Under Armour

Under Armour hoping to get gold with Vonn

By Liz Farmer
Daily Record Business Writer

The Under Armour logo won’t be visible when Lindsey Vonn skis during the Olympics. Vonn is the primary spokesperson for the company’s cold weather gear.

Even with its star athlete and cold weather gear spokeswoman’s readiness in question, Under Armour Inc. still expects to get noticed with one of its biggest sponsorship pushes ever in the Olympic Games, which kick off Friday in Vancouver.

Looking to boost its brand awareness, the Baltimore-based company has apparel deals with the men’s and women’s U.S. freestyle skiing teams, U.S. bobsled and skeleton teams and the Canadian curling teams.

But the company’s best-known — or at least most hyped — endorser is U.S. alpine skier Lindsey Vonn, a back-to-back World Cup champion, who many predict could be the Michael Phelps of these games, winning as many as five gold medals.

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Apparel lifts Under Armour’s quarter

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By Liz Farmer
Daily Record Business Writer

Baltimore-based Under Armour Inc. beat analysts’ estimates and nearly doubled its fourth-quarter profit in 2009 — an increase helped by gains in its apparel business during the holiday season, the company said Thursday.

The results prompted the athletic apparel maker to raise its 2010 projections by 10 to 12 percent to between $945 million and $960 million.

The company’s fourth-quarter net income increased by 83 percent to $15.2 million, or 30 cents per share, compared with $8.3 million, or 17 cents per share, a year earlier. Under Armour also reported a 22.5 percent rise in its profit for the year, netting $46.7 million compared with $36.2 million in 2008.

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This Super Bowl weekend, Under Armour taking grassroots marketing approach

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LIZ FARMER
Daily Record Business Writer
January 29, 2009 6:21 PM

When Pittsburgh and Arizona square off Sunday in Super Bowl XLIII, it will be the finale to weeks of anticipation and media coverage, and one Baltimore company is looking to again cash in on the buzz.

After paying big bucks for a Super Bowl television ad last year to announce its cross-trainer shoe — then seeing its share price fall partly in response — Under Armour is taking a grassroots approach this year in Tampa to marketing its new running shoe on the sporting world’s biggest stage.

The athletic apparel company’s senior vice president for brand, Steve Battista, said a television ad this year just didn’t fit into the strategy for the shoe’s launch Saturday.

“Remember last year, no one had ever even seen what Under Armour [non-cleated] footwear looked like,” he wrote in an e-mail. “The Super Bowl is great for that.”

Instead, Under Armour sent a team of salespeople and athletes to market the new product at the NFL Experience — the Super Bowl’s fanfest at Raymond James Stadium — through activities and athlete demonstrations. Visitors can test out the new shoe in a 40-yard dash and in training sessions, or browse Under Armour’s retail section which will include the new shoes on Saturday.