Under Armour…Going Under?
If you pay any attention to stocks, you may have heard that Under Armour reported it’s first quarterly sales decline since the company went public in 2005. Profits also fell around 58%…which means the financial world finally caught on to what the streets have been sayin…brrrrrap pop pop Under Armour’s NOT HOT (word to Big Shaq).
Everything was cool when they were just into the compression gear and athletic apparel…but when it comes to shoes??? YOU GOTTA COME CORRECT. And from day one, they most definitely did not. No one cares that you’ve signed all of these huge stars/athletes, especially if all you are going to do is design ugly stuff for them to wear. You have an NBA MVP and 2-time Champion on your roster and you release these:
They also have an NFL MVP in Cam Newton and they released these:
They also have an MVP, Super Bowl MVP and 5-Time Superbowl Champion in Tom Brady, and I have no clue what he wears on his feet.
Under Armour is missing and has missed numerous opportunities to influence the culture past being a meme. They do an awful job at telling stories with their releases. If it wasn’t for Steph just being a relatable person and having that personality, Under Armour would have probably been on the downtrend years ago. And what are they doing with A$AP Rocky??
The top 3 problems with Under Armour, in my opinion, are (in no certain order):
1. That damn logo
Why does this monstrosity of a logo have to be SO BIG on the shoe???
2. No classic/iconic silhouettes
Even though some people may be “tired” of Nike, they got pretty much everything right early on in the company. Nike is very story-driven. Nike has MULTIPLE classic designs…to the point where the retro trend is basically a viable cash flow for the company and taking the pressure off of the new designs having to “hit” right away…or at all.
3. Nothing moves without The Culture and Under Armour is no different
We don’t believe you, you need more people. There is no real brand loyalty, outside of Maryland, for Under Armour.
It seemed for a minute that Under Armour may have started to get the picture, they hired some Nike and Adidas designers and they finally created a nice looking silhouette, the Curry 4.
But due to supply chain issues, the Curry 4 release has been delayed. The NBA season has started. We are now in November. The Curry 4 should have been released after the Finals to ride the momentum of the Warriors winning and Steph wearing these shoes in the finals…but I digress.
Who knows what’s next for Under Armour? Is this just a rough patch or will the downtrend last a few quarters? All I know is, if you are trying to be in the sneaker business, don’t come with that wack ‘ish. We not having it.
