The Curry 7 UNDRTD colorway releases globally on November 1, 2019 at UA.com, UA Brand Houses and select retailers.
In the last two weeks, more than a month away from the start of the NBA season, and as the WNBA season winds down without a single drop of advertising for the ladies and their kicks from sneaker brands (which makes me want to write run-on sentences as I complain and moan about the lack of marketing opportunities that cost less than paying some bum in the NBA 10 grand to wear the brand… okay I’m running on, lol), Under Armour delivers content around the Curry 7.
In the delivery we get a look at Hoodie Curry training in his latest kicks which look like a more streamlined version of the 6. In these shots we are offered something subtle, that is not mentioned in any of the content I’ve looked through. Before I jump into this I have to mention the comparison post I did on the LeBron 17 and the Harden Vol. 4:
Compare the LeBron 17 Launch Information to the Harden Vol. 4 Launch and it’s Night and Day
In this comparison article I discuss the fact that Nike utilizes a version of my E.N.D.E.A.R.S. concept.
Educate the consumer and the athlete about the process that is being started (internal education and external education).
Notate and document the creation process and the discovery process (the athlete is educated and shares via their social a more informed story and the company shares the story via their site).
Designer is just as important as the athlete. The story of how the idea was generated is shared and analyzed by the company’s content creators (designer and athlete create a three headed content distribution team).
Entertain the consumer with important facts. The assumption that the consumer can be influenced with a poster or by the word of the athlete is a myth in today’s environment. The consumer is smart and if they are treated as such then they gain respect for the creation.
Athlete or artist or advocate whoever the person is in the development process all have to deliver the message. This is an extension of the Notate process.
Reason with the consumer and by giving the reason, what has been created is important and the consumer might buy it. At least you(the brand in this instance) creates the likelihood that the consumer will be engaged.
Story is vital. The entire process is the story and the end result whether a product, mission or idea is conveyed via the process and the story the process has created.
Both adidas and Under Armour fail to deliver the story around their drops in a vital manner. Neither brand tells us who designed the shoe and neither brand gives us the reason. This is really a missed opportunity for Under Armour as there are a number of stories around Curry this season which could be hinted at through design and narrative.
Missed Opportunities in Marketing
KD has abandoned ship. Curry’s shoulders are once again required to carry the weight of expectations, but there aren’t any expectations. Klay is injured, Boogie and Quin Cook are in L.A. (although Boogie is injured), but the Warriors no longer have the parts of a machine that allowed for the team to continue driving. Iguodala is gone; Livingston has retired. The Warriors are different and Curry has Draymond as his help.
Under Armour pay me, because someone is going to read this and pitch it.
The Curry 7 arrives in one of the most difficult moments in Curry’s career. Uncertainty, Doubt, Written Off, Overlooked, and Every Team in the West got better. 7 is supposed to be lucky and what’s more amazing is 7 arrives in Curry’s 11th season… 7 and 11?
Insert mindblown meme
Now on to that dope detail that was overlooked, when Nike took over sponsorship of the NBA, we lost some fantastic socks from Stance. While Curry won’t be able to wear the socks in the picture above, we will; at least I hope we will. As UA plans the release of the 7, releasing globally in the UNDRTD colorway on November 1, 2019 at UA.com, UA Brand Houses and select retailers, the brand should also look at delivering the collaboration between Stance and UA with each drop.
Last year the “Ruin the Game” tagline for the brand was wack. It didn’t do anything to inspire and as a point of reference the word “Ruin” is extremely strong and it takes away from the rest of any marketing around whatever is being sold. The tagline this year should be a long one:
Doubted
Written Off
Overlooked, that Sounds Familiar
Seven Eleven, Place Your Bets
I’d buy that tee shirt.