskewedresultsreiteratethefact

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thatUnderArmourcontinuestogarnersupportfromandrelyonthemalemarketmuch

morethanthefemalemarket(Apparelmarket,2015).

WhileUnderArmourhastraditionallystruggledinthefemalemarket,thecompany

hasalsobeenanonfactorinthesoccerniche.SimilartohowUnderArmouroriginally

positioneditselfasmasculinecompanyandemphasizedmasculinebranding,Under

Armouralsooriginallypositioneditselfasafootballcompanyandhonedinonfootball

muchmorethanothersports,especiallysoccer(Hansen,2015).Becauseofthislackof

focusonsoccer,UnderArmourhassignificantuntappedmarketpotentialinthesoccer

niche.Aspreviouslydiscussed,UnderArmourshouldfocusonusingthefemalesoccer

nicheasamarketentrypointtodriveitstwotroublemarketsegmentsuptogether.The

soccersegmentisrapidlygrowingandincludesalargenumberoffemaleconsumers

makingitaprimemarkettargetforUnderArmour.Inaddition,thesoccernicheisa

competitivespacewherenumerousmajorsportingbrandsjoustformarketsharebutno

singlebranddominates,leavingthemarketmoreopenforthetaking.

Currently,UnderArmourearnsthevastmajorityofitsincomefromthefootballand

basketballmarkets,buthasverylittlebrandpresenceinthesoccersegment(Under

Armour,Inc.-AnnualReport,2015).UnderArmour’sfirstsignificantentryintothesoccer

marketoccurredin2012whenthecorporationagreedtosponsorBarclaysPremier

League’sTottenhamHotspurFootballClubforfiveyearsand$50million.ThisisUnder

Armour’sfirstsponsorshipofaEuropeanfootballclubwithinoneofthebigfiveEuropean

leagues(Thomas,2015).ThesponsorshipdealwasevenbiggerforUnderArmourbecause

TottenhamHotspurisvaluedasthetenthmost-valuablefootballbrandintheworld(Brand

ValueRanking,2015).OtherUnderArmour-sponsoredsoccerclubsincludeChileanclub

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CorporaciónClubSocialyDeportivoColo-ColoandMexicanclubsCruzAzulFutbolClub

A.C.andDeportivoTolucaF.C.(UnderArmour,Inc.-AnnualReport,2015).UnderArmour’s

initialsponsorshipexpansionsintothesoccermarketreceivedpraise,as“firms

consistentlyinvestinginsponsorshipoutperformmarketaverages”(Kruger,Goldman&

Ward,2014,225).

UnderArmour’sfirstsignificantentryintothesoccermarketproducedsometelling

informationaboutpublicperceptionsofanewcomerbrandinacontestedmarketspace.

UnderArmourhasexperiencedacompetitiveedgeasamarketnewcomer,aspublicshave

startedtoperceivepopularbrandslikeNikeandAdidasasbeingundistinguishableand

forceduponfans(Thomas,2015).Incomparison,soccerfansperceiveUnderArmouras

uniqueanddistinctive.Thisstudysuggeststhenotionofunabashedloyaltytoabrand

shouldbereconsidered,asafreshbrandinacontestedmarketspacehasthepotentialto

surge(Thomas,2015).

Specifically,researchonBarclaysPremierLeaguefansfoundthatasenseofbrand

uniquenessequatestocreativechoice,counter-conformity,avoidanceofsimilarityandtrue

ownership(Thomas,2015).UnderArmour’sperceivednewnessanduniquenessinthe

soccermarketmadethebrandcometomindmorereadilyduringpurchasingdecisions,

madethebrandanassetforidentitycreationandincreasedbrandengagementbeyondthe

soccermarket(Thomas,2015).ThroughamarketnovicelikeUnderArmour,fansfound

newbrandassociationsasawayto“construct,cultivateandexpresstheiridentities”and

makecertainstatementstothemselvesandtoothers(Kemp&Childers,2012,509).Thus,

UnderArmourshouldnotbescaredtopenetratenewnichesasamarketnewcomer.

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Nikeasthestudy’scomparativebrand

Nikehasbeenselectedasthecontentanalysis’comparativebrandtoUnderArmour

becauseNikeisUnderArmour’sbiggestcompetitorintheUSandworldwide(Leading10,

2015).NikeleadsallathleticbrandsinrevenuegloballyandintheUS.Thus,Nikewillbe

usedasthisstudy’scomparativebrandtoUnderArmoursinceNikeisthemostfinancially-

dominantathleticapparelbrand,inadditiontobeingthe“most-lovedbrandbyfar”

accordingtoAmericanteensandcollegestudents(Lutz,2015,1).Furthermore,Under

ArmourisspecificallyfocusedonfindingwaystoovertakeNike,asUnderArmourCEO

KevinPlanksays“overtakingNikeastheworld’slargestsportswearmaker”isoneofhis

biggestgoalsforthecompany(Foster,2016,31).

In2015,Nikeearned$30.6billioninglobalrevenue.Approximately$8.6billionof

Nike’srevenuecamefromapparelsales,makingNikethedomesticandgloballeaderin

athleticapparelsales.In2015,Nikeearned$14.6billioninrevenuefromitsmen’s

productsand$5.7billioninrevenuefromitswomen’sproducts,showingNike,likeUnder

Armour,dependsmuchmoreheavilyonthemalemarketthanthefemalemarket.Nike’s

women’smarketrevenuesgrewby15percentfrom2014,though,whilethemen’smarket

revenuesgrewbyonly5percent,demonstratinghowtheuntappedwomen’smarketmay

havegreaterpotentialforgrowth.Nike’smost-profitablesportsnichesarerunning,

basketballandsoccer(Nike2015Form10-K,2015).Nike’sinclusionasthisstudy’s

comparativebrandwillprovidegreaterinsightsintothesoccernichesincesoccerisoneof

Nike’smost-profitablemarketsegments.

In2015,Nikeearned$2.3billioninrevenuefromsoccer-relatedproducts,making

Nikeawell-establishedplayerinthesoccerniche.MostofNike’ssoccer-marketrevenues

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comefromcleatssales,butNikealsoprofitssubstantiallyfromsoccertraininggearandkit

sales(Nike2015Form10-K,2015).Nike’spresenceinthesoccersegmentisalsoheavily

feltduetoitsextensiveendorsementsofeliteteamsandplayers.Thecompanysponsors

PortugueseplayerCristianoRonaldo,BrazilianplayerNeymar,EnglishplayerWayne

Rooney,SpanishsquadFCBarcelona,theUSnationalteams,theBraziliannationalteams

andtheNationalWomen’sSoccerLeague,forexample(Smith,2015).SinceNikedoeshold

significantcontroloverthesoccermarket,thecompanywillprovidethisstudywith

valuableexamplesofbrandingandmessagingstrategiestothesoccerniche.

Currently,NikeenjoysdominanceovertheAmericanfemalemarket,too.Ina2014

surveyofmorethan4,200femaleconsumers13yearsandolderwhohadpurchaseda

productfromanathleticsbrand,49percentofrespondentshadpurchasedaNikeproduct

withinthepastyear,whileonly22percentofrespondentshadpurchasedanUnder

Armourproduct(Top25,2014).AmericanfemaleconsumersalsocitedNikeastheir

favoriteathleticapparelbrand.Fifty-onepercentofrespondentsnamedNikeastheir

favoriteathleticbrand,while12percentofrespondentschoseUnderArmourastheir

favoriteathleticapparelbrand(Apparelmarket,2015).Asshown,Nikehasasignificant

edgeonUnderArmourinthefemalemarket,makingthefemalemarketallthemore

importanttoUnderArmour’sexpansionefforts.Inordertoanalyzehowthecompanies’

brandingandmessagingstrategiescompareinthefemaleandsoccermarkets,aqualitative

contentanalysiswillbeperformedonanumberofNikeandUnderArmour’ssocialmedia

platforms.

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Contentsample

ThequalitativecontentanalysisoncasesUnderArmourandNikewillanalyze

contentfromthefollowingplatforms:

UnderArmourWomen’sFacebook

UnderArmourWomen’sInstagram

UnderArmour’sYouTube

NikeWomen’sFacebook

NikeWomen’sInstagram

NikeWomen’sYouTube

NikeSoccer’sFacebook

NikeSoccer’sInstagram

NikeSoccer’sYouTube

Eachbrands’existingwomen-specificandsoccer-specificplatforms’contentwillbe

pulledsincethisthesisseekstoanalyzethecompanies’brandingandmessagingstrategies

inthefemaleandsoccermarkets.TherewillbenocodingforUnderArmourWomen’s

YouTube,UnderArmourSoccer’sFacebook,UnderArmourSoccer’sInstagramorUnder

ArmourSoccer’sYouTubebecausenosuchpagescurrentlyexist.DuetoUnderArmour’s

currentlackoffemaleandsoccersub-brandYouTubechannels,UnderArmour’smain

YouTubeaccountwillbeincludedinthesampleinordertoprovideacomparativebaseto

Nike’sYouTubechannels.

Facebook,InstagramandYouTubehavebeenselectedastheplatformsfromwhich

contentwillbepulledduetotheirpervasivenatureamongstthetargetmarketsofathletic

apparelbrands.FacebookistheUS’mostpopularsocialmediasite,with72percentofadult

Internetusersutilizingtheplatform.Facebookisevenmorepopularwithwomen,as77

percentoffemaleadultInternetusersareonFacebook.Eighty-twopercentofonlineadults

betweentheagesof18and29useFacebook,and79percentofonlineadultsbetweenthe

agesof30and49useFacebook,reiteratingtheplatform’spopularitywiththetarget-age

demographicofathleticapparelbrands.Facebookalsohasthemostengagedusers.

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Seventypercentofuserslogondaily,including43percentofuserswhologonseveral

timesperday,makingitanimportantplatformforbrandengagement(Duggan,2015).

WhileInstagramislesspopularamongthegeneralpopulation,it’sstillverypopular

withyoungerdemographics.Fifty-fivepercentofonlineadultsbetweentheagesof18and

29useInstagram.OnlinewomenalsouseInstagramatahigherratethanonlinemen,with

31percentofonlinewomenusingtheplatformversusonly24percentofonlinemen.

Instagramisbecomingamoreandmorevaluableplatformasitsfrequencyofusagehas

rapidlyincreased.Currently,59percentofInstagramusersvisittheplatformdaily,

markingaten-pointincreaseindailyvisitorsfrom2014.Thirty-fivepercentofusersvisit

theplatformmultipletimesperday(Duggan,2015).

YouTubeisalsoanextremelypopularsocialmediaplatformamongonlineadults.In

2013,72percentofonlineadultsusedYouTube,makingitthesecondmost-popularsocial

mediaplatformbehindFacebook.LikeFacebookandInstagram,YouTubeisevenmore

popularamongwomen.Eighty-twopercentofonlinewomenbetweentheagesof18and

29usedYouTubein2014(Anderson,2015).Additionally,YouTubehasbecomeapopular

outletforconsumerslookingtoengagewithbrandsthroughbothentertainingvideosand

moretraditional,long-formadvertisements.Forexample,NikeFootball’sYouTubepage

wasthefifthmost-popularYouTubebrandchannelin2015with2.2millionsubscribers,

demonstratinghowYouTubecanbeofsignificantvaluetosportingbrands(Most-

SubscribedYouTube,2015).

Anotherreasonsocialmediaplatformshavebeenselectedasthisstudy’ssourcesof

contentisbecausethereisavoidinsocialmediabrandingresearch.Themajorityofstudies

onathleticapparelbrandinghavefocusedontraditionaladvertisingandmarketinginstead

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ofsocialmediabranding,asseenintheliteraturereview.Thus,thisresearchwill

contributetoalackofinformationonhowbrandsoperateandstrategicallytarget

consumersthroughdifferentsocialmediaplatforms.

EverypostonthechosenplatformsandaccountsbetweenAug.1,2015,andNov.30

2015,willbethematicallycoded.Thisdaterangehasbeenselectedinordertoretrievethe

mostcurrentcontentfromthebrands.Fourhundredsixty-sixpiecesofcontentwillbe

pulledfromthebrands’chosenplatformsduringthisdaterange,providingthestudywith

amplecontentforcoding.

Procedure

Thisstudywilluseconventionalqualitativecontentanalysisforitsmethodology

(Hsieh&Shannon,2005).Aconventionalcontentanalysiswillbeperformedduetothefact

thatthismethodisgenerallyused“withastudydesignwhoseaimistodescribea

phenomenon,”makingitappropriateasthisstudyaimstodescribephenomenainathletic

corporations’brandingandmessagingstrategiesthroughsocialmedia(Hsieh&Shannon,

2005,1279).Thisresearchdoesnotintendtorelyonpreconceivedcategories,butinstead

seekstoderivecategoriesthatemergedirectlyfromthedatainordertogathernew

insightsgroundedinreal,currentdata.Basedontheaimsofthisstudy,conventional

qualitativecontentanalysisisthemostappropriatemethodofchoice(Hsieh&Shannon,

2005).

Thecontentanalysiswillbeginwithapreliminaryoverviewofandfamiliarization

withallpiecesofcontent,otherwiseknownasapreliminarysoakofthedata(Hall,1975).

Thecontentwillbereadrepeatedlyinordertoachieveimmersionandgainagreatersense

ofanyoveralltrends.Then,contentwillbecloselyanalyzedinordertobeginderiving

38

codes,andkeyconceptsandmessageswillbenoted.Thesekeyconceptsandmessagesthat

emergefromthesamplewillbecometheinitialcodingscheme.Codeswillthenbegrouped

intolargercategoriesdependentonhowthecodesareconnected(Hsieh&Shannon,2005).

Basedonthegroupingofcodes,overarchingcategorieswillbegintoemergeandwillbe

usedtoarrangecodesintomeaningfulsets(Patton,2002).Followingthedevelopmentof

categories,definitionsforeachcategoryandcodewillbedeveloped.Examplesofeachcode

andcategorywillalsobeselectedfromthedatainordertoexemplifythegivendefinitions

(Hsieh&Shannon,2005).

Followingthecontentanalysis,findingswillbediscussedandcomparedand

contrastedtorelevantliteratureinthediscussionsection.Thisthesis’discussionwillalso

highlighthowthefindingscontributetothelargerbodyofliteratureonbrandingand

messagingstrategiesandwillsuggestadditionalresearchideasforthefuture(Hsieh&

Shannon,2005).Finally,emergentmessagingpatternsandcreativebrandingthemeswill

beanalyzedandultimatelyusedtodevelopastrategicmessagingplanforUnderArmour’s

marketpenetrationintothewomen’ssoccerniche.

FindingsandAnalysis

Thissectionwillanalyzethethematicmessagingandbrandingstrategiesusedby

UnderArmourandNikeinthewomen’sathleticandsoccermarketthroughFacebook,

YouTubeandInstagram.

#PowerInPinkcampaignandredefiningfemininity

Throughoutthesample,UnderArmourleveragedafemale-specifichashtag

campaign—primarilyonInstagrambutalsoonFacebook—thatsoughttoconnectwith

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womenandredefinestandardsoffemininity.Thecampaign,identifiedbytheuseof

#PowerInPinkattheendofposts,communicatesawoman’sabilitytobefemininewhile

alsobeingathletic,toughandstrong.Thecampaign’sthemeisrootedintheideathat

femininityandeliteathleticismdonothavetobemutuallyexclusive.UnderArmouris

emphasizinganoverhaulintraditionalideasoffemininityandtheirtypicalinclusionof

dainty,fragilestereotypes.Byintertwiningsymbolsoftoughnessand“girlyness,”Under

Armourprovokestheviewertoreconsiderwhattheythinkofasfeminine.

Twoadsbestsummarizedthisthemethroughthe#PowerInPinkcampaign.Thefirst

adshowsayogidoingachallengingheadstandpose,balancedononlyherfingertipsand

headwhileherrightlegextendsstraightoutinfrontofherandherleftlegarchesbehind

herback.Theyogaposeappearselegantandgraceful,almostlikeadancer’spose,andthe

womanappearssomewhatgirlyduetoherhotpinktankandherleggingswithhotpink

accents.Butthepose’sdifficultyandthewoman’sathleticintensityandskillarealso

evidentthroughthewoman’sdefinedarmandlegmusclesandherface’sblankstareand

deepconcentration.Thecaptionreads“Letyourstrengthshinethrough#PowerInPink,”

reiteratingthetwocoreelementsoftheimage—thewoman’sstrengthasdisplayed

throughherstrainedmusclesandthedemandingpose,andanelementofgirlishnessas

displayedthroughtheapparel’shotpinkcolors,whichimmediatelygrabstheviewer’seye

andservesasthefocalpointoftheimage(UnderArmourWomen,2015a).

Thesecondexemplary#PowerInPinkadshowsthebackofawomansittingona

gymfloor.Likethepriorad,theviewer’seyeisimmediatelydrawntothewoman’s

clothing,ashertankandkneesocksarebrightpink.Thepinkisthefocalpointofthe

image—therestoftheimage,includingthefloor,thewalls,themat,theweightandtherest

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ofthewoman’sclothing,isallblack.Thewoman’sclothesaretightandshowherwomanly

physique,butthereisalsosweatseepingthroughthebackofthetank,whichreads

“TOUGHASHELL.”Thewomanisbracingherselfwithonehandagainstthefloor,whileher

leftarmextendsstraightoverherhead,liftingalargekettlebellweight.Thewoman’sleft

armmusclesandbackmusclesareevidentlybulgingandstrainingtoholdtheweightup.

Sheisgazingupattheweightwithpurposefulfocus.Thecaptionreads“Toughalwaysrises

above#PowerInPink.”Likethepreviousad,thisad’scaptionreemphasizesandmergesthe

woman’stoughnessandtheflashinessofthepink(UnderArmourWomen,2015b).

Women’sathleticwearasextensionoffashionandcommunalculture

Nike’smessagingandbrandinginthewomen’sathleticmarketfocusesonthe

intersectionofathleticsandfashionandtheconstructionofacommunalculturethrough

theNikeswoosh.TheNikeWomenInstagram,NikeWomenFacebookandNikeWomen

YouTubeaccountsallemphasizethemesoftrendystyleandcamaraderie.Thesethemes

communicatethatwomencanstilllookfashionableandstreet-readyinNikeathletic

apparel,andthatwomencanbecomepartofagreatercommunitybydonningtheNike

swoosh.

Nike’sstrategyofbrandingitswomen’slineasfashionandnotjustathleticwearis

especiallyclearthroughNike’sYouTube.Forexample,onevideoshowsprofessional

basketballplayerSkylarDigginsmodelingNike’snewfleeceline.Niketotallyremoves

Digginsfromherprofessionalathleteidentity,though.Ifaviewerwatchesthevideo

withoutsoundandhasnoknowledgeofwhoDigginsisorwhatshelookslike,it’s

impossibletotellthewomaninthevideoisanathlete,muchlessaneliteprofessional

athlete.Shestrutsaroundwithphotographersfollowingher,occasionallypursingherlips,

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turningtolookoverhershoulder,orstrikingposesthatshowoffherclothing.Diggins

neverappearsinactionorwithanythingthatalludestobasketball.Additionally,shewears

heavymakeup,includingdeeppurplelipstickandsparklyeyeshadow.Shealsohasher

hairdone,modelingasit’sblownbyafanorflippingitoverhershoulderasNike’s

photographersgiveherdirections.Roughlyhalfofthevideoisshotinblackandwhite,

addingtothedramaticandartisticfeel.EvenwhenDiggins’voiceoverentersthevideo,she

makesnomentionofbasketball.Shevaguelymentionsadversityandchallenges,buttheis

stillaclearseparationbetweenDigginsasthemodelinthevideoandDigginsastheelite

WNBAstar(Nike,2015a).BecausetheoverallnatureofthevideomakesDigginsappearas

amodelinsteadofanathlete,thevideoalsomakesthefleecelineDigginsismodeling

appearasarunwayfashionlineinsteadofaathleticapparelline.

Additionally,Nikeleveragesitsmessagingandbrandinginthewomen’smarketto

tellwomentheycanbecomeapartofagreatercommunal“swoosh”cultureiftheywear

Nike.Forexample,oneNikeadshowsalargeworkoutclassinSanFranciscoperforminga

sideplank.Thewomen,toonumeroustocount,fillahugewarehouse-likeroom.Every

womanisinexactlythesamepose—asideplankonherrightarm,balancingontheright

sideofherfeetandherrightelbow,withherleftarmextendedstraightoverherhead.

Everywomanpicturedappearsathleticandin-shape,astheyallwearsmallathletic

clothingandaresuccessfullyholdingthepost.Thereisonewomanintheforegroundthat

theviewercanseemostclearly.ShewearsaneonyellowtankwithalargeNikeswoosh

acrossit.Liketherestofthewomen,sheappearsathleticbutalsofeminine–she’snot

visiblyexertinganabnormalamountofenergyorsweating,andsheappearstobewearing

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somemakeup.Theimageispairedwiththecaption,“strengthinnumbersleadstostrength

inyou#betterforit”(NikeWomen,2015a).

Thephrase“strengthinnumbers”andthesceneofthehugeworkoutclassof

seeminglyidenticalathleticwomencommunicateasenseoffellowshipandcamaraderie

amongstthewomen.Thecaptiontellsviewersthatallofthesewomenarebetterfor

workingouttogether.Theadalsoreflectswhatappearstobeasomewhatexclusive

culture,oneinwhichyoucan’timmerseyourselfunlessyou’reathleticandwearNike,like

thewomeninthepicture.Thewomeninthepicturearefairlyindistinguishable—all

wearingtightathleticclothingthatshowstheirfitbodieswhiletheyholdthesideplank

withwhatappearstobeease.

Sellingtheswoosh’sassociatedmeaningsofinnovationandcraftsmanship

Nike’smajorthematicmessagingstrategyinthesoccermarketfocusesonproduct

iconography,innovationandcraftsmanship.Byrepeatedlyemphasizingitsproducts’

brandedswooshandthefeaturesthatmaketheproductuniqueandsuperior,Nikebuildsa

synonymousunderstandingofNikeSoccerproductsandinnovationandcraftsmanship.In

otherwords,Nikecontinuouslyalludestothemesofinnovationandcraftsmanshipso

consumersaretrainedtothinkinnovationwhentheyseeaswoosh,andthinkNikewhen

theydesirequalitycraftsmanship.Nike’sbrandingofitssoccerproductsdoesn’tcenteron

sellingtheproduct—itcentersonsellingtheiconographyandinnovationbehindthe

product.Allusionsofinnovation,creativityandengineeringdictatethetoneandstyleofthe

ads,whereasproductsandsponsoredathletesplayamuchmoreminimalroleinthe

content.

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Nike’sassociationbuildingbetweentheswooshandinnovation/craftsmanshipcan

beseenthroughouttheNikeSoccerInstagram,NikeSoccerFacebookandNikeSoccer

YouTubepages.WheneverNikeintroducesanewcleat,thecleat’sswooshisthefocusof

thepictureandthecaptionalwaysincludesdescriptorslike“innovative,”

“entrepreneurial,”“one-of-a-kind”or“unique.”Forexample,someofNikeFootball’smost

typical,craftsmanship-orientedadsread,“relentlesscreativity,engineeredtoprecision,”

“premiumcraft,unstoppableinnovation,”“themostinnovativeTiempoever”and“merging

aestheticandinnovativecontemporarydesign.”ThemajorityofNikeFootball’sadsare

basicclose-upshotsofcleatswithnoaccompanyingathletesorfancybackground.Theads

completelyfocusonthecleatsanditsdetails.Theaccompanyingcaptionstellviewershow

toviewthecleats—asacreativelyengineeredproduct,asaninnovativeworkof

craftsmanship,asthemostinnovativecleatsever,andasaninnovativeandaesthetically

pleasingdesign(NikeFootball,2015a;NikeFootball,2015b;NikeFootball,2015c;

NikeFootball,2015d).

Nikefurtherreinforcestheseassociationsbyoccasionallyleveragingendorsements

fromitssponsoredsoccerplayersandusingthesameformula—abasicclose-upshotofthe

productandacaptionwithsimilarthematickeywordstoformbrandassociations.For

example,oneadshowsFrenchNationalTeamplayerBlaiseMatuidiholdinganewpairof

Nikecleats.Theshotisminimalistic,withthebackgroundcompletelydarkenedandonly

Matuidiandthecleatsilluminated.EvenMatuidiispartiallyobscuredbythedarkened

background,andhewearsadarkblueNikeshirtthatfurthercontributestohissecondary

presence.Thefocalpointoftheimageisclearlythecleats,whicharehalfneonblueandpop

withcoloragainstthebackgroundandMatuidi.Thecleatsarealsotheonlyfully

44

illuminatedthingsintheimage.TheimageincludesMatuidibutitsstillveryminimalistic,

leavinggreaterweighttothecaption,whichdescribesthecleatsas“frommaster

craftsmen”and“technologicallycrafty.”Thecaptionattributesdesirablequalitiestothe

cleats,butthecaptioncombinedwiththeimagealsomakesitseemlikeMatuidiis

confirmingthatthesecleatsareindeed“frommastercraftsmen”and“technologically

crafty”(NikeFootball,2015e).

BrandingUnderArmourastheunderdogthroughsponsoredathletes

WhileNikehasdeeplyinfiltratedthesoccermarket,UnderArmourhasonlyjust

startedtoexpandintothemarketwithinthelastfewyears.Atthetimeoftheprocedure,

UnderArmourhadnosoccer-specificsocialmediaaccounts.However,onecanstillgain

insightsintoUnderArmour’sthematicmessagingandbrandingstrategiesinnichesports

marketsthroughUnderArmour’sgeneralYouTube,FacebookandInstagramaccounts.

UnderArmour’sbrandingdependsheavilyonitssponsoredathletes.Thevast

majorityofUnderArmour’scontentonallthreeofthebrand’saccountsfocuseson

endorsedathleteswho,accordingtoUnderArmour,epitomizewhatthebrandisabout.

UnderArmoursponsorsandcreatescontentsurroundingathleteswhoareconsidered

underdogs—playerswhoarenotnecessarilyfavoredtosucceedbutcontinuetofindways

todosoanyway.Byconsistentlysponsoringthese“underdog”athletes,UnderArmouris

brandingitselfasareflectionofitsendorsedathletes—anunderdogofabrandthat

continuestofindwaystosucceedagainsttheodds.

UnderArmour’sbrandingstrategyidealizesthenotionofbeinganunderdog

throughitssponsoredathleteselectionandcontent.Thecorporation’scoreendorsed

athletesincludeStephenCurry,anunderweightandundersizedNBAplayerwho’s

45

currentlytheMVPoftheleague;MistyCopeland,thefirstAfrican-Americanprincipal

danceroftheAmericanBalletTheatre;TomBrady,asixthroundNFLdraftpickandafour-

timeSuperBowlchampionandthree-timeSuperBowlMVP;andJordanSpieth,a22-year-

oldgolferand2015MastersandUSOpenchampion.UnderArmourstrategicallyendorses

thesekindsofagainst-the-oddsathletestofurtherbranditselfasanunderdogthat’s

continuouslyexceedingexpectations.

UnderArmourrepeatedlyglamourizestheunderdogstatusthroughitscontent,

whichfocusesmuchmoreheavilyonathletesthanspecificUnderArmourproducts.For

example,consideranUnderArmourFacebookadthatshowsapictureofBuffaloBills

playerRonaldDarbycatchingaballduringagameagainsttheClevelandBrowns.Darbyis

jumpingup,afewfeetofftheground,andhisbodyiscompletelyoutstretchedtowardthe

ballhangingintheair.He’scaughttheball,despiteBrownsplayerAndrewHawkinstight

coverageandhisarmextendedinDarby’sface.Thecaptionofthephotoreads,“rookie’s

justalabel#ProtectThisHouse”(UnderArmour,2015a).Thecaptionhelpstheviewer

realizeDarby’scatchisevenmoreimpressivethaninitiallyassumed,asDarbyisonlya

rookieplayingagainstolder,muchmoreexperiencedNFLveterans.

UnderArmourrepeatedlypromotesthisideaofusingthestatusasanunderdogto

exceedexpectationsandpushperformancetonewlevels.UnderArmourcontinuousthis

narrativeevenwhenitscontentdoesnotincludeprofessionalathletes.Forexample,one

UnderArmouradfeaturesanunrecognizablegirlsittingonatrackagainstafencewithher

legssprawledinfrontofher.Herfaceisn’tveryvisible,butherpostureanddownturned

eyessuggestshe’sexhaustedfrompushingherphysicallimitsonthattrack.Thecaption

says,“Setyourgoals.Breakeveryoneofthem”(UnderArmourWomen,2015c).Thecaption

46

impliesthegirlhaspushedherlimitsandjustexceededwhatevershe’spreviously

accomplished.

UnderArmour’semphasisonglorifyingtheunderdogalsohelpsthecompany

connectwithavaluablecustomerbase.Byembracingtheroleoftheunderdoginsteadof

fightingit,UnderArmourexpressesasenseofcoolconfidenceandtenacitydespitethefact

thatUnderArmourisnotthemarketleader.Becauseofthispositioning,UnderArmouris

morelikelytoresonatewithconsumerswhowanttogoagainstthegrainandtry

somethingnew,andanarrativeof“differentisgood”alsorepeatedlyappearsthroughout

UnderArmour’scontent.Forexample,oneadfeaturesMistyCopeland,thefirstAfrican-

Americanprincipalballerina,performingadifficultballetposeinanemptygym.She

balancesonthetipsofherrighttoes,whileherleftlegisextendedstraightupbehindher

head.Hermusclesareclearlyengagedandherhard,focusedfacesuggeststhepost

requiresalotofstrengthandfocus,evenforsomeonesoadvanced.Everythinginthegym

isbrownandallofCopeland’sclothingisneutral,whichplacesmorefocusonCopeland,

whoseglisteningskinandtonedlimbspopagainstthedullbrownbackground.Thead’s

captionreads,“Breakthemold.Castanewone#IWILL”(UnderArmourWomen,2015d).

Copelandisusedasaglamourizedexampleofpavingone’sownpathandbreakingout

insteadofconformingtothenorm.

Similarly,anotheradfeaturesJordanSpiethwalkingacrossagreenwithafocused,

hyped-uplookonhisface,pumpinghisfistintheairincelebration.It’sunclearwhatjust

happenedbasedonthepicturealone,buttheaccompanyingcaptionreads,“Someplaythe

game.Othersdriveit.Introducingthenew#1andthenextgeneration”(UnderArmour,

2015a).Thead’smessagingemphasizesthefactthatSpiethrepresentsaneweraofgolfers,

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orthe“nextgeneration”ofgolferswhoarebreakingoutandshapingthegameontheirown

terms.Italsoreinforcesexceedingexpectations,asSpeithisintroducedasthenew#1and

adriverofthegamedespitehisyouthandrelativeinexperienceincomparisontothevast

majorityofhisveterancompetitors.

“IWillWhatIWant”campaignandsellingaspirationandself-determination

WhileNike’sthematicmessagingemphasizessellingtheinnovationand

craftsmanshipbehindtheproduct,UnderArmour’smessagingemphasizessellingthe

sponsoredathleteandhisorherdriveandself-rule.UnderArmour’smostextensive

campaignthroughoutthesamplewasthe“IWillWhatIWant”campaign,whichfocuseson

underdogathletescontrollingtheirowndestiniesandfindingsuccessthroughrelentless

ambitionandself-determination.Thecampaignisidentifiablethrough“IWillWhatIWant,”

#IWILLor#RuleYourself.Thecentralthemeofthecampaignisself-determinationandthe

ideathateveryindividualhascontrolovertheirachievementsandsuccess.Thecampaign’s

contentfocusesonTomBrady,MistyCopeland,JordanSpiethandStephenCurry.Each

athleteisusedasanexampleoftheextremesuccessthatisattainablethroughself-rule,

hardworkanddetermination.Additionally,thecampaigndoesnotfocusonUnder

Armour’sproducts—itonlyfocusesontheaspirationandself-determinationasdisplayed

throughtheseathletes.

Aquintessentialexampleofthefunctionofthe“IWillWhatIWant”canbefound

throughaYouTubevideofeaturingTomBradytraining.Thevideoopensonasweating,

pantingBradyperformingafootworkdrill.ThevideothenshiftstohundredsofBradys,all

performingthesamecardioworkoutonafootballfield.ThehundredsofBradyclonesthen

performanotherfootworkdrill,followedbyaplyometricdrill,followedbyapassingdrill.

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Thevideoconcludeswithasatisfied-lookingBradyandthetext,“youarethesumofall

yourtraining.Ruleyourself.Iwill”(UnderArmour,2015b).ThehundredsofBradys

repeatingthesamedrillswithsuchintensefocusandphysicalexertionalludetoBrady’s

self-determinationandhisconsciouschoicetotrainsohardandrepetitively,whichhas

helpedhimbecomeoneofthemostdecoratedquarterbacksintheNFL.

AnotherexampleofUnderArmour’suseofthecampaigntosellaspirationandself-

determinationcanbeseenthroughanadthatshowsJordanSpiethwalkingacrossagreen

withtheaccompanyingcaption,“takethelooksothersignore#RuleYourself#IWill”

(UnderArmour,2015b).ThispostmergesUnderArmour’sself-determinationthematic

messaginganditsagainst-the-grainbranding.Spieth’sself-determinationandactivechoice

to“takethelooksothersignore”portrayshimasanaspirationalsportsicon,butthepost’s

messagingalsoportraysasenseofdistinctionthatisonlyfoundinthoseathleteswillingto

devotetheirlivestotrainingrelentlesslyandcompletelyrulingthemselvesathletically.

UnderArmourcontributestotheself-determinationnarrativeevenwhenits

contentdoesn’tincludeBrady,Copeland,SpiethorCurry.OneofUnderArmour’sFacebook

adsfeaturesanunrecognizablegirldoingpushups.Sheisgrimacinganddrippingsweat,

clearlystrugglingtocontinue.Thecaptionreads,“Youwillgetitwithpersistence

#IWillWhatIWant”(UnderArmourWomen,2015a).Eventhoughitlacksthecampaign’s

coreathleterepresentatives,thepoststillalignswiththecampaign’soverallstrategy,

emphasizingthatwithpersistenceyoucanwilltheresultsyoudesire.Thefeaturedathletes

provideanaspirationalexampleofwhatconsumersshouldaimtobeandcanbethrough

self-determinationandwillpower.

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Discussion

Theimplicationsofthecontentanalysis’mainfindingswillnowbediscussedand

analyzedinrelationtotheliteratureandprofessionalcircumstances.

Merging“girly”and“tough”topromotenewideasoffemininity

Asseenthroughits#PowerInPinkcampaign,UnderArmourpromotesan

intersectionofgirlishnessandtoughnessinasignificantamountofitswomen’scontent.

The#PowerInPinkcampaignmayofferUnderArmouracompetitiveedgeoverNike’s

brandinginthewomen’sathleticmarketthankstoitsdifferentapproachtotraditional

signsoffemininity.Nikehastraditionallyreliedonpatriarchalmessagestocommunicateto

thewomen’smarketbecausecorporateexecutivesfearedthewomen’ssub-brandhadtoo

muchpotentialto“pinkify”theoverallNikebrand(Grow,2008,328).Thus,muchofNike’s

messagingavoidedexplicitsignsoffemininitydespitebeingdirectedtowardadistinct,

feminineaudience.Bydeliberatelyincludingpinkanditsassociatedmeaningsinthe

#PowerInPinkcampaign,UnderArmourisstrategicallyusingasymbolNikefeared,using

thesymbolismofpinktoredefinefemininityinsteadofperpetuatingstereotypesof

femininity.Suchthematicmessagingislikelytoresonatewellwithwomenasitbuildson

notionsofempowerment,confidenceandcapability;itpromotesanimagewithwhich

womenwanttoidentify—anewkindofathleticyetfemininewomaninsteadofawoman

definedbytraditionandpatriarchy;andithelpsbetterdistinguishUnderArmour’s

brandingfromNike’sbranding(Gallay,1999;Kim,Magnusen&Kim,2015).

Theexplicitinclusionof“girly”iconographyinadditiontoovertrepresentationsof

toughnessandstrengthalsoallowsUnderArmourtoappealtoawiderspectrumof

women.UnderArmourshouldknowtheimportanceofdiversity-friendlybrandingbased

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onitspreviousbrandingstruggles.Initsyouth,UnderArmourcompletelybrandeditselfas

amacho,football-obsessedcorporation.SuchbrandingallowedUnderArmourtoestablish

asignificantmarketstakeamongstmanlymenandfootballplayers,butitalsopigeonholed

thecompanyandmadebreakingintoothersportsnichesandthewomen’smarketmuch

moredifficult(Mirabella,2014).Thus,UnderArmour’sbrandinginthewomen’smarket

anditsallusionstotraditionalfemininityandfemalemachismohelpsthecompanyavoid

repeatingitsearliermistakesandpigeonholingitselfwithonespecificconsumer.The

#PowerInPinkcampaignhastheabilitytoappealtowidespectrumofwomen—thosewho

identifyasmoregirlyandthosewhoidentifyasmoremasculine.

Expandingconsumerreachbymergingathleticsandfashion

Nikeisalsocreatingcontentthathelpsthecompanyexpanditsconsumerreachtoa

widerspectrumofwomen.Nike’sbrandingofitswomen’sproductsasbothworkoutgear

andfashionlinestellswomenthatNikeisforeliteathletesandstylishwomenpurely

interestedintrendyfashionalike.Forexample,theDigginsYouTubevideoshowshowNike

brandsitsproductlinesasclothingthatcanfulfilldifferentdesiresfordifferenttarget

markets.Digginsisseenmodelingthenewlineasifsheisarunwaymodel,butDigginsalso

servesasarepresentativeforanextremelyelitegroupofathletes(Nike,2015a).Such

marketingiseffectiveasNikeistappingintothehottrendof“comfortisqueen.”Women

aremorefocusedonseekingproductsthatofferbothformandfunction,orattractiveness

andperformancepotential(Petro,2015,1).Bymergingathleticsandfashion,Nikeisable

tobridgethegaptypicallyfoundbetweenfashionandsports,andexpandbrandreachtoa

muchwideraudiencewellbeyondonlyathletes.

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Crossingtheathleticsthresholdandextendingmoreintothefashionworldhas

traditionallybeenoneofNike’sgreateststrengthsinthewomen’smarket.Womendesire

multipurposeclothingthattheycanwearwhentheyworkoutandwhentheywanttolook

casuallystylish(Fowler,1999).However,Nikeshouldstillexercisecautionwhenbranding

itsathleticsproductsasfashionlinesandusingsponsoredathletesinmoreofamodel

capacity,liketheDigginsvideo.Whilewomendesireclothingthatcanbebothfashionable

andathletic,theyrespondmuchmorepositivelytomarketingthatincludesappealstoa

moreauthenticselfinsteadoftheunnaturalbeautyculturethat’softenfoundintheworld

offashion(Cole&Hribar,1995).Thus,Nike’sathletics-and-fashionmarketingshould

featureauthenticrepresentationsofthe“average”womaninsteadofoverlyglamorous,

unrealisticrepresentationsofwomen.Nike’s#BetterForItcampaign,whichfeatured

everydaywomeninsteadofprofessionalathletesormodels,ismostcloselyalignedwith

women’sdesiresforauthenticity(Petro,2015).

Brandingthroughcomradeshipversusindividualism

MuchofNike’sthematicmessaginginthewomen’smarketpromotesthenotionof

comradeshipthroughacommunal“swoosh”culture,whereasUnderArmourWomen’s

contenttendstopromoteamoresolopursuitofexcellencethroughpersonalwillpower.

Themesofcomradeshipandindividualismbothresonatewithwomenindifferentways,

butgeographicallocationdetermineswhichthemeresonateswiththewomen’smarketthe

best.Internationalfemaleconsumerstendtofavorbrandingthatcommunicatesthe

egalitarianismoftogetherness,whileAmericanfemaleconsumersrespondmorepositively

toimagesofindividualismandautonomy(Arsenault&Fawzy,2001).Thus,Nike’s

tendencytobranditselfasacreatorof“togetherness”mayresonatewellwithwomenona

52

globalscale,butthethematicmessagingmaybelesseffectiveintheUSduetowomen’s

differingpreferences.Ontheotherhand,UnderArmour’semphasisonasolopursuitof

successisastrongmessagingstrategywithAmericanwomen,as“Westerncultureis

generallyindividualistic,prizingindependenceandself-fulfillmentinalmostallareas”(Jay,

2012,87).UnderArmourmaywanttoincorporatemorerepresentationsofcomradeship

whentargetinginternationalwomenspecifically.

Nike’semphasisoncomradeshipandthecreationofanexclusiveNikeculturealso

risksperpetuatingathemeforwhichNikehasbeencriticizedinthepast:Nikeisthelone

prescriptionforwomenattemptingtoempowerthemselves(Helstein,2003).Because

criticshavepreviouslydenouncedNikeforsimilarmessagingstrategies,Nikeshouldavoid

brandingitselfinsuchawaythatsuggestswomenhaveadependenceonthebrandforthis

“exclusive”kindofempowermentandcomradeship(Arsenault&Fawzy,2001).Instead,

Nikeshouldcontinuetofocusondevelopingmeaningful,emotionalrelationshipswith

femaleconsumers,forwhichitsbeenpraisedinthepast(Parent&Seguin,2008).These

consumerrelationshipsarestrongerandmoreloyalwhenthey’rerootedinempowerment

andauthenticityinsteadofexclusivityandbrandnecessity(Helstein,2003).

Detail-orientedbrandingversuslifestylebranding

NikeandUnderArmouralsoexhibitdifferentapproachestowhatthey’reselling

behindtheproduct.Nike’scontentstressesdetailedmarksoftechnologicalinnovationand

creativecraftsmanship,especiallyinthesoccermarket.Becauseofthis,themajorityof

NikeFootball’spostscombineaproductclose-upandshortcaptionwithafewthematickey

wordsinsteadofutilizingactionimagesorstory-developmentcaptions..Onthecontrary,

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UnderArmour’scontentfocusesmoreonsellinggeneralizedlifestylehabitsofwillpower

anddeterminationandalmostnoreferencestospecificproductdetails.

WhileNiketendstomostheavilyemphasizedetailsofinnovationandcraftsmanship

initscontentgearedtowardmen,womenareactuallymoresensitivetosuchdetailed-

orientedmarketing.However,eventhoughwomenaremoresensitive,theypreferthistype

ofmarketinglessthanmen(Patterson,O’Malley&Story,2009).Menaremorereceptiveto

specificdetailsandstatistics,whilewomenaremuchmoreinterestedinpersonal

narrativesandstorylines(McBride,2011).Thus,Nike’sdetail-orientedcontentismore

effectiveandengagingwithinthemalemarketandshouldcontinuetobeleveraged

throughprimarilymaleaccounts,liketheNikeFootballaccounts.

UnderArmour’sfocusonlifestylemessagesoverspecificproductdetailsisa

strongerstrategyforappealingtogeneralaudiencesandbuildingbrandloyalty.Under

Armour’suseofthe“IWillWhatIWant”campaignhashelpedthebrandtranscend

individualsportsmarketsandpromotethecampaignasmoreofaself-determination

lifestylemovement.UnderArmour’stranscendenceofsportisvaluable,asathleticbrand

loyaltydependsheavilyonbrands’abilitytodoubleasgenerallifestylebrandsandsporting

brands(Richelieu&Lessard,2014,287).UnderArmour’s“IWillWhatIWant”campaign

alsobuildsonanoverarchingnarrativeandstorylineinsteadofhoninginonspecific

detailsandstatistics,whichwomenprefer(McBride,2011).IfUnderArmourcan

successfullyplantanassociationbetweenitsbrandandthissortoflifestylemovementin

consumers’minds,UnderArmourwillbemoreabletotranscendthesportsmarket,

resonatewithawidervarietyofconsumersandincreasebrandloyalty.

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Leveragingunderdogpositioningtofurtherexpandintonichemarkets

Inadditiontoemphasizinglifestylethemes,UnderArmourreliesonanunderdog’s

narrativeforitsbrandpositioninganditsendorsedathleteselection.Byself-identifyingas

theunderdog,UnderArmourpositionsitselfwelltoexpandintonewsportsniches.Under

Armourcanfurtherpositionitselfasthegrittyunderdoginitsuntappedniches,likethe

women’ssoccermarket.

Forexample,UnderArmourhasleverageditsunderdogbrandingtoexpandmore

intothemen’ssoccermarketusingMemphisDepay.Depay,amemberofManchester

United,isarisingsoccerstarforManchesterUnitedandtheDutchnationalteam.Under

ArmourhasusedDepayinmuchofitssoccercontenttoemphasizesurpassinggoalsand

expectations.UnderArmour’s“slayyournextgiant”campaignrevolvesaroundDepay

beatingexpectationsandsurprisingeveryonewhodoubtedhisplaceonManchester

United.ThecampaignfollowsDepaysettingapersonalgoal,conqueringit,and

immediatelyworkingtowardthenextgoal(Barker,2015).EventhoughmanyofUnder

Armour’sathletes,likeDepay,aren’tyetextremelysuccessful,establishedicons,women

don’tcare—onlymenarenotablyconcernedaboutassociatingwiththebestteamsand

playersanddisplayingtheirknowledgeofteamandplayerhistories,specifically(James&

Ridinger,2002,263).Womenaremuchmoreattractedtotheunderdognarrative

(McBride,2011).UnderArmourhasthepotentialtofollowtheadviceofitsDepay

campaignand“slayitsnextgiant”bypenetratinganichemarket,buildingupmarketshare,

andexpandingintothenextmarket(Moore,2002,66).

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UnderArmour’srelianceonsponsoredathletesforbranddevelopment

AsseenthroughUnderArmour’suseofDepayandotherathletes,UnderArmour

usesitssponsoredathletestosellconsumersidealsofaspirationandself-determination.

Withthehelpofitssponsoredathletes,UnderArmourhasconstructedanextensive

thematicmessagingcampaignrootedintheself-ruleandambitionofunderdogathletes.

UnderArmourrunsariskofrelyingtooheavilyonitssponsoredathletestopromoteits

underdognarrative,though.IfUnderArmourendorsesanathletewho’sviewedasan

underdogturnedself-madesuccessstory,thenUnderArmourreceivestheexactbranding

itwantsfromtheathlete.Butifthatathletestartstounderperformandbecomeirrelevant,

disappearingamongstothermiddle-of-the-packathletes,thenUnderArmourisassociating

itsbrandwithperceptionsofmediocrityinsteadofperceptionsofrelentlessdetermination.

Ofcourse,there’snowaytotellwhatthefuturewillholdforsponsoredathletes,butUnder

Armourmustexercisecautionindependingsoheavilyonitsathletes.It’sextremely

importantthatUnderArmouranditsendorsedathletescontinuetodemonstrate

congruentbrandpersonalities,orelseconsumers’brandperceptionsofUnderArmourmay

changeinundesiredways(Kim,Magnusen&Kim,2012).

Additionally,UnderArmourcancontinuetouseitssponsoredathletesforstrong

branddevelopmentbytappingintothemforproductinsights.UnderArmour’smassive

lineupofsponsoredathletesgivethecompanyaccesstovaluableproduct-development

information,likewhichproductsperformbest,whichlastlongest,whicharemost

comfortableandmuchmore(Foster,2016,34).UnderArmourshouldconstantlyleverage

itsendorsedathletesforproductfeedback,whichwillhelpthecorporationcontinuebrand

developmentandproducehigher-qualityproductsforconsumers.

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StrategicPlanandRecommendations

AstrategicthematicmessagingandbrandingplanwillnowbedevelopedforUnder

Armourbasedonthestudy’sfindingsandanalysis.Theserecommendationsareaimedto

helpUnderArmourstrengthenitsmessagingandbrandingstrategiesincomparisonto

Nike’s,andtohelpUnderArmourexpandintomorenichemarkets,likethewomen’ssoccer

market,inordertoestablishmoremarketcontrol.

1. Expandreachinwomen’smarketbyincludingmoreleisurely-athleticcontent

UnderArmourandNikehavebothutilizedbrandingstrategiestoexpandconsumer

reach.UnderArmour’sfemale-specific#PowerInPinkcampaignhelpsthecompany

resonatewithwomenwhoidentifyasmoregirlyandwomenwhoidentifyasmore

masculineSimilarly,Nikeappealstoawideraudienceofwomenbypushingthe

intersectionofathleticsandfashionandbrandingitsproductlinestoappealtoboththe

fashionably-casualwomanandtheelitefemaleathlete.However,Nike’sbrandinginthe

women’smarketstillresonateswithagreaternumberofwomenthankstoitsabilityto

transcendthesportstoagreaterdegreethanUnderArmour’s#PowerInPinkcampaign.

UnderArmourshouldfindadditionalwaystoexpandconsumerreachandappealto

awideraudiencethroughitsbranding,especiallyinthewomen’smarket.Inorderto

expandtoawiderfemaleaudience,UnderArmourshouldemphasizethefashionable

qualitiesofitswomen’sproducts;similartohowNikepositionsitswomen’sproductlines.

SinceUnderArmourdependssoheavilyoncontentcenteredonsponsoredathletesinstead

ofspecificproducts,UnderArmour’scontentismostlydirectedtowardanaudienceof

seriousfemaleathletesinsteadofageneral,moreleisurelyactivefemaleaudience.Nike’s

brandingismoreabletoconnectwithallwomenbecauseitincorporatesbothathletic

57

elementsandnon-athleticelements,likecurrentfashiontrends.UnderArmourshouldalso

trytoexpandtotheentiretyofthewomen’smarketbyproducingcontentthatcanappeal

toathletesandnon-athletesalike.

Creatingmoreleisurely-athleticcontentisespeciallyimportantbecausewomen

increasinglydesiremultipurposeathleticclothinglines.Thesportswearindustryhasbeen

shiftingmoreandmoretowardcateringthegrowingtrendofwomenwantingyogapants

toweartothegrocerystoreormenwantingsneakerstoweartowork,forexample.Thisis

whyLululemonexperiencedsuchmassivesuccessinthewomen’smarket—itwastheonly

brandfullycateringtoseriousfemaleathletesandleisurely-activewomenalike.While

UnderArmour’sbrandinghastraditionallyappealedtoathletesspecifically,nottapping

intothisleisurely-athleticmarkettrendwouldhurtUnderArmour’spotentialtoexpandits

customerbase.SincewomenaretheprimarydriversofthismarkettrendandUnder

Armourisstrivingtorapidlygrowitswomen’sbusiness,UnderArmourshouldstriveto

satisfyfemaleconsumers’desiresandproducemoreleisurely-athleticcontentinorderto

increaseitsbrandpresencewiththisparticulartypeoffemaleconsumers.

2. Furtherpursuemarketpositioningaslifestylebrand

Brandloyaltyandsuccessintheathleticsmarketdependsheavilyonthebrand’s

abilitytotranscendthesportsworld.WhiletranscendingthesportsworldwillhelpUnder

Armourexpandconsumerreachinthewomen’smarket,itwillalsocontinuetohelpUnder

Armourpositionitselfasalifestylebrandandpromoteincreasedbrandloyalty.Lifestyle

brandsaremorepopularamongstconsumersastheyappealtoathletesandnon-athletes

alike,butUnderArmour’spositioningasalifestylebrandcanalsohelpthecorporation

moreeasilytransitionintonewnichesportsmarkets,likethewomen’ssoccermarket.

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UnderArmourshouldcontinuetopushthenotionthatitisspurringalifestyle

movementrootedinwillpowerandself-determination.Byemphasizingthislifestyle

narrative,UnderArmourmayfosterapowerfulbrandassociationinconsumers’minds.

Then,ifandwhenUnderArmourdecidestoexpandmoreintorelativelyuntappedsports

niches,UnderArmourwillalreadyhaveagreaterdegreeofbrandloyaltyandrecognition

inthemarket.Forexample,evenifawomen’ssoccerplayerisskepticalabouttryingUnder

Armour’swomen’ssoccerproductsbecausetheyaren’tasestablishedorpopularas

competitors’,theplayermaybemorewillingtotryUnderArmour’sproductsifshehas

beenexposedtothebrand’slifestylenarrativeofwillpowerandself-determination.If

UnderArmourcanshiftatleastsomeconsumerfocustowarditslifestylebranding,then

consumersmayhaveastrongerreasontotrynewUnderArmourproductsevenifthey

knowlittleaboutspecificproductdetails.

UnderArmourcanalsomakeuseofitsrecenttechacquisitionstoimproveits

lifestylebrandpositioningandtoemphasizethatit’smorethanasweat-wickingt-shirt

company.UnderArmourhasspentnearly$1billionexpandingintothetechindustry,

purchasingfitnessandnutritionappcompaniesandinvestinglargesumsofcapitalinto

them(Foster,2016,28).Bydoingso,UnderArmourhasamassedtheworld’slargestdigital

health-and-fitnesscommunity,withmorethan150millionusers.UnderArmour’s

expansionintothetechworldgivesthecompanyachancetousetheappusers’lifestyle

datatodrivemoregenerallifestyleproductdevelopment(Foster,2016,31).Thisdatais

especiallyrichforUnderArmoursincemorethan60percentoftheapps’activeusersare

women—themarketUnderArmourismostaggressivelytargeting(Foster,2016,34).

UnderArmourshouldtakefulladvantageofitstechsub-brandbydataminingusers’

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analyticsandusingthedatatolearnmoreaboutbothleisurely-activeandextremelyactive

women.Basedonthedata,UnderArmourcanbetterdevelopproductlinesspecifically

tailoredtodifferentkindsofactivewomenlifestyles.

3. Self-identifyas“alternative”athleticsbrandforconsumers

UnderArmourobviouslyhasahugecompetitorinNike,butitalsohasavaluable

opportunitytoestablishitselfasthenew,exciting,differentalternativetothedominant

corporation.UnderArmouralreadysomewhatdoesthisbybrandingitselfastheunderdog

incomparisontoNike,butifUnderArmourcanfurtherpromoteitspositioningasanout-

of-the-box,alternativebrand,ithasagreaterchanceforsuccessinthesoccermarket,

whichisessentiallymonopolizedbyNike.

Nikehasahugestakeinthesoccermarket,butthereisevidencethatconsumersare

increasinglyattractedtonew,differentbrandsthataremoreoutsidethenorm.Research

showsconsumersaremorelikelytoresistbrandsthatareprescribedtothemastheironly

option,andincreasinglyprefernottoappearexactlylikeeveryoneelse.UnderArmourhas

avaluableopportunitytoscoopuptheseconsumerswhoarelookingforsomething

differentthanthestandardNikeproductsthatdominatethesoccerworld,fromyouth

soccerleaguestotopprofessionalleagues.BecauseAdidashasbecomelesspopularinthe

AmericansoccermarketandNikehasenjoyedmostly-unchallengedmarketreign,the

Americansoccermarketisnowripewithentrypotentialforathird-partycompetitorto

seriouslycontestmarketshare.

UnderArmourhastoactivelypromotethispositioningasthedesirablealternative,

though.Thecompanyshoulddothisbyfurtherweavingnotionsofuniquenessand

individualityintoitssoccerbrand’sDNA.Alongwithbrandingitselfasthealternativeto

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themarketgiant,UnderArmourwillhavetoproducesoccerproductsthatalignwithits

alternativebranding.Becauseconsumersdesirecongruencebetweenbrandpersonality

andproducts,UnderArmourwouldonlysufferbybrandingitselfasadistinctalternative

thenproducingsoccerproductsthatmerelymirrorNike’s.UnderArmour’ssoccerproduct

lineshouldgiveconsumerswhattheywant—achancetodifferentiatethemselvesfrom

theirpeersandaunique,distinctiveescapefromthemarketruler.

4. Utilizesponsoredathletestokickoffexpansionintonichemarkets

UnderArmourhashadgreatsuccesswithitssponsoredathletes.MistyCopeland,

StephenCurry,JordanSpieth,andothershaveallhelpedpropelUnderArmourintothe

spotlightthankstostrongalignmentbetweenUnderArmour’sbrandpersonalityandthe

sponsoredathletes’brandpersonalities.WhileUnderArmourshouldn’tentirelydependon

sponsoredathletesforbranddevelopmentandpromotion,leveragingsponsoredathletes

inadditionaluntappedsportsnichesisoneofUnderArmour’smostpromisingwaysof

kickingoffstrongexpansionintonewmarkets.

SigningMemphisDepaywasahugemoveforUnderArmourintheinternational

soccerworld,butDepaymaynotresonatestronglyenoughwithAmericanconsumersto

haveasignificantimpactintheUSsoccermarket.UnderArmourdoesendorseAmerican

playersJermaineJones,JeremySievertsandKelleyO’Hara,butthebrandstilllacksthatone

quintessentialAmericansoccerplayerwhocanrepresenttheunderdogandfullycarryan

UnderArmoursport-specificcampaign,similartohowStephenCurryisutilizedbythe

brand.

UnderArmourshouldpursueanadditionalendorsementintheAmericanwomen’s

soccermarketinordertokickoffstrongbrandexpansionintotheniche.Concentratedand

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highly-intentionalintegratedmarketingandthedevelopmentofanongoingnarrative

surroundinganewarchetypalUnderArmourathletecanhelpthebrandstakeagreater

claiminthewomen’ssoccerniche.Ofcourse,thisplayerwouldhavetofitwellwithin

UnderArmour’sbrandpersonalityandunderdognarrative.Onestrongpotentialcandidate

forUnderArmour’ssponsorshipisMalloryPugh.

Pugh,just17-years-old,istheyoungestwomantoeverbechosenforaUSsoccer

Olympicqualifyingroster.TheUSWomen’sNationalTeamcalledPughtotrainingcampin

January2016,andjustafewweekslaterPughrecordedherfirstcapandscoredherfirst

goal.Now,Pughhasninecapstohernameandiscommonlydeemedthefutureof

Americanwomen’ssoccer.Pugh’sstorylineissimilartoUnderArmourgoldenboyJordan

Spieth’s—ayoung,extremelytalentedathletewho’snewtotheprofessionalscenebutit

immediatelydrivingsuccessandassertingherselfasthefutureofthesport.Pugh’syoung

agealsogivesheraddedsponsorshipvalue,asshe’llbeabletoresonatewithyouthfemale

playersbutwillgraduallyattractresonatemorewiththegeneralpopulationasshe

matureswiththeteamandeventuallytakesitsleadershiptorch.IfPughdecidestoforgo

theupcomingprofessionalseasontoattendUCLAthisfall,LindseyHoran,JaeleneHinkle

andEmilySonnettarealsostrongcandidatesforsponsorship.

Additionally,UnderArmour’suseofstrongsponsoredathletestodevelop

compelling,engagingstorylinesisparticularlyeffectiveinthefemalemarket.Female

consumersaretheoneswhodesireandfavorthiskindofbrandingandmessaging.IfUnder

ArmourpicksupaplayerlikePugh,thecorporationshouldfeatureherasthecenterpieces

ofcontentandnarrativedevelopmentinitsmarketpush.Thistypeofcontenthasbeen

provenmosteffectiveatengagingwomenandandkeepingthemreturningformore.

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5. Includegreatervarietyofathlete-basedcontentandproduct-basedcontent

DespitetheimportanceofsponsoredathletestoUnderArmour’sbrandingand

messagingstrategy,UnderArmourshouldstillstrivetoincludebothathlete-basedcontent

andproduct-basedcontent.AsexhibitedbyNike,detail-orientedadvertisingisalsoavery

strongmarketingmethodthathelpsbuilddeep-rootedbrandassociations.BecauseNike

continuouslypairsitsswooshwithreferencestocraftsmanshipandinnovation,theswoosh

andcraftsmanshipandinnovationeventuallybecomeatleastsomewhatsynonymousin

consumers’minds.EventhoughUnderArmour’sathlete-centeredcampaignsareeffective

initsownways,UnderArmourisstillultimatelytryingtosellitsproducts.Ifconsumers

thinkofUnderArmourandthinkofStephenCurrybutnothingaboutUnderArmour

products,thenUnderArmourisn’taidingitsfinalbusinessgoalofsellingmerchandise.

UnderArmourshouldnotdiminishitsathlete-centeredbrandingstrategy,butthe

companyshouldincludemoreproductspecificsinadditiontoitssponsoredathlete

content.Thismaybeespeciallyhelpfulinthewomen’smarket,aswomenaremore

receptivetodetail-orientedmarketing.Additionally,specificproductqualitiesholdgreater

weightinsportsnichesthaninthegeneralsportsmarket.Becauseofthis,UnderArmour’s

moregeneralizedlifestylebrandingisaneffectivewaytoreachmoregeneralsports

consumers.However,ifUnderArmourwantstopenetratethewomen’ssoccermarket

moredeeply,itshouldfollowasimilarbrandingandmessagingstrategytowhatitinitially

usedwhenfirstpenetratingthefootballmarket.

UnderArmourgainedmarketmomentumbyrepeatedlyemphasizingitssweat-

wickingtechnologiesandfootballproducts’specific,innovativedetails.UnderArmour

shouldexecuteasimilardetail-orientedproductcampaigninthewomen’ssoccermarketto

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differentiateitsproductsfromcompetitors’,positionitselfasauniquebrandalternative

anddiversifyitsoverallbrandingandmessagingstrategy.UnderArmourshouldthen

partneritsdetail-orientedmessagingwithsponsoredathletecontenttoaddincreased

legitimacytoitsclaims.IfMalloryPughisshownwithUnderArmourcleats,thenUnder

Armourcleatssuddenlypossessboththedetailedcraftsmanshipandtheaccompanying

star-powerstorylineconsumersdesire.

ConclusionandLimitations

Thisthesisofferedabroadlookathowcorporationsutilizestrategic

communicationsonvarioussocialmediaplatformstobrandinnichemarkets.By

examiningUnderArmourandNike’sInstagram,YouTubeandFacebookaccountsoverthe

courseoffourmonths,thisstudywasabletoanalyzehowdifferentcompaniesleverage

socialmediastrategiccommunicationsforbranding.FindingsdemonstratedhowUnder

ArmourandNikeexecutethematicmessagingandbrandingstrategiesonsocialmediato

differentiatefromthecompetitorandengagedifferentmarkets.

Previousscholarshiphasdiscussedbrandingandmessagingstrategiesinthefemale

andsoccermarketsthroughtraditionaladvertising,butthereislittlediscussionon

brandingandmessagingstrategiesinnichemarketsduringthesocialmediaage.Future

researchshouldanalyzehowconsumersrespondtodifferentsocialmediamessagingand

brandingstrategies,analyzingwhatkindsofcontentdrivesconsumerstofavorablyengage

withthecontentandtotakesubsequentactionwiththebrand.

Thisthesisverifiedhowthematicmessagingthroughsocialmediaisnowanintegral

partofbuildingbrandidentityandpenetratingnichemarkets.Nolongerarecompelling

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printadvertisementsorcommercialsenoughtoeffectivelyreachconsumersandsustain

business.Now,brandsmustturnattentiontowardstrategiccommunicationstrategieson

socialmediainordertodevelopbrandidentityandconnectwithnichemarketconsumers

tothefullestextent.Afterall,“storeshavebecomeobsolete,inmanycases…andthebest

waytokeepyourcompanysuccessfulistoembracesocialmedia,fullyincorporating

Facebook,Twitter,andothersocialchannelsintoyourstrategy”(Holmes,2015,1).

Corporationsmustrealizesocialmediamessaging’simpactonbrandingandmarket

expansionpotential.Byfullyembracingsocialmediastrategiccommunicationsasa

legitimate,vitalcomponentofbusinessstrategy,corporationscanbetterpreparetoexpand

intonewmarketsandchallengewellestablishedcompetitors.

65

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