Curry Brand, Powered by Under Armour, Aims to Reach 100K Youth Athletes Globally by 2025.
Source: STEPHEN CURRY AND UNDER ARMOUR LAUNCH THE CURRY BRAND, AIMED TO CHANGE THE GAME FOR GOOD
I typically wouldn’t start this with what could be perceived as a negative, but as an outsider looking in, the logo above ain’t it. I’m stating this right away because it’s soon enough to simply move back to the SC logo the brand used and keep the new logo above as an element of design to be integrated into different areas. The SC logo:
This logo is clean and the lines allow for both an athletic and casual look which still captures his number. Why is the number important? The same reason 23, no matter who wears the number, is Jordan. The recongnition of the number 30 and SC will resonate and there is already currency there. Jordan Brand has the Wings logo, Jumpman, and in some instances the scripted “Flight”. I do like the breakdown and explanation go what the new logo represents in the picture at the lead, but the SC 30, in my opinion, is better. I do like the new logo on the casual apparel as seen below on the hat.
Now, that’s out of the way, let’s dive into why this is the most important move for Under Armour. I’ve been writing extensively on why performance footwear sales are down. Under Armour’s strategy to reach the Focused Performer means that the company is leaning heavily into sport and fitness. The growth of the company was at its peak when the brand delivered the Curry 1-3 and Curry was winning championships and captured the hearts of every player and even casual fans of basketball. Stephen Curry changed the game in a way that not even LeBron has, as great as LeBron is. Jordan changed the game and made everyone want to fly. Everyone wanted to be the next Jordan. Stephen Curry has changed the game and every player wants to pull up and shoot “the most valuable” shot. Guys coming into the league aren’t heralded as the next Jordan, Kobe or LeBron anymore. Kid’s now want to be the next Steph Curry.
Steph is an approachable and attainable All Star. He looks regular and the fact that he can’t grow a fully functional beard and still looks like a kid enhances his appeal, lol. Unfortunately, Under Armour has severely underutilized Curry. I’ve written about this extensively. As a matter of fact, the 5 reasons I’m writing this post deal directly with UA’s missteps:
As UA’s share price slid and the company appeared to be bottoming out, sneaker enthusiasts blamed it on “trash” design; and people who do analysis blamed it on the inability to connect with athleisure consumers. Both opinions were wrong. Curry’s hoops shoes weren’t trash. They sold fairly well from 1-3, but Under Armour shifted their entire strategy to Connected Fitness and instead of going all in on Curry, they went all in on MapMyRun, MyFitnessPal and trying to build their digital strategy. That is understandable, but from Curry 4-7 the company did almost zero marketing of their superstar.
Why is this important? Every time Nike was about to hit rock bottom, they weren’t saved by some business strategy. They were saved by an athlete. Layoffs for Nike in the 80s? They were saved by Jordan. In the early 90s, they were saved by Bo Jackson and Charles Barkley. Under Armour hit the wall and attempted to correct the ship with Connected Fitness and digital. The brand failed to realize that the consumer has options and there has to be an emotional connection before there is a digital connection.
5 Reasons this is the Most Important Venture in UA’s History
- The brand is selling MyFitnessPal. This is an indication UA is truly focused on what is working as opposed to functioning like a startup that is celebrating the number of users it has in its digital platforms. Selling My Fitness Pal allows for a better focus on the biggest problem for Under Armour and their Focused Performer. What is the biggest problem? Sales in the U.S. Under Armour has to find a way to connect to the consumer since they are focusing on performance. To do this, they have to go where they’ve had the most success, basketball. When athletes grow with you, they tend to stay brand loyal. One thing Sonny Vaccaro understood was that the kids are your messengers. Sonny brought Nike Michael Jordan. The rest is history (kind of). Under Armour has an impressive roster of athletes, but they have never focused on those athletes. They focused on mimicking other brands by acquiring digital “assets”. That pulled away from the athlete and the company began to slide.
- The Curry Brand isn’t a focus on apparel. That is evident when you visit the site and look at the clothing on the page where the Shop Now is. The footwear and apparel is the same product mix as before. Sure the logo will be used on the Curry 8 and on gear that will be releasing, but a quick look at the purpose of the Curry Brand and you find the most important aspect: a percentage of Curry Brand’s yearly revenue will be invested in under-resourced communities. The goals are as high-achieving as his basketball records: by 2025, the Curry Brand aims to create at least 20 safe places to play, support 125 programs that impact young athletes, and deliver opportunities to train more than 15,000 coaches—making an overall impact on more than 100,000 youth.
- Name one image for UA that represents the brand. Kid’s can’t name one image. Neither can adults. There isn’t a defining moment for the brand because they haven’t created that defining moment through the promotion of their athletes. There isn’t a definitive marketing moment or anything that creates emotion when you think of Under Armour. If your brand is about performance, either you make moments, or you make better athletes. Under Armour is choosing to do the latter with the Curry Brand. The Curry Brand has the ability to replace the government as the advocate for play. Local governments have removed gyms and in doing so sports have become professionalized. I’ve stated for years that the footwear company that finds a way to bring sport back to kids will find a way to reconnect to the consumer long term. If you don’t have an emotional image to connect, then build the system that provides opportunity.
4. If the Curry Brand becomes the NAACP of sports, meaning that the Curry Brand has local branches in all major cities, with facilities for every sport, the transition from apparel company to community company shifts the ability of Nike to remain dominant based on legacy solely. Curry Brand has to become like my old Center Court Basketball program. They have to help the kids at the end of the bench, and the kids not on the bench at all.
5. The Curry Brand has to succeed or Under Armour will fail to create the legacy required to remain relevant. The Focused Performer requires a target. I expect imagery and marketing materials to arrive with The Curry Brand. I expect a roster of athletes in basketball and beyond. I expect Under Armour to launch both Curry Brand offerings and Under Armour offerings focused on leagues, recruitment services, educational opportunities and dope ass apparel. Under Armour doesn’t have to create Brands for all of its endorsers either, but Under Armour driven local competitions, should lead to regional competitions and national competitions… and all of those can be connected to one of their endorsers. Under Armour semi-pro leagues with YouTube and social livestreams should become the norm.
I know I’m saying a lot here, but Curry Brand is a chance for Under Armour to stop copying Nike strategies and create their own paths. The kids are the future and Steph is just the athlete to roll the ball out and get kids back to play. If kids don’t return to play, there won’t be any Focused Performers, just people watching Netflix and streaming video games.