Under Armour Takes on Iceland for Reveal of Performance Apparel and Footwear Fusing Run, Outdoor and Style
Source: TREK TO THE SUMMIT
I’ve been excited by the PR and content coming out of Under Armour. The company has taken a volatile marketplace problem and the injury to its star athlete and they’ve begun repackaging the story around their products. When the marketing is good I share it and I cheer it on. When it’s bad, I say it. Why? Because the industry needs watchdogs. Right now brick and mortar is facing the most difficult time it’s ever seen as every brand is shifting to DTC. If brick and mortar fades a ton of jobs and a host of issues take place. I’m talking layoffs, abandoned malls and apathy by consumers which can’t happen in a country that is built on commerce. I write this way because I need brands like Under Armour to be healthy, so when I see a campaign that is just wrong, I say it because no one else will.
Above is a picture of a group of people Under Armour pulled together to shoot a campaign for their entrance into Outdoor Performance Footwear and Apparel. The people in the picture are influencers. You don’t have to guess how I feel about influencers. Well you do. I’m okay with influencers if they are chosen for the right reasons. Merrell is an outdoor company that sponsors outdoor athletes, but the people they sponsor aren’t IG famous influencers.
Merrell sponsors people like Akuna Robinson who was the first African-American to complete the Triple Crown of Hiking. Will doesn’t compete to create IG pics. He hikes to bring awareness to mental issues for military veterans suffering from PTSD. I own Merrell products. I don’t own Under Armour products. I don’t hike, but I urban hike and there is a market there. Under Armour is taking pictures of people running full stride over rough terrain in Iceland and they forced their PR department to develop copy for this shit and it makes me irritated and it leaves me shaking my head.
Click the video above and notice what the people in this video look like and what they are carrying.
Look at it! Then click through the link to Under Armour’s information and watch that video. Did you do it?
Those are good looking ass people in the Under Armour shoot. When you visit their IG pages they are wearing everything except Under Armour. In the shoot no one has on a backpack. No one is carrying water for hydration. No one looks worn down. They look cute in their new Under Armour gear. Do you know what that gets Under Armour?
Nothing
UA could have promoted their accessories, but they didn’t. There is nothing authentic about UA and outdoor… Wait a minute. Yes there is:
Under Armour’s Latest Signature Athlete Is Not Who You Think
UA signed Cam Hanes this year. Cam is a hunter and that has a natural correlation to the outdoor industry. While I realize that this new apparel isn’t made for the “Jeff Foxworthy” contingent, the first goal of a brand is to capitalize on the ability to cross promote between categories. This is a moment where Lindsey Vonn (outdoor sports) should have been tapped. This is a moment where UA should have created a category built on authenticity which could happen via influencers, but there are amazing athletes out there dying to be sponsored.
LHAKPA Documentary – Teaser from Christopher Newman on Vimeo.
Lhakpa Sherpa is currently fundraising. Let me tell you how I would relaunch this for Under Armour. I would take the time to help Lhakpa Sherpa tell this story. I would outfit her in the best gear I have available and I would pay for her expenses and then I would document the hell out of this story without splashing the UA logo all over the place. I would utilize the description area on YouTube to highlight the rollout of UA’s new performance outdoor gear. I realize that UA’s gear is more about style, but utilizing Lindsay and Cam creates brand advocates who will reach their audience. Supporting Lhakpa is just the right thing to do because I’m willing to bet the influencer campaign that was shot cost a lot more than the funds Lhakpa needs to inspire an entire generation.
Who gives a damn that it will look like capitalizing on her journey! That shit would be authentic and important and at the end of the day the brand could own that. “We wanted to support something bigger and we know it looks like capitalizing, but you know what, we don’t care. Yes, we want to sell gear, but at the end of the day corporations need to do things that matter and a woman taking on this challenge, in this world, we needed to be a part of that.”
Outdoor brands are trying to crossover to casual wear. Performance brands are trying to crossover to outdoor and it seems that the only company willing to take the high road is Merrell. Under Armour is bigger and has more money, but continuing to roll out campaigns that want to be cool will contribute to their continued decline and that sucks.
UA if you’re reading this here is some information on Lhakpa. I’d like to see her Indiegogo backed by Christmas and the hashtag #MakeLhakpaVisible as a part of UA’s social media for the holidays. With the PR room you’ve hired, watch the content they create from this:
If your brand or company feels connected to Lhakpa’s story we would love to hear from you. We are open to corporate sponsorship of any size, shape or form to help offset Lhakpa’s costs whether it be through direct financial support or gear. For inquiries send a message here.