Source: Stephen Curry and Under Armour Debut Range Unlimited Golf Collection in Shenzhen, China
Wipeout led to American Ninja Warrior which led to the Ultimate Beastmaster on Netflix which has led to Steph Curry’s ‘Holey Moley‘? Okay run that back with video:
Alright, I just dug myself a hole in this post, which is exactly what the contestants on Holey Moley (ABC) do during their miniature golf competition that was pulled directly from an episode of Wipeout , a show that was born in Japan and featured some of the most painful fails in the history of television.
Steph Curry, like many of his NBA counterparts has a production company and one of his first shows is a mini-golf competition. I’ve watched several episodes and while it is a bit entertaining, something is missing to take the show to the next level.
If you ask my opinion it’s the actors as contestants bit. The people on the show are given histories, but unlike a show like Wipeout (the American version) the people competing look like actual pros who could be models. I need to get back on track, this isn’t a review of the show.
If you click on the video above you’ll note that Curry arrives to the set of Holey Moley and is head to toe dipped in UA gear. On the show he changes clothes to participate in the golf competition. During the current Under Armour Asia tour Curry is not only leading basketball camps, he’s visiting golf courses. In effect he’s carrying UA abroad and establishing the brand as a player in two major sports in Asia.
Under Armour needs to hit several marks to remain a growth company. They don’t have any chance to do so in the U.S. without taking a page from my “smaller/faster” playbook in establishing boutiques in conjunction with full sized retail outlets. This post isn’t about that either. This post is about creating a foundation in sport in a place that matters.
Everyone is chasing Nike. Nike knows who they are as a company. They serve the athlete. At a time when “performance products aren’t “selling“, Nike continues to grow by establishing one point, “everyday life is performance.” (Don’t steal that without paying me if you’re reading this.)
Under Armour has the potential to do a lot at home, but there is a primary point that every brand fails to realize about the U.S. For Nike it doesn’t matter because they have so much capital they can create and deliver enough variety to reach almost any market. For Under Armour in the U.S., a company without a legacy and in many instances without a direction, this release of their golf line with Curry holds so many opportunities.
I italicized without above because Under Armour has a legacy and a direction and for me it’s evident in the symbiotic cross promotion of product via an unofficial marketing channel (Holey Moley) and an official marketing channel in their Asia tour.
- International growth can offset losses in North America.
- Shifting hard towards sport as opposed to trying to create a casual line distinct from the sports lineup is a key.
- Steph Curry is a gem (although Holey Moley needs more flavor… the hosts are funny, the competitors are creepy – the one girl who won that was almost in tears throughout the competition was disturbing).
This shirt is what the UAS launch could have been. Take a look at the socks (above in pics) and then this shirt and then pair this with the UA HOVR Silk Perf (with a better logo placement – I keep going back to that), or the UAS Runaway 2.0 ( a discontinued shoe from the UAS launch that was poorly marketed but at 85 on sale would have been a solid entry into the white shoe category at 80 and marketed correctly) and you have a dope ass date night style. Stephen Curry has long been the glue, and stitching, and fabric, and everything holding UA together. He’s a key, but if UA doesn’t make all of the connections they will continue to move slowly towards recovery in the U.S.