#IWillWhatIWant by Under Armour Part II

                       

Under Armour Social Media Presence Against Competitor Brands

Under Armour may be in its way as unseating Nike as the premier fitness and athletic brand in terms of social media reach and presence. In additional to its global and ubiquitous name recognition, Nike has also employed social media tools into its products. Nike was among the first major to brands to employ the tracking technology as part of Nike +,  with more recent efforts like the Nike Fuel line among others. These applications much like a FitBit or other tracking device, could map and record you runs, your route, speed, heart rate, calories and such. More recently Nike has employed these apps to be used with and connected to social media and has tried to expand the range of the products function while also marketing the products as a seamless choice for previous Nike customers. 

Nike is a global brand, here is an ad from a Nike China. 

In terms of marketing towards women, Nike has no shortage of that however I couldn't locate a specific hashtag related to a Nike women campaign that wasn't used more generally for other Nike marketing. The campaigns geared toward all kinds of markets by Nike use the "We Will #MakeItCount" which quite similar to the We Will or I Will themes of Under Armour. However, in terms of hashtags or slogans Nike's Just Do It is universally recognized. 

Controversies 

However, Nike doesn't go without its controversies with claims of sweatshops, harmful labor practices and exploitation. This Wall Street Journal feature is from 1997 and Nike has had many similar stories and claims made since then. 

This shirt was considered offensive and insensitive to veterans and making light of the original image of the famous flag raising at Iwo Jima during World War II.

Customer Feedback 

Most of the feedback that I found on the social media sites for Under Armour were related to questions of product availability and information, there was very little critical feedback. I think this demonstrates that Under Armour was using social media effectively to sell and market their products and to grab the attention of their followers and draw them to the new released. 

Recommendations 

While Under Armour is actively doing some things better than their competitors like Nike, the global recognition and reach of a brand like Nike makes them a formidable competitor for the comparatively new Under Armour. As it relates to social media and and analytics, Nike is a big enough brand to have multiple social media accounts per platform with some of these accounts having multiple millions of followers each. In addition, Nike has appeal beyond the athletics and fitness and has become a staple for casual, street attire in addition to having a presence in the fashion world with collaborations with well known designers and being involved in high brow events in fashion world, like New York Fashion Week among others. Nike's reach ranges from the casual gym goer to the world class athletes in the NBA and to everyone in between. Nike is a brand with an international reputation and has diverse lines and price points to be accessible from anyone to school children to fashion and celebrity icons. Under Armour has yet to have this kind of broad appeal and range in recognition and scope, however, Under Armour's social media presence is clear and is certainly reflective of the brand's values and its themes. 

Recommendations to Under Armour following a review of their social media and marketing strategies would be to not merely aspire to be a brand like Nike that is broad and all encompassing. I think part of Under Armour's strength is the targeted and unique campaigns for certain audiences. Nike does do this as well but their campaigns are broad and under the umbrella of the general Nike aesthetic and appeal. For example, women driven campaigns don't have their own distinct hashtag or social media marker, whereas Under Armour has a whole segment of the company that is visibly devoted to women, with target campaigns and carefully crafted social media postings as shown in the #IWillWhatIWant campaign. Nike and other brands do utilize some targeted messaging but it is much more broad and less personalized than the ads under the #IWillWhatIWant campaign. Under Armour told the stories of the spokeswomen included in the campaign and shared their professional goals in the messaging that went along with the campaign. I think this is a thoughtful and special way to connect with women and potential buyers of the brand because it humanizes and uplifts the spokeswomen to be more than a face or body for the ad. It is a much stronger message and much more relatable for the average consumer to connect with a spokeswomen if they aren't some photoshopped false ideal. I think the goal sharing and narrative of the campaign are a tremendous strength.